Word Part of speech		Meaning	Example Sentence
alternatives noun		other options	We can't offer you the raise you requested, but let's discuss some other alternatives.
amplify verb		expand; give more information	Could you amplify on your proposal please.
arbitration noun		conflict that is addressed by using a neutral third party	We're better to settle this between us, because a formal arbitration will cost both of us money.
bargain verb		try to change a person's mind by using various tactics	We bargained on the last issue for over an hour before we agreed to take a break.
bottom-line noun		the lowest one is willing to go	I'll accept a raise of one dollar per hour, but that's my bottom-line.
collective adj		together	This is a collective concern, and it isn't fair to discuss it without Marie present.
compensate verb		make up for a loss	If you are willing to work ten extra hours a week we will compensate you by paying you overtime.
comply verb		agree	I'd be willing to comply if you can offer me my own private office.
compromise verb		changing one's mind/terms slightly in order to find a resolution	We are willing to compromise on this issue because it means so much to you.
concession noun		a thing that is granted or accepted	I think we can offer all of these concessions, but not all at once.
conflict resolution noun		general term for negotiations	It is impossible to engage in conflict resolution when one of the parties refuses to listen.
confront verb		present an issue to someone directly	I confronted my boss about being undervalued, and we're going to talk about things on Monday.
consensus noun		agreement by all	It would be great if we could come to a consensus by 5:00 P.M.
cooperation noun		the working together	I have appreciated your cooperation throughout these negotiations.
counter proposal noun		the offer/request which is presented second in response to the first proposal	In their counter proposal they suggested that we keep their company name rather than creating a new one.
counterattack verb/noun		present other side of an issue	Before we could start our counterattack they suggested we sign a contract.
counterpart noun		person on the other side of the negotiations	I tried to close the discussions at noon, but my counterpart would not stop talking.
cordially verb/noun		politely	In the past I have had little respect for that client, but today she spoke cordially and listened to my point of view.
demands adv		needs/expectations that one side believes it deserves	They had some last minute demands that were entirely unrealistic.
deadlock noun		point where neither party will give in	When the discussions came to a deadlock we wrote up a letter of intent to continue the negotiations next week.
dispute noun		argument/conflict	I was hoping to avoid discussing last year's dispute, but Monica is still holding a grudge.
dominate verb		have the most control/stronger presence	Max has such a loud voice, he tends to dominate the conversations.
entitled adj		be deserving of	My contract says that I am entitled to full benefits after six months of employment.
flexible adj		open/willing to change	We have always been flexible in terms of your working hours.
haggling verb		arguing back and forth (often about prices)	We've been haggling over this issue for too long now.
hostility noun		long-term anger towards another	I want you to know that we don't have any hostility towards your company despite last year's mixup.
high-ball verb		make a request that is much higher than you expect to receive	I'm planning to high-ball my expectations when I open the discussion.
impulse noun		quick decision without thought or time	I acted on impulse when I signed that six-month contract.
indecisive adj		has difficulty choosing/making a decision	They were so indecisive we finally asked them to take a break and come back next week.
leverage noun		(bargaining power) something that gives one party a greater chance at succeeding over another	We have a little bit of leverage because we are the only stationary company in town.
log-rolling verb		trading one favour for another	After a bit of log-rolling we came to an agreement that pleased both of us.
low-ball verb		offer something much lower than you think the opponent will ask for	I was expecting my boss to low-ball in the initial offer, but he proposed a fair salary increase.
mislead verb		convince by altering or not telling the whole truth about something	They misled us into thinking that everything could be resolved today.
mutual adj		agreed by both or all	The decision to call off the merger was mutual.
objective noun		goal for the outcome	My prime objective is to have my family members added to my benefits plan.
point of view noun		person's ideas/ thoughts	From my point of view it makes more sense to wait another six months.
pressure verb		work hard to convince another of an idea	He pressured me to accept the terms by using intimidation tactics.
proposal noun		argument to present	While I listened to their proposal I noted each of their objectives.
receptive adj		open to/interested in an idea	His positive body language demonstrated that he was receptive to our suggestions.
resentment noun		anger held onto from a previous conflict	Mary's resentment stems from our not choosing her to head the project.
resistance noun		a display of opposition	We didn't expect so much resistance on the final issue.
resolve verb		end conflict, come to an agreement	Before you can resolve your differences you'll both need to calm down.
tactics noun		strategies used to get one's goals met	There are certain tactics that all skillful negotiators employ.
tension noun		feeling of stress/anxiety caused by heavy conflict	There was a lot of tension in the room when George threatened to quit.
trade-off noun		terms that are offered in return for something else	Lower payments over a longer period of time sounded like a fair trade-off until we asked about interest charges.
ultimatum noun		a final term that has serious consequences if not met	His ultimatum was that if I didn't agree to give him the raise he asked for, he'd quit today without two week's notice.
unrealistic adj		very unlikely to happen	It's unrealistic to think that we will have all of our demands met.
victory noun		a win	We considered it a victory because they agreed to four of our five terms.
yield verb		to give in to another's requests	The client will only yield to our conditions, if we agree to work over the holiday weekend.