Negotiation is...

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A common view | A fuller view | See also

What is negotiation?

A common view

Negotiation is very commonly viewed as being a process of getting what you want. A simple way of putting this might be:

Getting something you want that somebody else has got.

This is often treated as something akin to a competition, whereby the two parties try to outwit one another in order for each to get what they are seeking.

A fuller view

A fuller and more mature view could be as follows:

A joint communicative process
for attempting to reach agreement
where by an exchange takes place
and needs are satisfied.

Here, negotiation is seen as a joint process, whereby both people are equal partners and where they work together (rather than in isolation). This requires that they communicate -- that is they take turns at listening and talking to be understood (rather than talking at the other person).

The goal of the activity is to reach some agreement (as opposed to pure concession). This is attempted, but an outcome where no agreement is achieved is possible and acceptable.

The outcome of the negotiation is that each person gives something to the other that satisfies needs in some way. This may be something of tangible substance or maybe an emotional exchange, such as thanks or other kind words.