Give yourself the following marks.
Results: 6 – 11 You need to improve your conflict management skills. 12 – 17 You are quite good at conflict management in certain situations. 18 – 22 You are good at conflict management in most situations. 23 – 24 You are excellent at conflict management. You should be working for the United Nations.
Task 2. What is the best way to handle a conflict: to avoid the problem or to discuss the problem and find a way out of the difficult situation? Prove your opinion using the following phrases: · to argue with each other · to show one’s frustration by being aggressive · to sort out the conflict in a constructive way · to address the problem with somebody directly · to ask what is wrong · to listen to your partner carefully · to understand one’s problems and concerns · to work out a way out of the situation constructively.
Task 3. Work in 4 groups. Read one of the following articles (from the Financial Times). Before you read, match the words from the article with their definitions:
Negotiations are demanding and may become emotional. You may find your negotiator banging his or her fist on the table or leaving the room. Accept such tactics with patience and calmness. They are designed to make it difficult for you to concentrate. Russian negotiating teams are often made up of experienced managers whose style can be like a game in chess, with moves planned in advance. Wanting to make compromises may be seen as a sign of weakness.
As well as being formal, negotiations are direct. German managers speak their mind. They place great weight on the clarity of the subject matter and get to the point quickly. Excessive enthusiasm or compliments are rare in German business. You should give a thorough and detailed presentation, with an emphasis on objective information, such as your company’s history, rather than on clever visual or marketing tricks. Prepare thoroughly before the negotiation and be sure to make your position clear during the opening stage of the talks, as well as during their exploratory phases. Avoid interrupting, unless you have as urgent question about the presentation.
Communications is a natural talent of Americans. When negotiating partners meet, the emphasis is on small talk and smiling. There is liberal use of a sense of humor that is more direct than it is in the UK. Informality is the rule. Business partners do not use their academic titles on their business cards. This pleasant attitude continues in the negotiation itself. US negotiators attach little importance to status, title, formalities and protocol. They communicate in an informal and direct manner on a first-name basis. Their manner is relaxed and casual. The attitude ‘time is money’ has more influence on business communications in the US than it does anywhere else. Developing a personal relationship with the business partner is not as important as getting results.
At the start of the negotiations with Spanish partners you should have documentation available in Spanish. Business cards should carry details in Spanish and English. During the negotiation your counterparts may interrupt each other, or even you. It is quite common in Spain for this to happen in the middle of the sentence. For several people to talk at the same time is accepted in Latin cultures, but is considered rather unusual in Northern Europe. The discussion is likely to be lively. In negotiations, Spanish business people rely on quick thinking and spontaneous ideas rather than careful preparation. It may appear that everybody is trying to put his or her point across at once. That can make negotiations in Spain intense and lengthy, but also enjoyably creative.
Викладач: доцент Стрельцова Вікторія Юріївна E-mail: EkaterinaDashkova25@gmail.com
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