Here's how you can effectively de-escalate tense negotiations.

When negotiations are tense, highly competitive or aggressive, ask yourself: - How do I respond in those situations and is my response effectively progressing me towards a deal? - Am I really taking the time to understand the needs, constraints and priorities of the sponsor/other party? Active listening is an important skill to develop. It's very different to just hearing, waiting for your turn to speak or waiting to hear something that suits your proposal. Active listening requires presence of mind, pausing the urge to jump in and being interested in learning what matters to the other party. It will help you to develop long-term relationships and enable you to shape a more credible and realistic proposal!

Always treat the other party with respect, regardless of the tension, striving for a courteous and dignified interaction. Keep the conversation focused on facts and data rather than emotions, maintaining objectivity to facilitate a constructive and solution-oriented negotiation.

To de-escalate tension, adopt active listening, showing empathy and acknowledging concerns. Reframe issues positively, focusing on mutual goals. Use calming language and a neutral tone. Offer creative compromises that benefit both sides, turning adversities into opportunities. Pause frequently to allow tempers to cool and prevent rash decisions. Highlight common ground and shared successes to foster a collaborative spirit. Stay patient and solution-oriented to transform tension into productive dialogue.

I agree that openness between the parties can help find the best solution in any negotiation. However, it's very difficult to achieve trust if you are seeing the person for the first time. Therefore, in difficult negotiations, I would advise splitting the process into a few parts so that you can talk to a person a few times and build trust and understanding.

Rapport needs to be the first action. Without a connection then you are unlikely to make progress in a material negotiation. Once you have established a connection, outline the ask(s) of both sides clearly and without emotion as the problem(s) to be solved. Align that everyone is there to be a partner (if you are not, then we have a different problem). Partners, like in marriage, need to rely on communication to solve problems. Work thru the list methodically and acknowledge the concessions made by both sides before you start on the next item.

You can build rapport through conversation/small talk, humour, showing an interest in the other person (not just the deal) and sharing things about yourself. Building Rapport is very important - it helps you to: - build trust - remembering the saying - Know me, like me, trust me - have regular connection/communication to keep you in mind - show that you aren't just looking for a transactional relationship - build a long-term, collaborative relationship - understand their needs, constraints and priorities over a longer period of time = insights that are hugely valuable for your proposals

Para desescalar negocia??es tensas, sugiro algumas a??es que ajudam a criar um ambiente colaborativo, e que facilitam uma negocia??o produtiva: 1. Reconhe?a as emo??es, validando os sentimentos da outra parte. 2. Foque em solu??es, evite centralizar o diálogo na culpa ou nos culpados. 3. Mantenha uma linguagem corporal positiva, mantendo uma postura amigável. 4. Fa?a pausas estratégicas para reflex?o. 5. Seja transparente, comunicando-se clara e honestamente. 6. Utilize técnicas durante a negocia??o. Fa?a perguntas abertas, esteja no controle do foco central, seja flexível e se necessário envolva um mediador neutro.

Practise and be patient with yourself. It takes time to develop these skills. Be patient with yourself and be open to feedback from those you trust. Focus on implementing small changes bit by bit. Then practise until it because more automatic. It's a marathon, not a sprint.