Business English- Negotiating Phrases Mimes

Negotiating phrases mimes

Work together to think of mimes/ gestures/ body language which could represent each of the lines below. The parts which are easiest to mime are marked in bold.

Compare your mimes as a class.

Ask about any phrases which you don’t understand, think could be different, etc.

Test each other on the phrases:

• Read out one of the phrases and see if your partner can do a suitable mime
• Do a mime and see if your partner can think of a suitable phrase to go with it
• Say a phrase with a key word missing for your partner to complete, helping with a mime if they need it
• Say a key word and see if your partner can say a negotiating phrase including it, miming if they need help
• Say a key word and see if your partner can say a negotiating phrase including it and also do an accompanying mime
• Choose one of the headings and help your partner make suitable phrases, helping with key words, mimes, gapped phrases, etc

 

Getting down to business

• Can you kick things off by clarifying the situation for me?/ Let’s kick off by…
• Do you want to get the ball rolling?

 

Positive responses (including softening your position/ changing your mind)

• I can assure you that…/ I can guarantee that…/ I can promise (you) that…
• I can be flexible on that./ I’m willing to be flexible./ Thanks for being so flexible.
• I’ll try to meet you halfway./ Can you meet us halfway on…?/ We’d be willing to meet you halfway on that./ Let’s try to find (some kind of/ some sort of) a middle way./ I think we can find a middle way.
• Let’s try to find a way (a)round
• That is (certainly/ probably) a step in the right direction.
• I’m (fairly/ very) happy with that./ I’m (very) glad to hear that.
• That would be (absolutely) perfect/ (absolutely) wonderful/ (absolutely) great.
• Where do I sign?/ Where should I sign?
• I can shake on that.

 

Sticking to your position/ Insisting/ (Polite) negative responses

• Can you cut the price of…?
• Could you move a little more on that?
• I am not very happy with…/ That is (really) (rather) disappointing./ That’s a pity.
• I’ll have to back out (of this deal) unless…
• That seems a bit too low.
• That’s a little high.

 

Making suggestions/ Suggesting compromises/ Suggesting solutions

• To break the deadlock, might I suggest…?

 

Trading/ Linking offers and conditions

• We’d like to offer you… (if you…/ as long as you…)
• In exchange,…/ In return,…

 

Moving the meeting on

• Next, we need to talk about…
• The second thing that we need to discuss is…

 

Asking about their position

• What’s the sticking point for you?

 

Summarising

• To sum up what we’ve agreed,…

 

Bringing the meeting to a close

• Have we covered everything?/ I think we’ve covered

 

Mentioning future contact                              

• Could we have that in writing by (close of business on) Friday?/ Can you email me with…?/ I’ll email you the details by the end of the week.

Brainstorming stage

Without looking above, work together to brainstorm as many suitable phrases as you can into each of the spaces below, using mimes to help you remember them if you like.

Getting down to business

 

 

 

Positive responses (including softening your position/ changing your mind)

 

 

 

Sticking to your position/ Insisting/ (Polite) negative responses

 

 

 

Making suggestions/ suggesting compromises/ suggesting solutions

 

 

 

Trading/ Linking offers and conditions

 

 

 

Moving the meeting on

 

 

 

Asking about their position

 

 

 

Summarising

 

 

 

Bringing the meeting to a close

 

 

 

Mentioning future contact

 

 

 

Use the key words below to help you with the brainstorming task above. Then check your answers with the first worksheet.

Use as many of the key words below as you can as you roleplay a negotiation.

Key words

Getting down to business

• kick
• rolling

 

Positive responses (including softening your position/ changing your mind)

• assure/ guarantee/ promise
• flexible
• meet halfway/ middle way
• (a)round
• the right direction.
• happy/ glad
• perfect/ wonderful/ great.
• sign
• shake

 

Sticking to your position/ insisting/ (polite) negative responses

• cut
• move
• not happy/ disappointing
• back
• in my shoes
• low
• high

 

Making suggestions/ suggesting compromises/ suggesting solutions

• break deadlock

 

Trading/ linking offers and conditions

• offer
• exchange/ return

 

Moving the meeting on

• next
• second

 

Asking about their position

• sticking

 

Summarising

• sum up

 

Bringing the meeting to a close

• covered

 

Mentioning future contact

writing/ email