Practice English Listening B1+ Exercises – Are you ready to walk away?

A

c

B

1   She’s a good negotiator.

2   maintenance staff, security, and food

3   The chicken dish was delicious, and the wait staff was excellent.

A B

Lan:   Sounds good. Thank you so much. Great. I’ll talk to you Friday. Bye! Yes!

Leti:   You look happy!

Lan:   I am! I just got the hotel to give us a big discount on the conference rooms.

Leti:   Good work! Is this for the sales meeting?

Lan:   Yep. It’s going to be huge this year. We’ve got about 300 people coming.

Leti:   Wow! That’s a lot of people.

Lan:   Which is why I also got them to give us the main ballroom a day early.

Leti:   Wow, you’re quite the negotiator, aren’t you? No wonder the managers love you.

Lan:   I’m pretty good at getting what I want. And it’s fun to try and get a good deal.

Leti:   So does the hotel provide the staff you need? Like, to set up the equipment and everything?

Lan:   Our staff takes care of tech support. I’m going to have them get everything set up before the conference starts. You know, everyone gets really upset when the technology doesn’t work.

Leti:   Yeah.

Lan:   But the hotel provides the maintenance staff and security and everything.

Leti:   What about the food? Do they take care of that, too?

Lan:   They do, but I work with the caterers on the menu.

Leti:   Well, all the food was certainly wonderful last year. I remember this delicious chicken dish they made.

Lan:   Yeah, they have great food. And I’m having them make that chicken dish again.

Leti:   Oh, good. And the wait staff was excellent. I’m sure that however much they cost, they’re worth it.

Lan:   Easy to say when you’re not paying the bill!

Leti:   True.

C

Lan:   I just got the hotel to give us a big discount on the conference rooms.

Leti:   Good work! Is this for the sales meeting?

Lan:   Yep. It’s going to be huge this year–we’ve got about 300 people coming.

Leti:   Wow! That’s a lot of people.

Lan:   Which is why I also got them to give us the main ballroom a day early.

A

negotiating for a photography project for a big company

B

1   take pictures of their employees

2   They want her to include extra services for free.

3   make a deal for future work

A B

Leti:   So, you know, Lan, since you’re such a good negotiator, maybe you could give me some advice.

Lan:   Of course.

Leti:   Well, you know I do some photography work on the side, usually weddings and that kind of thing.

Lan:   Oh, I didn’t know that! I’ll need to keep that in mind so I can recommend you to friends for their weddings!

Leti:   Thanks. But the problem is that this time I’ve got a big company that wants me to go to their company picnic next month and take pictures of their employees. I’m supposed to call them this afternoon, but I’m not sure if I should accept the offer.

Lan:   Sounds like it could pay well.

Leti:   Well, that’s the thing. We agreed to a price for candid photos, but they’re trying to get me to provide all these extra services for the same price.

Lan:   Like what?

Leti:   Like shooting in an extra location, taking headshots of everyone there, doing a big group shot—it’s all stuff that I can do, but it’s not what we agreed to. It’s a lot more work.

Lan:   Hmm. And did you tell them that?

Leti:   I did! I told them that those are extra services and I may even have to bring another photographer with me to do all of that work. And all of that costs extra.

Lan:   And what did they say?

Leti:   They said I should put together a proposal–you know, with various options and get back to them.

Lan:   That’s a lot of work. And you may not even get the job. You don’t have to do all that.

Leti:   Hmm. Maybe I’d better walk away.

Lan:   Well, I think you should be ready to walk away. But if you’re really interested in doing more work for them, maybe you could make a deal for future work instead.

Leti:   What do you mean?

Lan:   Well, you could offer them a lower rate on the extra services but, in exchange, tell them you want a contract for an additional job.

Leti:   That’s a good suggestion. It would be nice to have them as a regular client. I think I’m going to try that.

Lan:   But only if they pay you what you’re worth!

Leti:   Exactly!

C

Leti:   They said I should put together a proposal–you know, with various options and get back to them.

Lan:   That’s a lot of work. And you may not even get the job. You don’t have to do all that.

Leti:   Hmm. Maybe I’d better walk away.

A

a

B

1 Just as   2 Similarly   3 same

C

1 win   2 improve   3 research   4 listen to

5 make sure   6 believe

The Negotiation Dance

What do you think when you hear the word negotiation? Is it like a fight that you’re trying to win? It shouldn’t be. If you go into a negotiation only focused on what you want and how you’re going to get a better deal, chances are you won’t be successful. For example, imagine you’re selling a service, like website design, and charging the client an extra high price. You might consider it a great negotiation, but unless your clients are satisfied, you’ll probably lose their trust and maybe even their business. What’s worse, they’ll likely tell other potential contacts that you charge too much. Say goodbye to more business.

