At the negotiating table

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2In this lesson
3. 3Guess the words (1)Vocabulary exercise
4. 4Guess the words (2)Vocabulary exercise
5. 5Check the wordsVocabulary
6. 6Useful phrases for bargainingVocabulary
7. 7Reading: five moves at the tableReading
8. 8Check your understandingReading comprehension
9. 9Listen: Nora and Marcus make a dealDialogue
10. 10Check the negotiationListening comprehension
11. 11Use the new wordsVocabulary exercise
12. 12What does it mean?Grammar exercise
13. 13Notice: Nora's messageGrammar exercise
14. 14Proposals with if + pastGrammar rule
15. 15Choose the right formGrammar exercise
16. 16Ivan's counterofferGrammar exercise
17. 17Build the proposalsGrammar exercise
18. 18Say it naturallySpeaking practice
19. 19Role-play: 300 chairsSpeaking practice
20. 20Let's discussDiscussion
21. 21Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: closest meaningVocabulary exercise
2. 2Homework: your sentencesVocabulary exercise
3. 3Homework: a software dealGrammar exercise
4. 4Homework: your counterofferDiscussion

Words

• counteroffer/ˈkaʊntərɔːfər/

  an offer that you make in reply to an offer you don't accept

• concession/kənˈseʃn/

  something that you give or agree to, often unwillingly, so that you can reach an agreement (make a concession)

• anchor/ˈæŋkər/

  the first number in a negotiation, which the rest of the talks tend to move around (also a verb)

• unit price/ˈjuːnɪt praɪs/

  the price of one item

• in bulk/ɪn ˈbʌlk/

  in large amounts, usually at a lower price for each item

• lead time/ˈliːd taɪm/

  the time between ordering something and receiving it

• sticking point/ˈstɪkɪŋ pɔɪnt/

  the issue that stops two sides from agreeing

• on the table/ˌɑːn ðə ˈteɪbl/

  offered, or ready to be discussed

• split the difference/ˌsplɪt ðə ˈdɪfrəns/

  to agree on an amount halfway between two offers

• sweeten the deal/ˌswiːtn ðə ˈdiːl/

  to add something to an offer to make it more attractive

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Let's talk about bargaining.

1. When did you last bargain over a price, at work or outside it? How did it go?
2. Do you enjoy negotiating, or do you find it stressful? Why?
3. In your job, who do you negotiate with most: clients, suppliers, your manager or your colleagues?

Grammar rule

Proposals with if + past

if + past simple, would / could / might + verb. Here the past form is not about past time: it makes the idea imaginary, or simply more tentative, so that you can test it without promising anything.

What you want to do	Example
explore an idea	If we took the whole shipment, would you cover the freight?
make a tentative offer	We could extend the warranty if you paid by bank transfer.
say what you would be willing to do	We'd be willing to sign today if you included installation.
ask about a possibility	What if we split the order into two deliveries? Suppose we dropped the setup fee?
make a real, firm offer (unit 7)	If you order by Friday, we'll include two spare batteries.

could = would be able to · might = would possibly · we'd = we would. The if part can come first (with a comma) or second.

Softening a no

I'm afraid… · To be honest, … · That would be difficult for us. · I'm not sure we could… · We might be able to… · a bit / slightly (That's a bit more than we'd hoped.)

For an imaginary situation, the if part has the past, not would: If we ordered more… (not If we would order more…). In careful English, use were for every person: if the price were lower. In conversation, many people say was.