Negotiations Conditionals

Listen to the introduction to the topic and then move on to the tasks.

Have you ever thought how strong the word ‘If’ is in a negotiation? Do you associate this word with a particular grammar topic? Probably, you do. This material will help you revise and practise this structure.

Before you enter any negotiation process, consider your use of Conditionals i.e. if – sentences with two parts: one part describes a condition, and the other part describes the result of that condition. The condition clause will always start with ‘if’ (or its equivalents such as: as long as or provided that).

There are two types of Conditionals you need to be able to use while negotiating: Conditional 1 (If we give you a discount of 5%, will you increase your order by 10%?) and Conditional 2 (If we gave you a discount of 5%, would you increase your order by 10%?).

I would like you to watch the presentation about 1st and 2nd Conditional sentences. The presentation shows you how to create conditional sentences and their meanings. Additionally, the presentation explains why you need Conditionals to negotiate effectively in English.

Have a look now at some examples of conditional sentences and check if you can decide which type they belong to. Before you start make sure you understand the following words/expressions: cashflow, give the go-ahead, agree to one’s terms, endorse, exclusivity agreement.

Download the PDF below. You will find there some more exercises that will help you practise forming conditional sentences.

Answer the questions below.

1. If you get a raise this year, what will you do with the extra money?
2. What will you do if you run into problems with the project you are currently working on?
3. If you could change one thing about your current job, what would it be?
4. What would you do  if you didn’t get along with the people you work with?
5. If you could attend fewer meetings, do you think you’d be more or less productive? 

Now, focus on the exercise below. You will work on some more examples of Conditional 1 and Conditional 2.

Download one more file. The following exercise is a translation exercise that will help you understand better the meanings of Conditional 1 and Conditional 2 in a negotiation context.

Finally, to revise the material from this part of Negotiations check if you are able to give the English equivalents of the sentences below.