Black Belt Negotiating: Become a Master Negotiator Using Powerful Lessons from the Martial Arts

Observe Carefully

Earlier I suggested that when bargaining, you be acutely aware of your opponent’s posture, tone of voice, and other mannerisms, especially at the very beginning. By asking questions that you know the opponent is answering truthfully, you now have a baseline for how the person acts when he or she is telling the truth and not under stress. Anything that now deviates from the body language that you know is truthful is probably less than truthful. This has been proven through the science of kinesics, which is the study of nonverbal behaviors such as facial expressions and gestures. This science says you should watch out for the following:

INDICATORS OF TRUTH

• Head: tilted toward you

• Facial muscles: relaxed and fluid

• Hands: relaxed ...