Why Head Nodding is Important in a Negotiation

Nodding Your Head Can Win You that Negotiation

In a people driven society, human relations is necessary to support economic success; how we speak with one another decides how we live our lives, build and foster relationships. Negotiation and communication are essential skills to have in any relationship.

Figuring out how to control the signals you are sending with your body is an incredible method to guarantee you will always get your message across plainly and without uncertainty.  Despite what medium people use to communicate and connect, non-verbal communication such us head gestures are utilized in every form of communication.

In this article, I’d be sharing one of the most powerful nonverbal cues you can use in conversations and win in any negotiation. But first, it is important to understand what negotiations really mean. It has been described as conversations or discussions between people who have different targets or goals, – especially in business or politics, – during which they try to reach an agreement. Negotiation has, basically, two outcomes: It’s either a win-win situation for both parties or a win-lose outcome, where one side wins and the other loses. You aim for every negotiation is to win but leave the other party feeling good about it – whether they actually win or lose.

Nodding during Negotiation: Why is it important?

Successful negotiations do not happen by accident or on the spur of the moment. They must be carefully planned. To this end, there are a number of steps that can be taken to help in the process and one of them is the learning the right way to nod during a negotiation. When engaged in a negotiation, nodding your head as you make a pronouncement leads to acceptance and belief to what you’re saying. The subliminal message that’s conveyed with nodding the head is, “I really believe that what I am saying is true, and I’m committed to my statements.” This has profound effects on the person(s) you are speaking to.

What are the right ways to Nod?

1. Make and Maintain Eye Contact: During a negotiation, maintain eye contact from short periods of time – eye contact for too long can be creepy so do it in intervals. When you are speaking, it shows confidence & when they are speaking, it shows that you are listening and paying critical attention. Individuals who feel that their concerns have been validated and addressed are more likely to be open to swayed by your terms.
2. Smile Like You Mean It: Smiling is always a good idea. It can bring calm to a tense conversation and reassure the other party that you are there to engage and not impose.
3. Keep Yourself Open: Lean in and keep an open posture (do not cross your arms in a defensive manner), this shows you are genuinely interested.
4. Nod in Intervals: To enhance the nodding effect, pause for at least a second as you speak to denote something important is about to be said. Then, as you make the proclamation, nod your head to emphasize that point. The mixture of the head nod, smiling and eye contact as you convey your message will have a hypnotic effect on the individual with whom you’re negotiating with.

It’s additionally important to add that people who are aligned up with your message would nod in acknowledgment when you nod. Their gesture not just fills in as an affirmation that they concur with you, but also urging you to lead on. Thus, it’s your responsibility to observe to what degree your negotiation companion nods as you speak and use that to your advantage.

The Wrong Ways of Nodding

1. Do not Nod Excessively: Nodding exorbitantly will weaken the emphasis that such a gesture has during a negotiation. Whenever utilized excessively, nodding can make one feel like they are in the presence of a know-it-all; who knows nothing, but thinks he knows a great deal or it could give the feeling that the person is being deceptive.

1. Do not Nod to the Wrong Words: Another thing to consider is what words you choose to emphasize when making this gesture. On the off chance that the activity is synchronized with the wrong word(s), you could end up changing the negotiator’s mind on what’s imperative. You would then have your negotiation counterpart mentally pondering exactly what you’re endeavoring to pass on and where you’re going.

Every single person – business owner, corporate worker, husband, friend – negotiates. Whether it’s a product, service, idea or message – everyone wants someone else to believe in them or something. When utilized right, head gestures can be an incredibly powerful tool in persuading people to believe you and say yes to your requests.

Happy Nodding!

Written by Adegoke Adekunle,

Social media and content analyst at Korapay.