The Negotiating Styles Profile (NSI)

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Like communication or listening skills, negotiating skills are not a special skill to be produced on rare occasions where the circumstances are appropriate. We use negotiation skills almost every day of our lives, and in many different ways. People can use negotiating skills to:

• Bargain on the price of a product or service 

• Settle differences in a dispute situation 

• Amend contracts, either formally or informally 

• Agree to a goal or an outcome  

• Arrive at comfortable terms to work together or to co-operate 

• To find a win/win compromise  

All of these negotiating situations have one thing in common: they require two or more people to communicate with one another to reach a DEAL of some sort. However, negotiation is a special kind of communication, because it uses a number of tactics and methods for communicating that are not usually part of normal, everyday conversation or discussion.

Imagine how much more effective you will be when dealing with others when you’re able to quickly and accurately adapt your style to help other people see your point of view!

Each person has their own unique negotiating style. There are no right or wrong responses in terms of which individual approach will be best or more appropriate than any other. In fact, as you will see in this instrument, people will usually score in all four styles, which means that they will use each style at different times or negotiating circumstances. The four styles on the effective negotiating grid are:

1. Pushy bullying
2. Quietly suggesting
3. Carefully suggesting
4. Confident promoting

This Negotiating Styles Profile is designed to help individuals understand their personal negotiating style preferences and find ways to adjust or flex their style to achieve better results.