BEC剑桥英语高级 Test 1, Reading Part 3

The negotiating Table 谈判桌

You can negotiate virtually anything. Projects, resources, expectations and deadlines are all outcomes of negotiation. Some people negotiate deals for a living. Dr Herb Cohen is one of these professional talkers, called in by companies to negotiate on their behalf. He approaches the art of negotiation as a game because, as the is usually negotiating for somebody else, he says this helps him drain the emotional content from his conversation. He is working in a competitive field and needs to avoid being to adversarial. Whether he succeeds or not, it is important to him to make a good impression so that people will recommend him.

你几乎能谈判任何东西。工程，资源，期望和截止日期都是谈判的结果。有一些人靠谈判为生。Dr.Herb Cohen就是职业谈判人中的一员，经常代表这些谈判。他深谙谈判的艺术并把视为游戏，因为他经常为一些人去谈判，他说这有助于他把感情因素抛之交谈之外。他正工作在一个竞争的领域，同时需要避免太过于敌对。无论是否他谈判的成功与否，给别人留下一个好印象非常重要， 因为别人会在今后推荐他。

The starting point for any deal, he believes is to identify exactly what you want from each other. More often than not, one party will be trying to persuade the other round to their point of view. Negotiation requires two people at the end saying ‘yes’. This can be a problem because one of them usually begins by saying ‘no’ . However, although this can make talks more difficult, this is often just a starting point in the negotiation game. Top management may well reject the idea initially because it is the safer option but they would not be there if they were not interested.

任何交易的起始点，他相信是完全确认你想从中得到什么。常常一方总是尽力尝试让另一方接受他们的观点。谈判要求双方在最后达成一致。这可能是一个问题，因为谈判双发在开始时总是彼此不同意。然后，尽管这可能让谈判更加困难，但是这经常是谈判这一游戏的起始点。高级的管理层可能对开始的观点表达反对意见是因为这是一个安全的选择，但是如果他们不感兴趣，他们就不可能出现在谈判桌旁。

It is a misconception that skilled negotiators are smooth operators in smart suits. Dr. Cohen says that one of his strategies is to dress down so that the other side can relate to you. Pitch your look to suite your customer. You do not need to make them feel better than you, but, for example, dressing in a style that is not overtly expensive or successful will make you more approachable. People will generally feel more comfortable with somebody who appears to be like them rather then superior to them. They may not like you but they will feel they can trust you.

这是一个错误的观点，那就是有技巧的谈判者是穿着精致西服的家伙。Dr. Cohen说他谈判的策略之一是穿着随便轻松，因此对方能够认同。让你的穿着迎合你的客户。你不需要让他们比你感觉到舒服，但是，比如说，不穿着过于昂贵和过于成功的风格会使得你更容易接近。人们通常对一些和自己穿着相似的人感到舒服，而不是看上去高高在上的人。 他们可能不喜欢你，但是他们感到他们能信任你。

Dr. Cohen suggest that the best way to sell your proposal is by getting into the world of the other side. Ask questions rather than give answers and take an interest in what the other person is saying , even if you think what they are saying is silly. You do not need to become their best friend but being too clever will alienate them. A lot of deals are made on impressions. Do not rush what you are saying-put a few hesitations in, do not try to blind them with your verbal dexterity. Also , you should repeat back to them. What they have said to show you take them seriously.

Dr.Cohen建议最好的推销的提议的方法是站在对方的位置思考问题。问问题而不是提供答案或是对对方说的感兴趣，甚至认为对方说的很可笑。你不需要变成他们最好的朋友，但是显得过于聪明将疏远对方。很多生意都是得益与留下的印象。不要对于你说的追的过于太紧，给对方留一下一点犹豫的时间，不要通过华丽的词汇来蒙蔽他们。你需要重复他们说的，那就显得你对他们非常重视。

Inevitably some deals will not succeed. Generally the longer the negotiations go on, the better chance they have because people do not want to think their investment and energies have gone to waste. However, joint venture can means joint risk and sometimes, if this becomes too great, neither party may be prepared to see the deal through. More common is a corporate culture clash between companies, which can put paid to any deal. Even having agreed a deal, things may not be tied up quickly because when the lawyers get involved, everything gets slowed down as they argue about small details.

不可避免的是一些生意将不会成功。通常来说，谈判的时间越长，谈成功的机会就越大。因为他们都不想浪费他们付出的投资和精力。然而，联合经营意为着联合风险，如果这种风险变得特别大，没有任何一方打算看到这样的交易能够谈成。更常见的是双发公司的企业文化冲突，这可能要断送任何一个谈判。甚至一些已经达成一致的谈判中，当律师介入时，事情可能就不会这么快结束，每件事都进展的非常缓慢，是因为他们都在争论一些小细节。

Dr. Cohen thinks that children are the masters of negotiation. They goals are totally selfish. They understand the decision-making process within families perfectly. If Mum refuses their request, they will troop along to Dad and pressurise him. If all else fails,they will try the grandparents, using some emotional blackmail. They can also be very single-minded and have an inexhaustible supply of energy for the cause they are
pursuing. So there are lessons to be learned from watching and listening to children.

Dr. Cohen认为孩子是谈判的大师。他们的目标是完全自私的。他们对家庭做决定的过程非常了解。如果妈妈拒绝了他们的要求，他们将会跑到爸爸那边去给他施压。如果所有这些都失败的话，他们将会去找祖父母，使用情感勒索。他们也非常专一并且有着耗不完的的精力，因此从观察倾听孩子，我们能从他们寻到很多谈判的技能。