International Negotiations

Extension activity 2

Use these questions to generate a class discussion on what the three speakers say.

•  How important is the concept of ‘face’ in your culture? Do you think it is important to 

avoid conflict and making somebody lose face?

•  How do you feel about having to read between the lines in a negotiation? Should 

everybody be more direct?

•  The Arab speaker says that ‘We can cover the costs’ means the same as ‘We could cover 

the costs’. Whether you agree with him/her or not, how might this statement influence 

your choice of language when dealing with negotiators from different cultures?