Skip to Main Content
HBS Online
  • Courses
    Open Courses Mega Menu
    • Business Essentials
      • Credential of Readiness (CORe)
      • Business Analytics
      • Economics for Managers
      • Financial Accounting
    • Leadership & Management
      • Leadership Principles
      • Management Essentials
      • Negotiation Mastery
      • Organizational Leadership
      • Strategy Execution
      • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
    • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
      • Entrepreneurship Essentials
      • Disruptive Strategy
      • Negotiation Mastery
      • Design Thinking and Innovation
    • Strategy
      • Strategy Execution
      • Business Strategy
      • Economics for Managers
      • Disruptive Strategy
      • Global Business
      • Sustainable Business Strategy
    • Finance & Accounting
      • Financial Accounting
      • Leading with Finance
      • Alternative Investments
      • Sustainable Investing
    • Business in Society
      • Sustainable Business Strategy
      • Global Business
      • Sustainable Investing
      • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
    • All Courses
  • For Organizations
    Open For Organizations Mega Menu
    • Corporate Learning
      Help your employees master essential business concepts, improve effectiveness, and expand leadership capabilities.
    • Academic Solutions
      Integrate HBS Online courses into your curriculum to support programs and create unique educational opportunities.
    • Need Help?
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Contact Us
    • Black, Latinx, and underrepresented minority professionals
      Pathways to Business

      Stories designed to inspire future business leaders.

  • Insights
    Open Insights Mega Menu
    • Business Insights Blog
      • Career Development
      • Communication
      • Decision-Making
      • Earning Your MBA
      • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
      • Finance
      • Leadership
      • Management
      • Negotiation
      • Strategy
    • All Topics
    • Sample Business Lessons and E-Books

      Gain new insights and knowledge from leading faculty and industry experts.

    • Free Guide

      Learn how to formulate a successful business strategy.

  • More Info
    Open More Info Mega Menu
    • Learning Experience
      Master real-world business skills with our immersive platform and engaged community.
    • Certificates, Credentials, & Credits
      Learn how completing courses can boost your resume and move your career forward.
    • Learning Tracks
      Take your career to the next level with this specialization.
    • Financing & Policies
      • Employer Reimbursement
      • Payment & Financial Aid
      • Policies
    • Connect
      • Student Stories
      • Community
    • Need Help?
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Request Information
    • Apply Now
Login
My Courses
Access your courses and engage with your peers
My Account
Manage your account, applications, and payments.
HBS Home
  • About HBS
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
HBS Online
  • Courses
  • Business Essentials
  • Leadership & Management
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Strategy
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Business in Society
  • For Organizations
  • Insights
  • More Info
  • About
  • Media Coverage
  • Founding Donors
  • Leadership Team
  • Careers
  • My Courses
  • My Account
  • Apply Now
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • HBS Online→
  • Business Insights→

Business Insights

Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.

 
Filter Results Arrow Down Arrow Up

Topics

Topics

  • Accounting
  • Analytics
  • Business Essentials
  • Business in Society
  • Career Development
  • Communication
  • Community
  • ConneXt
  • Decision-Making
  • Earning Your MBA
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Negotiation
  • News & Events
  • Productivity
  • Staff Spotlight
  • Strategy
  • Student Profiles
  • Technology
  • Work-Life Balance

Courses

Courses

  • Alternative Investments
  • Business Analytics
  • Business Strategy
  • CORe
  • Design Thinking and Innovation
  • Disruptive Strategy
  • Economics for Managers
  • Entrepreneurship Essentials
  • Financial Accounting
  • Global Business
  • Leadership Principles
  • Leading with Finance
  • Management Essentials
  • Negotiation Mastery
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
  • Strategy Execution
  • Sustainable Business Strategy
  • Sustainable Investing
Subscribe to the Blog
RSS feed

Filters

Topics

Topics

  • Accounting
  • Analytics
  • Business Essentials
  • Business in Society
  • Career Development
  • Communication
  • Community
  • ConneXt
  • Decision-Making
  • Earning Your MBA
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Negotiation
  • News & Events
  • Productivity
  • Staff Spotlight
  • Strategy
  • Student Profiles
  • Technology
  • Work-Life Balance

Courses

Courses

  • Alternative Investments
  • Business Analytics
  • Business Strategy
  • CORe
  • Design Thinking and Innovation
  • Disruptive Strategy
  • Economics for Managers
  • Entrepreneurship Essentials
  • Financial Accounting
  • Global Business
  • Leadership Principles
  • Leading with Finance
  • Management Essentials
  • Negotiation Mastery
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
  • Strategy Execution
  • Sustainable Business Strategy
  • Sustainable Investing
Subscribe to the Blog
RSS feed

7 Negotiation Tactics That Actually Work

Colleagues Shaking Hands in a Negotiation
  • 15 May 2019
Michele Reynolds Author Staff
tag
  • Career Development
  • Negotiation
  • Negotiation Mastery

Whether you’re interviewing for a job, pitching an idea to a client, or asking your boss for a raise, honing your negotiation skills is a worthwhile endeavor.

Negotiation is, by nature, chaotic, as you don’t know the desired outcome of those seated across the table. That said, there are things you can do to improve your odds of getting what you want.

Harvard Business School Online Professor Mike Wheeler teaches Negotiation Mastery, and is our go-to expert on getting your way. In his book, The Art of Negotiation: How to Improvise Agreement in a Chaotic World, Wheeler says to expect the unexpected.

Here are some other negotiation tactics to try the next time you're at the bargaining table.

