職場英語:Negotiations(音頻文字)ZT
http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/ukchina/simp/2010/01/bbc_bc_business_negotiations_au_bb.mp3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/simp/elt/2010/06/100127_bc_business_expert_negotiations_story.shtml
閱讀理解練習
1. Daniel 談到任何商務談判的最終目的是什麽？
2. Daniel 談到在談判中可以采取何種策略來贏得對方信任？
3. 是否應該在談判中盡量避免可能會引起爭論的話題？
4. 為什麽在談判中需要時時注意不忽視 the bigger picture 大方向？
5. 在談判中是否必須嚴格遵照議事日程上規定需商議的事項？
Tip 1 If I was going into a negotiation later this week, for example to hire a contractor 承包人 to build my house, I would have to take a number of steps before we went into the detailed negotiations. I would have to know exactly what it was that I wanted in terms of the nature of the fixtures and fittings 固定裝置, the different types of stonework（建築物）磚石部分 and other materials; I would have a timeline 時間表 in my mind of how long I wanted to take for this procedure; I would want to have some guarantees in place in my mind in terms of if the builder did not provide some of the service or was late or didn’t turn up or the service was substandard 不達標的, so there would have to be a list of penalties 罰款，責罰. I would look at some of the past work that the builder had completed, I would look at the company website, I might call some references 證明、鑒定 if they had clients on their website who were available as references. I might talk to architects around town to get some kind of idea of the quality of their work, and I would like to just be sure that all that preparation was done before a meeting began.
Tip 2 The ultimate objective 目標 for a negotiation is to create a win-win situation or 雙 贏, where both sides feel that the partnership is mutually beneficial 雙贏 and will improve the prospects 前景 of both companies. Having that frame of mind 心境, having that mindset 心態, is quite important and being able to identify areas that you feel are beneficial to both parties is very important.
Tip 3 In my experience, successful negotiations are really helped by clear communication and the objectives, the timetable 時間表, the pricing structure, the volumes 數量，額度, the services offered are all clearly laid out. And the need to frequently recap 扼要重述, to go over points that have been agreed, to make sure that both parties have agreed them and then to write them down in a legal form is very important. The legal drafting of a negotiation is the most crucial 決 定性的 part and you have to be careful that what you’ve said verbally is captured correctly in the written form, because often when the lawyers get to working through a negotiation, they can change terms quite subtly 巧妙地；細微的; you have to be very careful with the written language.
Tip 4 Let’s imagine that you wanted to buy office supplies over a period of time for your new office. When you’re meeting with the vendor 賣方 of these supplies, they are quite resistant 不肯讓步的 to changing their prices – they say they have a set price range or they have a retail price that’s fixed. There are many things that you could try to suggest to them to be more flexible on their pricing. You might start off with expressions like, “We want a long-term 長期 relationship, we want to be involved with you for many years and we’d like you to take into account the fact that we are prepared to commit 進入，投入 over a long-term period and we feel that that long-term commitment deserves a reduction in pricing. If we commit to a longer-term contract over many years with you, will you reduce your pricing by 10 percent? And if we increase our volume of purchasing to a higher level, will you reduce your pricing by a further 10 percent? So we really encourage you to go back to your board 董事會 and re-examine your pricing policy. And we also would like to point out that there are other market competitors and other suppliers that we are aware of, we know that pricing is flexible in the market and we want to be realistic with you and we would ask that you’re realistic in terms of the pricing policy that you have.”
