PROS CONS

unhelpful body language, exasperated

sighs, and/or difficult conversations can
be edited by simply turning the screen
connectivity problems: occasional
problem of voices that break due to
connectivity problems, and the ways
those problems may be more difficult to
control
If you have a difficult message to convey,
you can gather your thoughts, take a
deep breath and relay the response in a
more controlled manner
technical problems
During difficult negotiations you are not
trapped in the same room
youre not able to see employees/
investors/ customers emotions and you
cant always understand the tone of their
voice
If you dont want to be physically
present, you will be more relax
Being anonymous and not letting people
read your body language makes
negotiators want to use dirty strategies
to attain their goals
theres no way will a counterpart read
your intentions by analyzing your body
language
If youre not clear enough, your
opponent might get the wrong idea
Anxious negotiators feel safer when
theyre e-negotiating
since youre not really looking into
peoples eyes, you cant really know
what vibe youre sending
makes it possible to talk in real time, to
conference multiple parties into the
conversation, and to share documents
and images so that the discussion is not
limited to oral summaries of proposals or
related material


1
As a frequent user of Skype, I was conscious of the differences the telephone could
add and subtract. With telephone mediation, you have to shift your focus. Listening
to tone of voice is exceptionally important. Deep sighs and tempo are important as
are pace and pauses.
And, as we know, watching body language is also important. It accounts for 50-65%
of our communication. While negotiating in-person, noticing body language happens
out of the corner of your eye if you are trained. With Skype, you must focus more on
the images on the computer, intentionally noticing the clues. Turning the computer
so that the client can see body language of counsel and/or the mediator is also key.
One benefit of a computer is that unhelpful body language, exasperated sighs,
and/or difficult conversations can be edited by simply turning the screen. For
example, if an attorney has a difficult message to convey, he can gather is thoughts,
take a deep breath and relay the response in a more controlled manner.
And, Skype was helpful for their difficult negotiation. They were not trapped in the
same room. They could take brief breaks, eat a snack or read their mail during the
breaks.
There were other benefits as well. Meg was more relaxed. Due to the issues in the
case, she did not want to be physically present. As the mediator, I also thought about
my tone of voice, the occasional problem of voices that break due to connectivity
problems, and the ways those problems may be more difficult to control.
I also had an interesting experience when Meg muted us as she conferred with a
support person. As we watched her body language, it was clear from her crossed
arms and angry expression, she was becoming frustrated or angry. Perhaps she
thought since we couldnt hear, we would not know. Out of courtesy and deference
to her desire for privacy, and knowing that she may not understand what I could see,
I felt it was most appropriate to end the call and send her a chat message.
As the case was nearing settlement, I sent the proposed settlement to Meg in a file
on Skype. She was able to print the document, ask questions, sign the final version,
scan it and send the signed agreement back. We did run into technical problems on
several occasions.
2
The business people of today are used to negotiating via the Internet. Whether they
use Skype, Gmail or Facebook, the truth is technology has completely changed the
way people bargain. When youre an international organization dealing with
employees, investors and customers from around the world, communicating with
those people is vital. However, because youre not able to see their emotions and
you cant always understand the tone of their voice, virtual bargaining can be risky.
Its crucial that you approach e-negotiations with systematic precision; otherwise,
opponents will take advantage.
E-negotiations give people anonymity. Being anonymous and not letting people
read your body language makes negotiators want to use dirty strategies to attain
their goals. Emotion is an essential state that can be used as an important tool in any
situation. When your emotions are interfering with the way you negotiate, you
become vulnerable and susceptible to failure. E-negotiations can be successfully
controlled; you just need the right strategies you get things done right.
Dont forget: its an e-negotiation; theres no way will a counterpart read your
intentions by analyzing your body language. Use that virtual strength to state your
mind and make the most of your negotiation strategy.
Efficient negotiations, especially when performed online, cannot end positively when
the parties involved have hidden purposes. Its important to be honest with
opponents.
When youre dealing with negotiations via the internet, your speech must be
crystal-clear. You cant afford to beat around the bush because you risk creating
confusing situations. Ambiguity will kill negotiations in a split of a second.
E-negotiations are tricky. If youre not clear enough, your opponent might get the
wrong idea. Online chatting doesnt appeal to ones sense as live chatting does,
since youre not really looking into peoples eyes, you cant really know what vibe
youre sending.
You may be online chatting but keep in mind that youre negotiating; using emoticons
and words like LOL to draw attention and look cool wont make your partners trust
you more. On the contrary, it will make you seem that youre not paying enough
attention to them. Try to keep things professional, and if you cant sense that
humor is allowed, avoid it altogether. Its best to follow your end goal.
Anxious negotiators feel safer when theyre e-negotiating, while really confident
people consider this method extremely dangerous. Its all about molding your
strategies and keeping things simple.
3
What matters to negotiators, however, are the concrete changes that ICT has
wrought here on this planet. Negotiations are ultimately exercises in communication,
and, generally speaking, ICT has changed the way we communicate (including the
way we communicate across cultural boundaries) in some significant ways.
As a rule, it is fair to say that all of the intercultural barriers and problems associated
with international/intercultural negotiations remain when technology becomes part
of the negotiation environment.

Technology as a Catalyst
Technology provides for instant communication and sharing of
information. Whether by voice, text, or video, negotiators can get uptotheminute
information and instructions, or bring remote parties into the discussion with no time
lag.
With the use of technology, geographic barriers are minimized. Given the parties
willingness to be up late or early, depending on time zones, participants in
negotiations can be anywhere in the world.
With the use of technology, information processing is faster. Keeping electronic
notes for all to
see via a computer projector, ideas can be recorded, edited, approved, and sent to
writing committees or counsel in text form, with little work other than the formatting
needed to turn the notes into agreements.
One of the most discussed aspects of online technology, the loss of nonverbal
cues, turns out not to always be a bad thing. Particularly in the opening stages of
proposalbased negotiations it is common for parties to posture and engage in
confrontational behavior to establish boundaries. This is not always negative, but it
can set a combative tone for the negotiations. Using either synchronous or
asynchronous technology seems, by experience and research, to produce less
confrontational environments.

Technology as a Barrier
With technology, control is an illusion. When negotiations are held facetoface,
and when basic ICT, like mobile phones, are involved, it is possible, within limits, to
keep information at the table and in the control of relatively few directly involved
individuals.
Security concerns: Keeping tentative agreements and information related to the
negotiations secure from theft and out of the hands of potential competitors is a
primary consideration.
When negotiators are sitting across a real table, in a room together, there may be
some questions of identity or authority, but there is a real person with whom one
interacts. Online, identity concerns are legitimate concerns