Negotiation Styles: Learning the 5 Styles of Negotiation

Negotiation styles, or behaviors, are patterns of communication used during a negotiation situation to achieve a desirable outcome. There are five primary negotiation styles: accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, competing, and compromising. A successful negotiation often consists of one or more of these different negotiation styles.

Negotiation behaviors can be useful during business negotiations and in your personal life. People whose work involves making deals may choose to hone their negotiation techniques through formal negotiation training, though these skills are relevant to people in all kinds of positions and life situations. Good negotiation tactics are essential for conflict management and fostering strong business relationships. Part of developing solid negotiation skills is learning which style to use for a specific negotiation situation.

An effective negotiation strategy depends on having a solid understanding of each of the five negotiation styles. Here’s a closer look at each style:

1. 1. Accommodating: Accommodating negotiators prioritize maintaining the relationship between the negotiating parties. Those who exhibit the accommodating style seek to satisfy the other party's needs while minimizing the level of conflict involved in the negotiation.
2. 2. Avoiding: Negotiators with an avoiding style prefer to remain objective and avoid creating tension. They’ll often defer responsibility to a counterpart in an attempt to remain neutral. They do not actively pursue their own interests or the interests of the other party.
3. 3. Collaborating: The collaborative negotiation style is a joint problem-solving technique. It aims to create a win-win scenario. Collaborative negotiators are great at finding innovative solutions to complex problems. By working together with the other party, those exhibiting the collaborating style aim to find creative solutions that satisfy the needs of all parties involved.
4. 4. Competing: Competitive negotiators are results-oriented and focused on getting their own way. They do not focus on the relationship with the other party or maintaining a good rapport. Those with a competitive negotiation style are usually less willing to compromise and, in extreme cases, can be aggressive.
5. 5. Compromising: The compromising style aims to find a middle ground that is mutually beneficial to all parties. However, it is different from the collaborative style in that it does not aim for a win-win scenario. Instead, compromising negotiators seek a solution in which both parties sacrifice part of what they want for resolution. Think of haggling for a lower price at a flea market—the buyer offers the seller a lower price, hoping they’ll meet somewhere in the middle. In this situation, neither party gets everything they want, but they walk away with their need or desire partially fulfilled.

Learn more about negotiation strategies and communication skills from Career FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss. Perfect tactical empathy, develop intentional body language, and get better results every day with the MasterClass Annual Membership.