Tip 5 Often in a negotiation, the two people, one on each side, have to report back to their own bosses. And one way to earn the trust of your counterparty 訂約方 is to make him feel that you are willing to take a risk for him, that you are willing to take some pain for him and that you are willing to work with him to create a proposal that can be successfully sold to both superiors, both boards. An example might be of a salesman who says to his counterparty: “My board has said I have to sell this at £50 but I’m going to do everything in my power to persuade them that I’m going to sell it you for £45. I will do whatever I can to reduce the price for you. Because I value our partnership 夥伴關係, I value our friendship, I want this to succeed and it’s going to be a win-win for everyone.” The other person hearing this thinks, “Well that’s great. This salesman is going to fight his board, take additional pressure from his superiors, reduce the terms of the deal; and he’s going to do all that so that we can create a successful partnership and create a deal that I can sell to my own board. That’s wonderful.” Now, the first salesman may actually have approval to sell at £40 rather than 50, so in fact he’s just using a tactic 策略 to try and gain the trust of the other party and he’s keeping a margin 差額. He’s building in a margin of comfort for himself in case the other party says, “Well 45 sounds great, but why can’t we do 42?” in which case he can turn around and say 轉而說, “You’re killing me here 你讓我毫無餘地了, I’m not going to make any money on this deal but OK, I think I can make 42 work”. Actually he’s all right because he was meant to do 40. So that’s just one tactic is to make your counterparty a friend and make him feel that you’re willing to take pressure and a risk for him.
Tip 6 I’ve been in many negotiations where there’s been screaming and shouting. And it’s incredible how much goodwill 親善感覺 evaporates 消失 as a result of that. It’s important to maintain decorum 禮貌 and not, for example, start attacking the other company’s product quality. I think when those kinds of issues are raised, they have to be raised in a very neutral 中立的 way, not in an aggressive 挑釁性 的 way because that can backfire 產生適得其反的效果 because people become defensive 防衛性的. “Everyone in the street says that your product is fine, but your after-sale maintenance is rubbish.” That is a negative statement that doesn’t help me achieve what I want. What I really want is to say, “I like your product but I need to be sure that the after-sale maintenance is of a good standard.” So I might say, “One of the things that our company takes very seriously 很看重的 is after-sale maintenance. Can you describe to me some of the measures 措施 that you will take to ensure that your after-sale maintenance is of a top quality and I hope you will understand that we are going to build into the contract various penalties in the event that after-sale maintenance is not of a required standard, and I hope you understand why that is important for us.” And it helps save face, and saving face is one of the important aspects of negotiation. You will fail in a negotiation if you cause your counterparty to lose face and even if it does succeed there will be negative energy created and there will be resentment 怨恨 in future.
Tip 7 Positive reinforcement 積極的鼓勵 is very very helpful for a negotiation. It’s very good to praise your counterparty where you can, even while introducing negotiation subjects or topics that might be difficult. For example, “I want to remind you that our board considers you the best company in the field, you’ve got the most complementary 相配的 mix of products, you’ve got the widest geographical reach, you’ve got the strongest balance sheet 最強的決算表數值, your reputation is the best and even though other competitors offer 10 percent less than you, our board is committed to working with you because we recognise the quality of services and the complementary nature of our businesses”. So in that sentence you have the praise for the company but you’ve also introduced the concept of a 10 percent discount and reminded them that there is a possibility that you can go elsewhere if necessary. Another key aspect of a negotiation to keep it positive is reminders of the benefits to both parties. And as you work on a negotiation, you may say, “We’re really excited at the prospect of bringing together two of the largest companies in this area and the strength and the synergies 協同效應 and the positive momentum that will be derived from a tie- up 關聯關係 together. Yes, we’re focusing on pricing and we really want 10 percent less than you’ve offered us, but let’s look at the bigger picture 更廣的全 局 again”. And so trying to create a bigger picture, the win-win concept, creates an atmosphere of encouragement and positivity and in the end can lead to compromise.
Tip 8 Parking 暫時放置 a difficult issue is a common device. Out of fifty items there might be five or ten that you can’t resolve or you may need to take back to your boss or your board for further discussion. In this situation, you might say something like, “Let’s work through the items that we can agree on now, that we know are workable and we’ll park the difficult items and we’ll get back to each other next week in our next set of meetings”. Or, “Let’s leave those items for now until we can get more feedback from our board or more direction from our superiors”.
Tip 9 Sometimes when negotiations are not progressing well or in order to complete a negotiation, you have to start using sweeteners （原意：甜味料）在此文中指“好 處、利益” to make the deal sweeter. These may not be cash-related, they may not be price-related, but they generate an overall feeling of satisfaction and completion for the party that you are dealing with. And it may be for example, if you are trying to hire a high-flying 成功的, well-regarded banker, that instead of focusing purely on the cash compensation you may want to start looking at some fringe benefits that are important to his feeling of status; for example club memberships or having his children at the best international schools or maybe access to a private jet. There are many different ways that go beyond just the pure cash payment.
