Smartphones and computers are technologies that have become essential and ubiquitous in nearly every area of life, including negotiation.
With Covid-19, we have become even more dependent on these devices and electronic communication.
There was a time when we had to meet in person (or pick up our phone) and then send a fax for confirmation. Then came emails filling up our inbox and further reducing face-to-face meetings. Now people increasingly use instant messages to negotiate since apps, like WhatsApp, WeChat or Line, can transfer documents. This is not only instantaneous, but also spam free - probably because getting one's email address is more difficult than a personal phone number.
Zoom, Webex Microsoft Teams and other video conference platforms have slightly counter-balanced this trend, but the reality is we have have become electronic negotiators even more.
Although e-negotiation provides great convenience, it also presents its own challenges. Because of the increase in speed, you’d think that e-negotiations would shorten the bargaining process, but this isn’t always the case. Misunderstandings occur more often over email and texts than in person, and the possibility of distraction and loss of focus is often greater when you’re communicating online.
Face-to-face negotiation creates more rapport and cooperation. Rapport encourages better outcomes. This does not mean that electronic communication is bad for negotiating. In fact, it’s a necessity in the actual world, but there are limitations and dangers that a negotiator should consider. Overreliance on online communication may create more problems than it solves.
Context is much more difficult to determine in writing than face-to-face. Lack of context can easily land correspondents in hot water if they’re not careful. For instance, the person you are writing an email or a text to to may be experiencing a bad day. An abrupt email or text may just add to their stress. Email lacks cues, like facial expression and vocal tone, that allow us to read the other party. Perceiving negative emotions with some degree of accuracy is an important factor in negotiation. It allows us to adjust our approach to others and the right timing for it.
In one of their research studies, psychologists Jennifer Parlamis and Daniel Ames found that “email dyads have less pro-social concerns, are less likely to reach an agreement, less satisfied with the quality of the interaction during the negotiation, reported less rapport and rated future trust in their partner significantly lower than face-to-face dyads.” You may have also noticed that cooperation between two people involved in electronic communications increases when they share photos, personal information, or already know each other.
Instant communication generates a sense of urgency and encourages us to be less careful with what we write. Many, when communicating online, forget some of the most basic principles of human interaction. I’m not talking about typos, grammatical errors, or the trail of emails we sometimes forget to remove before pressing the “send” button. Before you post or send that important email or text, take time to review it and allow your emotions to be filtered. You should always remain polite and make sure that your responses aren’t triggered by emotions, such as contempt or anger. Allow yourself the chance to read over what you’ve written, out loud if possible. Professional emails or messages should carry more information than emotion. They should be brief and clear. For very sensitive, long, complicated, or emotionally charged matters, it is preferable to meet in person or have a conversation via the phone or video conferencing. Once the essential details have been ironed out, you can send a confirmation email.
Also bear in mind that messages and emails can mean more than what they literally say. We often overestimate our capacity to read and decode them. It’s important to develop an ability to read between the lines. People often hide behind the language they use in writing. Many are actually more inclined to use tougher tactics (or even lie) when not negotiating face-to-face.
Artificial intelligence will be the next “big” thing as well, with robots replacing humans in many aspects of our lives including increasingly complex tasks. We can already imagine contracts behind drafted by robots, disputes assessed by algorithms and emotions detected through lenses.
