Communications and Negotiations Flashcards
Why are good communication skills important?
- Key to building trust
- Allows others and yourself to understand info accurately and quickly
Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings
Why might you change your communication skills depending on who you are dealing with?
Key is in understanding with whom you are talking
- to better understand with whom I am dealing, to gain better information
- leasing agents, usually call then follow up in writing to get more information
- tenant, change tack vs client
- different clients have different needs
What are some methods of communication?
Phone
Email
Letter
Face to Face
Give me an example of when you have used effective communication skills?
- Name different types of communication?
Verbal Communication
Verbal communication occurs when we engage in speaking with others. It can be face-to-face, over the telephone, via Skype or Zoom, etc. Some verbal engagements are informal, such as chatting with a friend over coffee or in the office kitchen, while others are more formal, such as a scheduled meeting. Regardless of the type, it is not just about the words, it is also about the caliber and complexity of those words, how we string those words together to create an overarching message, as well as the intonation (pitch, tone, cadence, etc.) used while speaking. And when occurring face-to-face, while the words are important, they cannot be separated from non-verbal communication.
Non-Verbal Communication
What we do while we speak often says more than the actual words. Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, posture, eye contact, hand movements, and touch. For example, if you’re engaged in a conversation with your boss about your cost-saving idea, it is important to pay attention to both the their words and their non-verbal communication. Your boss might be in agreement with your idea verbally, but their nonverbal cues: avoiding eye contact, sighing, scrunched up face, etc. indicate something different.
Written Communication
Whether it is an email, a memo, a report, a Facebook post, a Tweet, a contract, etc. all forms of written communication have the same goal to disseminate information in a clear and concise manner – though that objective is often not achieved. In fact, poor writing skills often lead to confusion and embarrassment, and even potential legal jeopardy. One important thing to remember about written communication, especially in the digital age, is the message lives on, perhaps in perpetuity. Thus, there are two things to remember: first, write well – poorly constructed sentences and careless errors make you look bad; and second, ensure the content of the message is something you want to promote or be associated with for the long haul.
Listening
The act of listening does not often make its way onto the list of types of communication. Active listening, however, is perhaps one of the most important types of communication because if we cannot listen to the person sitting across from us, we cannot effectively engage with them. Think about a negotiation – part of the process is to assess what the opposition wants and needs. Without listening, it is impossible to assess that, which makes it difficult to achieve a win/win outcome.
Visual Communication
We are a visual society. Think about it, televisions are running 24/7, Facebook is visual with memes, videos, images, etc., Instagram is an image-only platform, and advertisers use imagery to sell products and ideas. Think about from a personal perspective – the images we post on social media are meant to convey meaning – to communicate a message. In some cases that message might be, look at me, I’m in Italy or I just won an award. Others are carefully curated to tug on our heartstrings – injured animals, crying children, etc.
- Tell me a time you have had to adapt your negotiation skills to fulfil an instruction?
External seating example
- How can visual aids assist in delivering a presentation?
powerpoint - tables, graphs
What are the key principles of effective communication in a professional environment?
- Can you explain the different types of communication (e.g., verbal, non-verbal, written) and when each might be most effective?
What methods can you use to ensure your communication is clear and understood by all parties involved?
clear written comms
after discussion to provide meeting minutes
- What role does active listening play in communication, and how can it improve negotiation outcomes?
understanding the other party’s requirements and acting upon this
- What is the purpose of negotiation in a property or construction-related context?
to get to a point when two or more parties will stand to gain from a transaction
- Can you describe the stages of a typical negotiation process?
- What is the difference between a ‘win-win’ and a ‘win-lose’ negotiation, and why is a collaborative approach important in certain situations?
win-lose of zero sum is where one party gains at the other’s expense whereas win win is where both parties stand to gain. collaboration is imporant in many situations to create long lasting business relationships
How do cultural differences impact communication and negotiation strategies?
approaches will vary and
What are some common barriers to effective communication, and how can you overcome them?
lack of understanding of other party’s requirements - listen and understand
What techniques can you use to manage conflicts or disagreements that arise during negotiations?
compromise
- What are methods of negotiation?
Compete (I Win- You Lose) …
Accommodate (I Lose – You Win) …
Avoid (I Lose – You Lose) …
Compromise (I Lose / Win Some – You Lose / Win Some) …
Collaborate (I Win – You Win)
In distributive negotiation, parties compete over the distribution of a fixed pool of value. Here, any gain by one party represents a loss to the other. You may also hear this referred to as a zero-sum negotiation or win-lose negotiation.
Integrative negotiation gives us one of the biggest chances of a win-win. In these types of negotiation situations, there is more than one issue to be negotiated, and negotiators have the potential to make tradeoffs across issues and create value. In many cases, distributive negotiations can become integrative if we take the time to search for additional issues to include.
Team negotiations are those types of negotiation situations where the negotiating parties are made up of more than one person. These might include union contract negotiations or major business negotiations.
Lastly, mulitparty negotiations include, as you might imagine, multiple parties. These types of negotiation situations might include municipal projects or international negotiations. Multiparty negotiations do require more complex negotiating skills, but there is also more opportunity to find tradeoffs and create value.
- What would happen if you didn’t verify in writing?
it would cause confusion
- When did you adjust reporting for clients?
arrears - rather than reams of excel cells which also are difficult to read , especially on Teams, I changed to tabular and graphical visualisation
- Name different types of communication?
verbal, non verbal, written
- Tell me a time you have had to adapt your negotiation skills to fulfil an instruction?
external seating example-
