Negotiation Vocabulary: Words and Phrases in English

assuage verbC1

To ease or lessen someone's anger, distress, or concerns.

A written apology did little to assuage the client's fury over the botched rollout.

grandstand verbC1

To make a showy display meant to impress an audience rather than to settle.

The rival's lawyer grandstanded for the board while the real haggling happened in the corridor.

quibble verbC1

To argue or raise objections about a trivial matter.

They quibbled over the payment schedule long after the main price had been settled.

rescind verbC1

To cancel a contract or offer so it no longer has effect.

They tried to rescind the offer after we'd already signed, and counsel shut it down.

addendum nounC1

An item of additional material added to a document or contract.

The revised service levels were set out in an addendum signed the following week.

adjudication nounC1

The formal process of judging and settling a dispute or claim.

The construction contract routed any disagreement to fast-track adjudication before either side could litigate.

appeasement nounC1

The act of satisfying a hostile party by making concessions.

Critics called the settlement pure appeasement that would only invite further demands.

arbiter nounC1

A person with authority to settle a dispute or decide a contested matter.

The chairman became the final arbiter whenever the two divisions could not agree on budget.

assent nounC1

Formal expression of approval or agreement.

The deal could not close without the regulator's assent.

BATNA nounC2

Your best alternative to a negotiated agreement, which sets the standard against which any offer should be judged.

Their BATNA is weak because no other vendor can hit that deadline, so we hold the cards.

bluster nounC1

Loud, aggressive talk meant to intimidate but with little substance behind it.

Behind the bluster about walking away, they had no alternative buyer at all.

bogey nounC2

A pretended constraint or priority raised only to trade it away later for something you actually want.

The delivery date was pure bogey; they never cared about it, they just wanted to swap it for the exclusivity clause.

climbdown nounC1

A humbling retreat from a previously firm position.

Dropping the exclusivity demand was a public climbdown, but it saved the deal.

duress nounC1

Unlawful pressure or coercion that may render a resulting agreement voidable.

They argued the settlement had been signed under duress and should be set aside.

emissary nounC1

A person sent on a special mission to represent another party.

The chairman sent an emissary to sound out the family owners before any formal approach.

enmity nounC1

Deep-seated hostility or hatred between parties.

Personal enmity between the two chairmen made any negotiated settlement unlikely.

entente nounC2

A friendly understanding or informal alliance between parties.

The two rival trade bodies reached a quiet entente to lobby the regulator together.

guile nounC2

Sly or cunning intelligence used to achieve one's aims.

She won the concession through guile rather than pressure, letting them think it was their idea.

impasse nounB2

A deadlock where no progress is possible.

Talks reached an impasse over severance terms.

leeway nounC1

The amount of freedom or room to move within set limits.

The sales director had little leeway to discount below list price without approval.

overture nounC1

An opening approach or proposal intended to start talks.

The rival firm made a quiet overture about a merger.

parley nounC2

A conference between opposing sides to discuss terms, especially of a dispute.

A brief parley on neutral ground restarted communication after the walkout.

plenipotentiary nounC2

A person invested with full power to act and sign on behalf of another.

The parent company sent its deputy chairman as plenipotentiary to conclude the joint venture.

posturing nounC1

Behaviour intended to impress or intimidate rather than reflect a real position.

Much of the opening hour was posturing, and the substance only began after lunch.

rapprochement nounC2

The re-establishment of cordial relations after a period of dispute.

Quiet back-channel talks produced a rapprochement that reopened the joint venture.

subterfuge nounC2

Deceit used to achieve an aim or conceal one's true intentions.

Claiming a rival bid that did not exist was a subterfuge the vendor later regretted.

acrimonious adjectiveC1

Marked by bitterness and angry hostility.

The partnership ended in an acrimonious dispute over who owned the client list.

conciliatory adjectiveC1

Intended to placate or win goodwill and reduce hostility.

Her conciliatory opening remarks defused a room that had arrived expecting a fight.

deft adjectiveC1

Demonstrating neat skill and quickness, especially in handling people or situations.

With a deft change of subject, he steered the meeting away from the disputed penalty clause.

distributive adjectiveC1

Relating to bargaining in which a fixed value is divided so one side's gain is the other's loss.

A purely distributive stance over the fee left no room to enlarge the overall deal.

forthright adjectiveC1

Direct and outspoken in stating one's views.

He was forthright about the price: anything below eight million was off the table.

implacable adjectiveC2

Unable to be appeased or persuaded to change.

The pension trustees were implacable in their demand for a full deficit payment.

integrative adjectiveC2

Relating to bargaining that seeks mutual gains by enlarging the deal rather than dividing it.

An integrative approach unlocked value by bundling services neither side had priced in.

intractable adjectiveC1

Extremely difficult to manage, solve, or resolve.

The royalty dispute proved intractable until a neutral valuer was appointed.

magnanimous adjectiveC2

Generous or forgiving, especially towards a weaker party or former rival.

Having won the key point, she was magnanimous about the minor concessions that followed.

malleable adjectiveC1

Easily influenced or adjusted to fit circumstances.

Delivery terms proved far more malleable than the headline price.

obstinate adjectiveC1

Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course.

The landlord remained obstinate about the break clause despite the tenant's offers.

reticent adjectiveC1

Not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.

Seasoned negotiators are often reticent about their walk-away point.

unyielding adjectiveC1

Unwilling to give way to pressure or persuasion.

Faced with an unyielding counterparty, the team switched focus to non-price terms.

wily adjectiveC1

Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially through cunning.

The wily procurement chief always left one minor demand to trade away at the end.