Top 10 tips for negotiating in English

Do you need now and then participate in meetings and have appointments outside the home, where you will meet English people? Do not worry! Of course there are some things you should consider when a business appointment, but you always keep in mind that your counterpart is only a man who certainly understands that, if you can not immediately find the right words for everything.

Cornel Muller explains some basic things you should look out for to make a good impression.

1. Title

Give the other person by their first names. It is now common outside the Anglo-Saxon language area and also acts friendly.

2. Welcome

Shake the hand of your business partner is not as often as you are used to from Germany, Austria or Switzerland. A quick handshake to start talks last.

3. Practice Smalltalk

Smalltalk is important today. It belongs to the international business etiquette and can, for example, talks about the weather, include the vacation or the home country of the counterparty. Never talk about religion, politics, health or family.

4. Talking to us flatterer

In English we use weakening verbs such as “might” or “could” create a positive atmosphere. Avoid hard verbs such as “can” or “should”, because then you could seem rude.

5. No contradiction

It is advantageous to object to your comparison is not open. Polite is to consider another, perhaps even in some aspects, to agree and then propose a different way, or together via an alternative route.

6. Use question tags

People, who speak English as their first language, use so-called question tags to provide their testimony in question. This is done by them as ‘do not they’ to a positive statement like, they go to Munich. “Attach. Overall, the statement would read thus’ they go to Munich, don’t they? “This may sound silly one, but one of the most important rules of everyday and business language. This is to be sought consensus rather than dictate facts.

7. Two-part verbs

Native Speaker like to use verbs that consist of two parts, such as “call off” to “cancel” or “pick up” to “learn”. Using these words as a foreigner, it seems more professional.

8. Maintaining contact

In English business, it is customary to contact his partners regularly and if only to say “hello”. That is part of business etiquette and supported good relations, which in turn is conducive for business.

9. Irony

In English, it often makes jokes at own account. Laugh at your own personal use, is also good for customer relations. Also relaxes laugh at business meetings and ensures a good mood.

10. To request correction

If one’s English is not perfect, it is polite to ask the native interlocutor, to correct, if need be. As a rule, which then will then? Do not expect that you will be automatically corrected as soon as you make a mistake. This is considered very rude.