By Noam Ebner

Creighton University School of Law - Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution

October 25, 2011

NEGOTIATION EXCELLENCE: SUCCESSFUL DEAL MAKING, M. Benoliel, ed., World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, 2011
Abstract:      
Increasingly, negotiation interactions are taking place through channels other than face-to-face meetings. Negotiators find themselves engaging through e-communication channels – primarily e-mail. The communication channel through which the negotiation is conducted affects the dynamics of the interaction, the degree of inter-party trust and cooperation, the information shared and the outcome.

While theoretical models of negotiation certainly take interparty communication into account, they do not usually examine the characteristics and effects of particular communication media. Similarly, the average professional negotiator is not trained to recognize and cope with the effects of the communication channel on the negotiation interaction. This chapter aims to fill this gap in theory and practice by examining the effects of email communication on relational and transactional elements of negotiation. Practices for avoiding common pitfalls and improving better outcomes in email negotiation are recommended.