Tip 10 I think the skill sets 技能組合 are very similar when working within your own organisation as compared to when you’re negotiating with a counterparty. For example: being polite, being clear, being respectful, being timely, being professional – all those aspects of your working life and profile are as important within your company as outside your company. If you want to get your team to meet a sales target and you have to encourage them, if you want to try a new angle of approach with customers, if you want to introduce a new product within your company, if you want to have your boss give you a day off, if you want to negotiate for a pay increase or to increase the commission 傭金 that you get – all of these require day-to-day negotiating skills within your company. Even if you want to get someone to get you a cup of coffee you’ve got to go and persuade them that it makes sense for them to do it.
（答案見下）
閱讀理解練習 - 答案 (ZT)
1. Daniel 談到任何商務談判的最終目的是什麽？
答案：達到“雙贏” win-win situation，雙方都應感到所達成的合作夥伴關係是雙方互利並會 給雙方帶來更佳前景。
2. Daniel 談到在談判中可以采取何種策略來贏得對方信任？
答案：表現出你甘願為對方承擔風險。比如，表現出你不惜為對方違背自己上司而在談判中贏 得對方的肯定與信任。
3. 是否應該在談判中盡量避免可能會引起爭論的話題？
答案：否。但是在觸及這樣的話題時應注意提出的方式方法，不能太唐突或有挑釁口吻。有時 你可以在稱讚對方的同時適當觸及這樣的敏感話題。
4. 為什麽在談判中需要時時注意不忽視 the bigger picture – 大方向？
答案：把注意力集中在 bigger picture 這樣的大方向前提上可以幫助雙方創造出有促進作用 的積極氣氛。
5. 在談判中是否必須嚴格遵照議事日程上規定需商議的事項？
答案：否。談判時我們需要具備一定的靈活性。為了確保談判的進程，有時我們可以把一些一 時難以解決的問題 park 就是做暫時的放置。
http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/ukchina/simp/2010/01/bbc_bc_business_negotiations_au_bb.mp3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/simp/elt/2010/06/100127_bc_business_expert_negotiations_story.shtml
閱讀理解練習
1. Daniel 談到任何商務談判的最終目的是什麽？
2. Daniel 談到在談判中可以采取何種策略來贏得對方信任？
3. 是否應該在談判中盡量避免可能會引起爭論的話題？
4. 為什麽在談判中需要時時注意不忽視 the bigger picture 大方向？
5. 在談判中是否必須嚴格遵照議事日程上規定需商議的事項？
Tip 1 If I was going into a negotiation later this week, for example to hire a contractor 承包人 to build my house, I would have to take a number of steps before we went into the detailed negotiations. I would have to know exactly what it was that I wanted in terms of the nature of the fixtures and fittings 固定裝置, the different types of stonework（建築物）磚石部分 and other materials; I would have a timeline 時間表 in my mind of how long I wanted to take for this procedure; I would want to have some guarantees in place in my mind in terms of if the builder did not provide some of the service or was late or didn’t turn up or the service was substandard 不達標的, so there would have to be a list of penalties 罰款，責罰. I would look at some of the past work that the builder had completed, I would look at the company website, I might call some references 證明、鑒定 if they had clients on their website who were available as references. I might talk to architects around town to get some kind of idea of the quality of their work, and I would like to just be sure that all that preparation was done before a meeting began.
Tip 2 The ultimate objective 目標 for a negotiation is to create a win-win situation or 雙 贏, where both sides feel that the partnership is mutually beneficial 雙贏 and will improve the prospects 前景 of both companies. Having that frame of mind 心境, having that mindset 心態, is quite important and being able to identify areas that you feel are beneficial to both parties is very important.
