HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

NEGOTIATIONS

QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

Expemo code:
1CBB-H788-7IB7

1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Are there situations in your country when you can get a cheaper price on goods by discussing it?
Are you good at doing that? Why / why not?
2. Does your company give different prices to different customers? Why / why not?
3. How do you make sure you pay the lowest price for things you buy in your personal life?

2 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Match the vocabulary to the definitions.

1. resolve (v) a. strongly suggest that someone do something

2. confirm (v) b. give someone the things that they need or want

3. negotiate (v) c. agree on a conclusion to a situation

4. wrap up (phr. v) d. state that some information is correct

5. settle (v) e. discuss a situation to find an agreement

6. urge (v) f. end the period of time when an official agreement is in place

7. accommodate (v) g. find a good solution to a problem

8. expire (v) h. bring a meeting or process to a close

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in 's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

NEGOTIATIONS

Part B: Complete the following sentences with the noun form of the Part A verb in brackets.

1. I think we might have found a to the problem we were having with our computers.
(resolve)

2. Can you ask them for that they have received our order? (confirm)

3. We’re not going to lower the price for them. I’m not interested in a . (negotiate)

4. We’ve reached a with them and we’ll send them the first payment next week.
(settle)

5. I’m trying to resist the to complain about their sales people. They were so rude
to us! (urge)

6. He’s starting here next week, but he’s currently looking for closer to this office.
(accommodate)

7. I’ve got the present for him, but Janice has gone to buy some paper. (wrap up)

8. We must remember to renew the contract on their website next week before the
on October 7th. (expire)

Part C: Now complete the following sentences with the vocabulary from Part A.

1. I can that we’re interested in what you have to offer.

2. What I want to do is to the terms of the deal.

3. The exact number we need is something we can .

4. We can certainly all of your needs.

5. I can’t really the problem over price on this model as that is the cheapest I can
offer.

6. I would you to consider our helpline service which is a fantastic deal.

7. I can also offer you a 15% discount if you buy from us again when the guarantee .

8. Let’s this for now, but I will email you later to finalize the details.

Listen to the conversation to check your answers.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in 's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

NEGOTIATIONS

3 Listening comprehension

Decide if the following statements are True (T) or False (F).

1. Liz and Stefan have never spoken before.

2. Stefan wants to buy a total of 50 laptops.

3. There are three new offices opening for Stefan’s company over the next two years.

4. Liz’s company can supply all of the laptops needed.

5. Liz offers Stefan a lower price per unit.

6. Stefan can afford the price that Liz suggests.

7. The service Liz offers will last longer than it usually does.

8. Stefan is able to make a decision about what to do immediately.

9. If Stefan orders from Liz in future, it will be cheaper.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in 's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

NEGOTIATIONS

4 Skimming for gist

Match the titles to the paragraphs A – D. There are more titles than paragraphs.

Getting What You Want

Rules for negotiations

A.

Before any negotiation, you must do your homework and make sure you understand all of the terms of the deal.
People often think negotiations are about money, but this is often just one aspect. For example, if you’ve been
offered a job and you’re invited to discuss the salary, you should also talk over other factors such as transportation,
vacation, and training. You might focus on the salary and get them to give you $60,000 a year, when they were
offering $55,000. But you live 90 minutes away and now you have to spend money on transport or buy a car. It
could be that $57,000 plus a company car would have been a better deal. So consider what is acceptable to you
and list all of the options.

B.

Be sure to be friendly and smile. It’s much harder to disagree with someone who is pleasant and polite, so it’s
easier for you to be persuasive. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to be pushed into doing something that you
don’t want to do.

C.

Whatever they propose at the beginning, avoid saying yes to it straight away. In negotiations, few people offer
the most they are prepared to give right away. Try listening to what they are saying and think about the situation
from their point of view. Connect their offer to your situation and try to open up other possibilities. If they offer
you $55,000 for the job, say something like ‘I was hoping for $60,000 because I have a long commute and will
need to pay for transport.’ Now you have given options and provided other possibilities for a resolution. If the
salary is important to them, they may be able to make things easier for you to reach an understanding in other
ways, for example working from home, or use of company accommodation. Try to politely make sure that when
you give something, you get something back.

D.

Get to know the people you’re working with. You may find yourself negotiating with them again in future and this
will be much easier if you know more about them and what they value. The ideal negotiation will be when both
sides walk away with something they want and you both have a commitment that you’re happy with. You may be
able to use future deals as a way to bargain with them too. For example, agree to accommodate their demands
for a price in return for a discount the next time you buy from them. This means you both get something of value:
you pay less and they get a return customer.

Sources: BBC, The Guardian

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in 's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

NEGOTIATIONS

5 Finding vocabulary

Quickly read the article on page four and find vocabulary with the following definitions.

1. the rules of an official agreement

2. discuss a plan in detail to make a decision

3. of a level that most people are happy with

4. able to affect other people’s decisions

5. encourage someone to do something they may not really want to do

6. suggest an action

7. an unofficial agreement

8. a promise to do something

6 Reading comprehension

Complete the summary with one, two or three words from the article on page four.

1
Money is really only of a negotiation and to be successful, you need to think
2
of how many other are available, not just the financial ones. Always be
nice to the person you’re negotiating with as you’re much more likely to get what you want if
3
you’re . Whatever is offered at the beginning, avoid agreeing to it. Consider
4
the situation from the of the other person and listen to what it is that they
5
really want. Connect their offer to , so that they can find more than one
way to reach a deal. You should also be prepared to offer something yourself so that you can
6
in return. Work on creating a good relationship with them so that they will
7
want to do business with you in future. This can be used when you for lower
8
prices in future. You will both be happy when they get a repeat customer and .

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in 's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

NEGOTIATIONS

7 Talking point

Part A: Discussion. In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Have you been involved in a negotiation for work? What happened?

2. What do you think you would find difficult to do in a negotiation?
3. In what situations might you need to negotiate in your job?
4. Is there anything you would want to add to the rules for negotiation article?
5. What advice would you give to someone if they were negotiating in your country?

Part B: Role play. Your teacher will give you a card. Read it and prepare to negotiate with the other
students. Do not read each other’s cards.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 6/6

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in 's lessons.