Negotiating across the Virtual Landscape

Whether we are drafting a proposal from our home office, firing off a quick response on our smartphone, or debating contract details over Zoom, virtual communication has become an integral part of our professional lives. While the virtual environment affords new opportunities to connect and collaborate faster and more frequently than ever before, it also poses significant challenges to how we traditionally have conducted negotiations.

Without the benefit of nonverbal cues, the likelihood of misunderstanding increases, making managing conflict and discussing thorny issues all the more difficult. No wonder a study conducted by Harvard University found that negotiations conducted via email were more than 2.5 times as likely to end in impasse than those conducted in person. 

In their new article, “Negotiating Across the Virtual Landscape,” Liz Rayer and Ethan Underhill highlight the biggest pitfalls of managing virtual negotiations and offer four tips for leveraging virtual’s inherent attributes to make your next long-distance negotiation more successful.

Their first piece of advice: “Choose your medium strategically.” 

Download the article to learn all four.