Tip 3 In my experience, successful negotiations are really helped by clear communication and the objectives, the timetable 時間表, the pricing structure, the volumes 數量，額度, the services offered are all clearly laid out. And the need to frequently recap 扼要重述, to go over points that have been agreed, to make sure that both parties have agreed them and then to write them down in a legal form is very important. The legal drafting of a negotiation is the most crucial 決 定性的 part and you have to be careful that what you’ve said verbally is captured correctly in the written form, because often when the lawyers get to working through a negotiation, they can change terms quite subtly 巧妙地；細微的; you have to be very careful with the written language.
Tip 4 Let’s imagine that you wanted to buy office supplies over a period of time for your new office. When you’re meeting with the vendor 賣方 of these supplies, they are quite resistant 不肯讓步的 to changing their prices – they say they have a set price range or they have a retail price that’s fixed. There are many things that you could try to suggest to them to be more flexible on their pricing. You might start off with expressions like, “We want a long-term 長期 relationship, we want to be involved with you for many years and we’d like you to take into account the fact that we are prepared to commit 進入，投入 over a long-term period and we feel that that long-term commitment deserves a reduction in pricing. If we commit to a longer-term contract over many years with you, will you reduce your pricing by 10 percent? And if we increase our volume of purchasing to a higher level, will you reduce your pricing by a further 10 percent? So we really encourage you to go back to your board 董事會 and re-examine your pricing policy. And we also would like to point out that there are other market competitors and other suppliers that we are aware of, we know that pricing is flexible in the market and we want to be realistic with you and we would ask that you’re realistic in terms of the pricing policy that you have.”
Tip 5 Often in a negotiation, the two people, one on each side, have to report back to their own bosses. And one way to earn the trust of your counterparty 訂約方 is to make him feel that you are willing to take a risk for him, that you are willing to take some pain for him and that you are willing to work with him to create a proposal that can be successfully sold to both superiors, both boards. An example might be of a salesman who says to his counterparty: “My board has said I have to sell this at £50 but I’m going to do everything in my power to persuade them that I’m going to sell it you for £45. I will do whatever I can to reduce the price for you. Because I value our partnership 夥伴關係, I value our friendship, I want this to succeed and it’s going to be a win-win for everyone.” The other person hearing this thinks, “Well that’s great. This salesman is going to fight his board, take additional pressure from his superiors, reduce the terms of the deal; and he’s going to do all that so that we can create a successful partnership and create a deal that I can sell to my own board. That’s wonderful.” Now, the first salesman may actually have approval to sell at £40 rather than 50, so in fact he’s just using a tactic 策略 to try and gain the trust of the other party and he’s keeping a margin 差額. He’s building in a margin of comfort for himself in case the other party says, “Well 45 sounds great, but why can’t we do 42?” in which case he can turn around and say 轉而說, “You’re killing me here 你讓我毫無餘地了, I’m not going to make any money on this deal but OK, I think I can make 42 work”. Actually he’s all right because he was meant to do 40. So that’s just one tactic is to make your counterparty a friend and make him feel that you’re willing to take pressure and a risk for him.
Tip 6 I’ve been in many negotiations where there’s been screaming and shouting. And it’s incredible how much goodwill 親善感覺 evaporates 消失 as a result of that. It’s important to maintain decorum 禮貌 and not, for example, start attacking the other company’s product quality. I think when those kinds of issues are raised, they have to be raised in a very neutral 中立的 way, not in an aggressive 挑釁性 的 way because that can backfire 產生適得其反的效果 because people become defensive 防衛性的. “Everyone in the street says that your product is fine, but your after-sale maintenance is rubbish.” That is a negative statement that doesn’t help me achieve what I want. What I really want is to say, “I like your product but I need to be sure that the after-sale maintenance is of a good standard.” So I might say, “One of the things that our company takes very seriously 很看重的 is after-sale maintenance. Can you describe to me some of the measures 措施 that you will take to ensure that your after-sale maintenance is of a top quality and I hope you will understand that we are going to build into the contract various penalties in the event that after-sale maintenance is not of a required standard, and I hope you understand why that is important for us.” And it helps save face, and saving face is one of the important aspects of negotiation. You will fail in a negotiation if you cause your counterparty to lose face and even if it does succeed there will be negative energy created and there will be resentment 怨恨 in future.
