Body Language in Negotiations

In almost every point in your life, you unconsciously do the art of negotiations. From haggling with your favorite flea market sales lady, to lobbying for a well-deserved increase from your boss, negotiations are being made daily in your life. And would you believe almost all aspects of the negotiation process involves body language?

In terms of the actual negotiation in business, body language is a very important aspect. Reading body movements of your counterparts and making the right gestures may spell the difference between success and failure in the negotiation process.

Early Signs
The first step in using body language in a negotiation begins the moment you walk into the negotiation room. Be keen in observing their body language by focusing on the whole body - the head, arms, hands, chest, tummy, legs and feet. If you achieve this, you will be able to listen better. You will also be more perceptive in reading their body language.

Personal Space in Negotiations
In the negotiating table, each person creates his own personal space, his own territory. By business practice, people of higher status (e.g. president of a company) command more personal space, and are usually conferred by other people in the negotiating table. For example, the authority over the most dominant chair (usually the head of the table) is the apparent symbol of power.

If this person occupies the dominant chair, a good negotiator can repel this by strategic seating arrangement of teams or allies in the negotiating table.

You may sit in a way that you surround that person, or any seating arrangement where you may comfortably get leverage.