Negotiation in L2: The Specific Challenge
The Negotiation Language Toolkit
'Our opening position is...' 'We're looking for something in the region of...' 'We'd ideally like to...' 'Can you give me a sense of your expectations?'
'What if we were to...?' 'How would you feel about...?' 'We could consider X if you could look at Y.' 'One possibility might be...'
'That's an interesting starting point, though I think we'd need...' 'We're not quite there yet on that one.' 'I can see how that works from your side — from ours, we'd need to...'
'I might be able to move on X if you could...' 'We can come down on price, but only if...' 'I'll try to stretch to that if we can agree on the timeline.'
'Let's table that for now.' 'Perhaps we can return to that point.' 'What if we set this aside and move forward on the other items?'
'So if I understand correctly, we've agreed that...' 'Let me summarise what we've decided...' 'I think we have the basis of a deal — subject to...'
Negotiation Language Stages
Opening
Anchor high, signal flexibility — the language of establishing position without alienating
Trading
Conditional concessions ('I can do X if you...') — never give without getting
Closing
Summary, confirmation, and next steps — the language of converting agreement into commitment
Teacher Tip
“Run a negotiation role-play where both parties want the same thing (a limited budget, a preferred delivery date, a specific hire). Design genuine information asymmetry — each person knows things the other doesn't. The genuine stakes make the language feel real and reveal the gaps that classroom exercises hide.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is negotiation language appropriate for all business English students?
Focus on it for students in sales, procurement, management, law, real estate, or international business. For administrative or support roles, softer negotiation skills (asking for a deadline extension, discussing workload) are more immediately relevant.
How transparent should I be about the fact that these are strategically calibrated phrases?
Completely transparent. The student isn't learning to deceive — they're learning the conventions of professional negotiation that native speakers use instinctively. Naming the strategy makes it easier to deploy consciously.
Do negotiation styles differ across cultures?
Dramatically. Japanese business negotiation has completely different conventions from American or Middle Eastern contexts. If your student is negotiating cross-culturally, cultural briefing is as important as language preparation.