Saving Face in Negotiations

Often in a negotiation people will continue to hold out not because the proposal on the table is inherently unacceptable, but simply because they want to avoid the feeling or the appearance of backing down to the other side.

Fisher & Ury 'Getting to Yes'

Face Negotiation Concerns

Whoops! You've just discovered a serious error in a report that you wrote last week.

That very same report is now on the desks of senior managers who in turn will be using it to deliver presentations to dozens of important clients!

How very embarrassing!

What on earth do you do now?

Losing Face

How do you negotiate your way through this without losing face?

It's at moments like these that we feel our whole reputation is under threat.

More than this our image our very being!

We strive to maintain a positive image in the eyes and minds of all those we deal with at work and socially.

Messing Up

Messing it up is not good.

Another word for this image or reputation is 'face'.

Maintaining a positive face is vital to all of us and when it's under threat we feel the need to defend it.

Panic Negotiating

Some examples of panic negotiating:

"I don't understand how that paragraph got in - I never wrote it."

"I gave this to X to double-check he must have misunderstood the instruction."

"Well, you see, those figures were technically correct when viewed in that context..."

etc. etc. etc.

No Negotiation

Or maybe you are one of those wonderful human beings that doesn't negotiate but will simply own up and get on with sorting the problem?

Well, you might well be but many others you will deal with may not be!

Negotiating a loss of face is no joking matter for many of us.

Some of us will cling on to it for dear life regardless of the negative impact it is likely to have on our relationships and communication.

Positive Negotiation

Some examples of positive negotiation:

"Why can't he admit he made a mistake?"

Well maybe you could help him or her admit it.

Yes, you!

This 'face' thing is a two-way game.

Saving Face

You can help someone save face and you can promote your positive face in the process and visa versa. Result!

Learning negotiation techniques to deal with 'face' concerns in communication provides a powerful tool to improve relationships in all spheres of life.