Negotiation Tactics That Actually Work

1. Keep an Open Mind

Attitude is everything in a negotiation. It’s important to go in with an open mind and be prepared to improvise. In his book, Wheeler says, “Adaptability is imperative in negotiation from start to finish. Opportunities will pop up. So will obstacles. Power ebbs and flows. Talks that crawl along can race forward or veer off in another direction. Even our own objectives may evolve. We have to make the best of whatever unfolds.”

In a negotiation, patience and an open mind will prevail.

2. Show Your Cards

People may think “holding your cards close to the vest,” or not giving away your agenda, is wise in a negotiation, but Wheeler encourages the opposite. He suggests stating what you want because it can improve the opportunity for both sides.

“By laying your cards on the table, you can expand the pie by making mutually beneficial trades,” Wheeler writes.

Related: What Not to Do in a Negotiation

3. Set and Stretch Your Goal

As in most things, preparation is paramount. Wheeler recommends going to the bargaining table with a clear goal. Write it down and commit it to memory. He then suggests setting a stretch goal and making that your starting point.

You should also determine the fallback, or bare minimum, you’ll accept. You may go in asking for the moon, but be sure you know when to walk away.

4. Turn Anxiety into Excitement

Approaching a negotiation can cause blood pressure to soar, but keeping your cool is key. Research by HBS Assistant Professor Alison Wood-Brooks can help people manage natural anxiety.

"Try your utmost to avoid feeling anxious while negotiating,” she writes in the Harvard Business Review. “How can you manage that? Train, practice, rehearse, and keep sharpening your negotiating skills. Anxiety is often a response to novel stimuli, so the more familiar the stimuli, the more comfortable and the less anxious you will feel.”

Wood-Brooks advises how to turn jitters into opportunity. In an interview with The Atlantic, she described research where she and her colleagues gave participants a difficult assignment: to sing Journey's “Don’t Stop Believin’” in front of a group. Before they sang, participants were told to either say, “I’m nervous” or “I’m excited.” The results showed the “excited” participants actually felt more comfortable. Even more surprising, it seemed to improve their singing.

While doing karaoke in a crowded bar isn't required, framing your anxiety as excitement may help you maintain your composure.

Negotiation Mastery - Get your free salary negotiation tool. Learn more.

5. Project Power

How you carry yourself is critical in deal-making. You should be sure your body language projects confidence and power.

Joe Navarro, former special agent with the FBI and author of Louder Than Words: Take Your Career from Average to Exceptional with the Hidden Power of Nonverbal Intelligence, is an expert in how body language can propel your career. In a Forbes article, Navarro shared this tip: “Stand with your head slightly tilted and your hands clasped, and with a smile and a gaze that meets the other person’s. The head tilt exposes the neck and says, ‘I am listening, I am comfortable, I am receptive.’ By contrast, if you touch your neck or cover the dimple at the base of it, you’re saying you are uncomfortable, insecure, or concerned.”

By paying attention to your facial expressions, eye contact, posture, and even hand gestures, you can heighten your chances for success.

6. Take a Timeout

Knowing when to take a break can be a powerful tool. Not only will it give you time to collect yourself, but it can disarm your “opponent.” This technique is often used by athletes when things aren’t going their way.

“It works like a reset button,” Wheeler says in his book, “interrupting whatever dysfunctional pattern has emerged. Remember to take a break before you actually need it, so that you’re constantly performing at the highest level.”

Related: 6 Tips to Prepare for Your Next Salary Negotiation

7. Silence Can Be Golden

If you can’t physically leave the room, at least take deep breaths. Pausing can even be a great way to get what you want. It gives you time to absorb, digest, and carefully consider your response, but might also create discomfort on the other side, which could lead to a better deal.

HBS Online’s short lesson on salary negotiation offers a great example of how silence by former NHL player Derek Sanderson led to a huge salary windfall.

Negotiating Your Next Deal

Negotiations are complex, with many factors contributing to the outcome. What defines success is up to the participants, but preparation, patience, and poise can help ensure a positive outcome.

Do you want to further hone your bargaining skills? Take our new, 15-minute salary negotiation lesson and discover how you can be a more effective dealmaker.

About the Author

Michele Reynolds handles brand marketing and PR for Harvard Business School Online. Prior to HBS Online, she led communications for TripAdvisor and Gazelle and has been widely quoted in national media outlets, including CBS News, Reuters, and The New York Times. Michele earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure University. Outside work, she spends time with her teenage daughter, plays tennis, and visits her enormous extended family.
 
All FAQs

Top FAQs

How are HBS Online courses delivered?

+–

We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

+–

No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

How do I enroll in a course?

+–

All programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly from program to program, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

After submitting your application, you should receive an email confirmation from HBS Online. If you do not receive this email, please check your junk email folders and double-check your account to make sure the application was successfully submitted.

Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your Dashboard. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application.

Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

+–

No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

What are my payment options?

+–

We accept payments via credit card, wire transfer, Western Union, and (when available) bank loan. Some candidates may qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the Program Fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for further information.

We also allow you to split your payment across 2 separate credit card transactions or send a payment link email to another person on your behalf. If splitting your payment into 2 transactions, a minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

In all cases, net Program Fees must be paid in full (in US Dollars) to complete registration.

What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

+–

After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

 

Sign up for News & Announcements

Subject Areas

  • Business Essentials
  • Leadership & Management
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Strategy
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Business & Society

Quick Links

  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

About

  • About Us
  • Media Coverage
  • Founding Donors
  • Leadership Team
  • Careers @ HBS Online

Legal

  • Legal
  • Policies
Harvard Business School
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College
  • Site Map
  • Trademark Notice
  • Digital Accessibility