Adam Sandler negotiates with two kids - which negotiation tactics do they use?⁠⁠

Vocabulary

not in the cards — not likely to happen or not possible

gonna — contraction of "going to"

overtime — extra pay for working more than 40 hours a week

let something go — to stop thinking about or being angry about the past or something that happened in the past

to walk — to walk away from a deal and stop negotiating

wanna — contraction of "want to"

Skee-Ball — an arcade game where you can win tickets that can be exchanged for prizes

How to sound more diplomatic and persuasive

What do you want?

What sort of price did you have in mind?

I want...

We were looking to get...

We were hoping for...

When we use past tenses and continuous forms of tenses in English, it sounds more diplomatic. We also use approximation, e.g. sort of.

Negotiation tactics used and how to counter them

The boy used a tactic known as negotiation silence. That's when you stop talking during the negotiation in the hope that your opponent will become uncomfortable and want to make a concession in order to break the silence. Adam Sandler's character could have countered this tactic by restating his offer and not making any suggestions or concessions. In extreme cases, he could have gotten up and walked out the door in the hope that the young man would call him back and continue in a reasonable manner.

The boy also used a tactic called take it or leave it. He appeared as if he was ready to break off the negotiations unless his interests were met. The best thing to do is to ignore the threat and continue the negotiation as if you had not heard it.

Can you spot any other negotiation tactic that was used?

Can you think of other things they could have done to sound more diplomatic and persuasive?