So, forget fighting. Being a good negotiator is more like being a good dancer, where you and your negotiating partner give and take and achieve something wonderful. Of course, like dancing, some people are naturally better at negotiating, but everyone can improve with a little practice.

Let’s continue with the dancer idea. Just as a dancer prepares for a performance by studying a set of steps, you need to prepare for a negotiation through research and planning. Before negotiating with different people, learn everything you can about them. Let’s say you’re negotiating to buy a used bicycle. Find out how much it costs new. Consider how the condition should affect the price. How much are other sellers charging? Have all of the facts before you begin your negotiation, and you’ll start from a position of strength.

Back to the dancers. Good dancers pay close attention to their partners’ moves. Similarly, good negotiators listen to what their partners want ask a lot of questions and say things like, “Let me be sure I understand you” and, “Let me summarize what you just said” and, “I want to give you what you want, at a price that’s fair for both of us.” Unless you’re working towards that win-win solution, you’ll never be a great negotiator.

One more thing: it takes confidence to smoothly move with your dance partner across the floor, and you’ll need that same confidence when you negotiate. If you believe in yourself, other people will believe in you, too. Study after study has shown this to be true. Groups trying to solve a problem almost always end up accepting the solution proposed by the most confident person, even if that person is wrong, and even if that person knows less about the subject than others. Build your self-confidence; it’s a powerful tool in getting people to see things your way.

I could go on. Negotiating is complicated. But let me just summarize. Even if you aren’t a natural-born negotiator, you can learn the skills. You can prepare for negotiations by listening carefully to what the other side wants, and you can build confidence by believing in yourself. With a little effort, you might find that your next negotiation is more successful than you ever expected. You might even be a better dancer than you realize.

A

b

B

1 competitive   2 compromising   3 cooperative

HOW DO YOU NEGOTIATE?

How do you negotiate? Are you too aggressive? Not aggressive enough? Experts have identified three broad styles of negotiation, and knowing what they are can help you become more aware of how you and others are communicating.

1   When you begin a negotiation, do you ___?

      a   get straight to business, without spending a lot of time trying to connect personally

      b   spend some time trying to connect with the other person

      c   focus on understanding what the other person wants before you talk about what you want

2   When the other party doesn’t agree with you, do you ___?

      a   keep trying different ways to get what you want

      b   ask questions to make sure you really understand what the other person wants

      c   focus on trying to find a middle ground between your position and the other person’s

3   When the negotiation is finished, are you mostly concerned about ___?

      a   whether you got what you wanted

      b   whether you and the other person have a good relationship

      c   whether you and the other person are both satisfied with the result

Two “a” answers: Competitive

A competitive negotiator is more focused on making the deal than building a relationship. You may be very successful at communicating what you want and at keeping the negotiation on track. On the negative side, competitive negotiators may be too aggressive. The other party may feel that their needs are not being recognized.

Two “b” answers: Cooperative

A cooperative negotiator is focused on having a good relationship with the other party. You are good at building trust with the other person and establishing a long-term relationship. However, you may focus too much on the other party’s wishes and let them control the negotiation.

Two “c” answers: Compromising

A compromiser tries to arrive at a solution that leaves both parties partially satisfied with the results. A compromising style may allow you to conclude the negotiation without damaging the relationship. On the other hand, it may end up that neither side is completely happy with either the result of the negotiation or the relationship between the parties.

So, which kind of negotiator are you? Remember that different parts of a negotiation may require different styles. As with most areas of human communication, being aware of yourself and others is the key to success.

A

how to develop confidence

B

1   to gain trust and respect

2   fake it till you make it, be prepared, and have good posture

When you’re negotiating a deal, interviewing for a job, or giving a presentation, it’s hard for other people to believe in you unless you believe in yourself. It’s normal to feel anxious sometimes, but you need to have self-confidence to gain trust and respect. Fortunately, even if you’re shy or nervous, you can appear confident if you follow a few suggestions.

The best advice I’ve heard about developing confidence is to “fake it till you make it.” This means that if you pretend that you have confidence, eventually you really will start to feel more confident. When you’re in a situation where you’re uncomfortable, imagine what a confident person would do with his or her voice, words, and actions, and then do these things yourself.

Another suggestion to help you feel more confident is to be prepared. For example, when you’re going to a job interview, you’ll feel more sure of yourself if you’ve done research about the company and had a friend do a practice interview with you. Or, if you’re negotiating a price for something, it’s much easier to feel confident if you have done research to find out what a fair price is.

The last advice I’ll share is the simplest advice. Have good posture—that’s the way you hold your body. Sit or stand up straight with your head high and your shoulders pulled back. You’ll immediately feel better about yourself, and this will help your confidence. Thank you and good luck. And remember—fake it till you make it!