“Sunday Negotiation Insight”
https://themastern.wpengine.com/greg-williams/
Signs (“Body Language Nonverbal/Verbal Signals”)
I got a sign from heaven, she said, and maybe that was true, but what she may have been sensing was a body language signal that she wasn’t consciously aware of.
Every day of our lives we get signs that direct our lives. What signs are you aware of and what signs are you missing? In some cases, the signs we miss have a more profound effect on our lives than the signs we observe. Such signs can be in the form of what we see, some can be embedded in what we hear, and yet others can be concealed in an emotional sensation (i.e. kinesthetic).
By being attuned to the signs we experience in life, we can lead a more fulfilled life, one that’s less fraught with anxiety, pain, and disappointment. By being more attuned to what occurs to us and how we sense it, we can increase the goodness that life has for us.
Raise your sense of awareness and commit to being more astute when it comes to paying attention to the nonverbal and verbal body language signals you perceive. By raising your awareness to such, you’ll live a more richly deserved life. After all, it’s already before you. All you have to do is sense it, see it, feel it … and everything will be right with the world.
What does this have to do with negotiations?
In a negotiation, the other negotiator emits concealed meanings that add or detract from her intended message. If she makes an offer with her hands up, down, pushing away or moving her hands closer towards herself, she’s sending additional insight about her offer/counteroffer. The same is true with the tilting of her head, the slight leaning in or backing away from you. Those are insightful nonverbal gestures that give greater meaning about the degree of comfort she’s experiencing per her offer/counteroffer. The emotional sensation you feel as the result of ‘something’ she did is a sign that you’re reacting to her body language gestures from an intuitive perspective. Paying attention to your intuition is important because when you sense occurrences, your brain is informing you of something that you should take note of. Don’t pass that sensation off by being hasty with it because there’s real value in it for you.
Suffice it to say, the more attentive you are to body language signals, the more aware you’ll be of hidden messages all around you. You’ll be able to pierce the darkness in which those hidden messages reside. Those hidden messages will illuminate, which will lead to a brighter light on your world of possibilities … and everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!