Worksheet 38. The Physical and Emotional Climate for Negotiation

Have your planning team answer these questions about your negotiating climate. Does it create comfort and confidence? Or anxiety and frustration?

1. The Physical Climate: With respect to the negotiation in front of you..... · How can you use the physical environment so that participants feel comfortable and confident? (Consider: place, time, room size, seating arrangement, dress, food and drink, special guests, etc.) · Should you negotiate at an alternative site that offers a more productive setting for the discussions? (What is your alternative, and why do you recommend it?) · If you have no choice but to meet in a place that is not fully satisfactory, what specific things can you change so that the environment will be more comfortable?
2. The Emotional Climate: Answer "yes" or "no" to the following questions about the negotiation leader. Does the leader contribute to a positive emotional climate by:
	Yes	No
· Allowing for a free flow of discussion points?	........................................	......................................
· Making the participants feel equal rather than inferior?	........................................	......................................
· Expressing interest in all viewpoints without judging them?	........................................	......................................
· Showing interest in what people say and feel (empathy)?	........................................	......................................
· Avoiding early conclusions and generalizations?	........................................	......................................
· Admitting "I don't know" (when appropriate)?	........................................	......................................
3. Needed Improvements: If you frequently marked "No" above: What can you change about the negotiation leader, or about the way the discussions take place? ............................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................
Source: Adapted from R.A. Johnson, 1993, Negotiation Basics, Sage Publications, London, pp. 144-147.