Tip 7 Positive reinforcement 積極的鼓勵 is very very helpful for a negotiation. It’s very good to praise your counterparty where you can, even while introducing negotiation subjects or topics that might be difficult. For example, “I want to remind you that our board considers you the best company in the field, you’ve got the most complementary 相配的 mix of products, you’ve got the widest geographical reach, you’ve got the strongest balance sheet 最強的決算表數值, your reputation is the best and even though other competitors offer 10 percent less than you, our board is committed to working with you because we recognise the quality of services and the complementary nature of our businesses”. So in that sentence you have the praise for the company but you’ve also introduced the concept of a 10 percent discount and reminded them that there is a possibility that you can go elsewhere if necessary. Another key aspect of a negotiation to keep it positive is reminders of the benefits to both parties. And as you work on a negotiation, you may say, “We’re really excited at the prospect of bringing together two of the largest companies in this area and the strength and the synergies 協同效應 and the positive momentum that will be derived from a tie- up 關聯關係 together. Yes, we’re focusing on pricing and we really want 10 percent less than you’ve offered us, but let’s look at the bigger picture 更廣的全 局 again”. And so trying to create a bigger picture, the win-win concept, creates an atmosphere of encouragement and positivity and in the end can lead to compromise.
Tip 8 Parking 暫時放置 a difficult issue is a common device. Out of fifty items there might be five or ten that you can’t resolve or you may need to take back to your boss or your board for further discussion. In this situation, you might say something like, “Let’s work through the items that we can agree on now, that we know are workable and we’ll park the difficult items and we’ll get back to each other next week in our next set of meetings”. Or, “Let’s leave those items for now until we can get more feedback from our board or more direction from our superiors”.
Tip 9 Sometimes when negotiations are not progressing well or in order to complete a negotiation, you have to start using sweeteners （原意：甜味料）在此文中指“好 處、利益” to make the deal sweeter. These may not be cash-related, they may not be price-related, but they generate an overall feeling of satisfaction and completion for the party that you are dealing with. And it may be for example, if you are trying to hire a high-flying 成功的, well-regarded banker, that instead of focusing purely on the cash compensation you may want to start looking at some fringe benefits that are important to his feeling of status; for example club memberships or having his children at the best international schools or maybe access to a private jet. There are many different ways that go beyond just the pure cash payment.
Tip 10 I think the skill sets 技能組合 are very similar when working within your own organisation as compared to when you’re negotiating with a counterparty. For example: being polite, being clear, being respectful, being timely, being professional – all those aspects of your working life and profile are as important within your company as outside your company. If you want to get your team to meet a sales target and you have to encourage them, if you want to try a new angle of approach with customers, if you want to introduce a new product within your company, if you want to have your boss give you a day off, if you want to negotiate for a pay increase or to increase the commission 傭金 that you get – all of these require day-to-day negotiating skills within your company. Even if you want to get someone to get you a cup of coffee you’ve got to go and persuade them that it makes sense for them to do it.
（答案見下）
閱讀理解練習 - 答案 (ZT)
1. Daniel 談到任何商務談判的最終目的是什麽？
答案：達到“雙贏” win-win situation，雙方都應感到所達成的合作夥伴關係是雙方互利並會 給雙方帶來更佳前景。
2. Daniel 談到在談判中可以采取何種策略來贏得對方信任？
答案：表現出你甘願為對方承擔風險。比如，表現出你不惜為對方違背自己上司而在談判中贏 得對方的肯定與信任。
3. 是否應該在談判中盡量避免可能會引起爭論的話題？
答案：否。但是在觸及這樣的話題時應注意提出的方式方法，不能太唐突或有挑釁口吻。有時 你可以在稱讚對方的同時適當觸及這樣的敏感話題。
4. 為什麽在談判中需要時時注意不忽視 the bigger picture – 大方向？
答案：把注意力集中在 bigger picture 這樣的大方向前提上可以幫助雙方創造出有促進作用 的積極氣氛。
5. 在談判中是否必須嚴格遵照議事日程上規定需商議的事項？
答案：否。談判時我們需要具備一定的靈活性。為了確保談判的進程，有時我們可以把一些一 時難以解決的問題 park 就是做暫時的放置。
