Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Listening: A Negotiator’s Playbook

Elias, Allison

Technical Note

Listening: A Negotiator’s Playbook

Elias, Allison

BC-0330 | Published December 16, 2025 | 9 Pages Technical Note

Collection: Darden School of Business

Add To Cart Buy Now

Product Details

As negotiators, we focus extensively on expressing our own thoughts, preferences, and goals. We prepare what we want to say to the other party before the negotiation; we engage in verbal expression during the negotiation; and then we might reflect on what words or phrases we used (or should have used) after the negotiation. In sum, our own expressive speech—the output side of communication—consumes our mental energy. What is often lost in our preparation, interaction, and reflection is the pivotal role that listening plays during the negotiation process. Listening is not just a nice thing to do (although it is that too). A high-quality listener is positioned to benefit, as listening engenders a positive feeling between the parties such that their relationship is strengthened and more information will be revealed. This note presents a framework to develop and apply listening skills throughout the stages of negotiation. It uses insights from interviews with several professionals: a hostage negotiator, a psychologist, and a chaplain, all of whom rely on listening to do their work well. Though operating across distinct contexts, the advice and experience presented here point toward a coherent conclusion: Listening is not passive. It is a deliberate practice built upon developing curiosity, unlocking insights, and implementing commitments.