How can you use online communication to improve your negotiation skills?

1 Understand your audience

Before you start any negotiation, you need to know who you are talking to, what they want, and how they prefer to communicate. Online communication platforms can help you gather and analyze information about your audience, such as their profile, preferences, needs, pain points, and expectations. You can use tools like Google Alerts, LinkedIn, or CRM software to monitor their online activity, interests, and feedback. You can also use surveys, polls, or quizzes to get more insights into their preferences and opinions. This way, you can tailor your communication style and message to suit your audience and build rapport.

2 Choose the right platform

Not all online communication platforms are equal when it comes to negotiation. Some are more suitable for different stages, purposes, and contexts of the negotiation process. For example, email is good for sending formal proposals, contracts, and confirmations, but it can also be slow, impersonal, and prone to misunderstandings. Chat is good for quick and informal exchanges, but it can also be distracting, chaotic, and unprofessional. Video is good for establishing trust, emotion, and body language, but it can also be affected by technical issues, background noise, and privacy concerns. Social media is good for building relationships, sharing information, and influencing opinions, but it can also be risky, public, and unpredictable. Therefore, you need to choose the right platform for your negotiation goals, audience, and situation, and be prepared to switch or combine platforms if needed.

3 Communicate clearly and persuasively

One of the main challenges of online communication is the lack of nonverbal cues, such as tone, facial expressions, and gestures, that can convey meaning and emotion in face-to-face negotiation. This can lead to confusion, misinterpretation, or conflict. To avoid this, you need to communicate clearly and persuasively online, using simple and concise language, proper grammar and spelling, and appropriate emoticons and emojis. You also need to use persuasive techniques, such as framing, storytelling, reciprocity, scarcity, and social proof, to influence your audience and make your offer more attractive. You can use online tools, such as Grammarly, Hemingway, or Canva, to improve your writing and visual skills.

5 Negotiate strategically and ethically

Finally, online communication can also affect your negotiation strategy and ethics. Online communication can make it easier or harder to reach an agreement, depending on the level of trust, cooperation, and competition between the parties. Online communication can also make it easier or harder to detect and prevent deception, manipulation, or coercion, depending on the degree of transparency, accountability, and security of the platforms. Therefore, you need to negotiate strategically and ethically online, using techniques such as BATNA, ZOPA, anchoring, and concession, to achieve a win-win outcome. You also need to follow the principles of honesty, fairness, and respect, to maintain your reputation and relationship. You can use online tools, such as DocuSign, PayPal, or Trustpilot, to ensure and verify your online agreements.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?