Fact cultures in business negotiations:

1. Direct approach to business:

- Focus on getting straight to business, avoiding excessive small talk at the
beginning.
- Prioritize short-term, result-oriented discussions.
2. Structured negotiations:
- Negotiations tend to follow a fixed agenda.
- Important to ensure that discussions are connected and not isolated from the main
topics.
3. Prepartion is key:
- Participants must be well-briefed and knowledgeable about all relevant
information.
- Lack of preparation is viewed negatively (ấn tượng xấu) and can lead to not being
taken seriously (không được xem trọng).
4. Business-centric meetings: (the main objective of the negotiation is to do
business)
- The main goal is to conduct business, which may not always be obvious in some
cultures.
- In initial meetings, some cultures might focus on determining if there is potential
for business.
* Decision-making style:
- The pace of decision-making varies:
. Quick decision-making in the USA.
. Low decision-making in Germany.
- Regular summaries and a clear outcome are expected.
* Focus on terms:
- Fact cultures are interested in doing business if the terms are favourable.
- Key emphasis on discussing the terms of the deal early in negotiations.
. “Most negotiations run to a fairly fixed agenda, so be careful not to end up
discussing issues (~topics) in isolation which really need to be connected”. (as a part
of the bigger picture/ connect to the broader negotiation or other issues)
-> run to: follow, adhere to (stick firmly)
-> in isolation ~ separately, independently (from other related topics)
- well-briefed /iː/: thoroughly informed, fully prepared ( brief (v) give sb detailed
instructions/ information) (to participate effectively, make informed decisions: quyết
định sáng suốt).
-> need to be extremely (~must) well-briefed with all the relevant information.
- be thought badly prepared ~ be considered/ viewed badly prepared
- risk not being taken seriously (có nguy cơ không được xem trọng)
“This may seem obvious, but in some cultures the first half of an initial meeting, or
even the whole initial meetings, is largely (~ almost completely) about deciding if
there is any business (việc kinh doanh/ cơ hội kinh doanh) to be done with you
(nghĩa tự tự hợp tác) at all.” (~assessing whether there is potential or interest in
establishing a business relationship)
- Rest assured that … - if the terms are right.
-> right ~ suitable, favourable, satisfactory, acceptable
- summaries of what’s on the table (trên bàn đàm phán) at each stage of the
negotiation
- a concrete outcome = a clear outcome
People cultures:
1. Emphasis on personal relationship
- people cultures tend not to separate the personalities from the business.
- they are as interested in the person they are dealing with as in the deal itself.
2. Don’t rush the process:
- social introductions and general conversations are important, and should not be
rushed.
- the pace of discussion is often slower, as building rapport is a priority.
3. Flexibility over fixed agendas:
- fixed agendas are seen as premature /ˈprem.ə.tʃər/ (happening or done too soon,
before the appropriate time) since it’s difficult to predict (know … in advance) all
issues that might arise in complex negotiations.
- people cultures prefer allowing issues to emerge naturally rather than adhering to
a rigid (~firm) plan.
4. Involvement in the process:
- they prefer a more collaborative approach.
- rushing them or proposing a list of discussion items may make them feel excluded
from the decision-making process.
5. Returning to issues:
- during discussions, people cultures often revisit topics that seen resolved or
introduce new issues that may not appear immediately relevant.
- this reflective process ensures that nothing is overlooked or neglected.
6. Patience is key:
- the negotiation may feel like it’s going in circles, but this is part of the process.
- patience and openness to their pace of discussion are essential.
- cannot come to a final decision and need a further meeting.
“ don’t rush the preliminaries’’ (đừng gấp phần mở đầu)
-> preliminaries /prɪˈlɪm.ə.ner.i/ (n): phần mở đầu (usually plural) (~ introductions)
Take your lead from them as to (~about/ regarding) how long the social
introductions and opening generalisations should go on. (tức là khi nào thì thích hợp
để move from informal conversation to the business discussion; you let them set the
tone and timing, and you adjust your approach accordingly (bạn phải điều chỉnh theo
họ, cần sự linh hoạt - flexibility)
-> take your lead from them: học hỏi từ họ (follow the other party’s guide)
-> lead (c1) (usually S): the act of showing a person or group of people what to do.
-> follow someone’s lead: do what someone do
-> open generalisations /ˌdʒen.ə r.əl.aɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/ (khái quát): ý chỉ broad, general
statements, or, topics that aren’t specific to the main business matter (currents events,
shared experiences, general comments about the industry) ~ non-specific
conversation.
* up in the air: uncertain, remaining undecided, unclear
* a final decision is unlikely to be reached without a further meeting.
Trust cultures:
- “don’t share your interest in (không có cùng hứng thú với bạn trong…) short-term
benefits” (advantages that can be realized quickly, e.g. immediate financial returns,
…) -> less interest in short-term benefits (ít có hứng thú với lợi ích ngắn hạn): trust
cultures prioritize long-term relationships over immediate gains or short-term
benefits.
- there’s little point in selling yourself hard (tự quảng cáo bản thân) and emphasising
what a wonderful opportunity for a deal they have before them (~ in front of them/
right in their sight) -> Minimal hard selling: they don’t respond well (~ react
positively) to aggressive sales tactics (chiến thuật) or overly emphasizing the benefits
of a deal. (“they want you to listen to them as much as they’ll listen to you) Instead,
they value listening and mutual understanding.
- Gradual and vague negotiations: negotiations involve a lengthy exchange of fairly
vague proposals and counter-proposals. They focus on developing a shared
purpose over time.
- Reserved emotions (những cảm xúc được giữ lại): showing emotions or
disagreement during negotiations is considered unhelpful. Trust cultures prefer a calm
and composed negotiation process.
- Calculated guessing: since asking direct questions about their motivations is
discouraged, you need to make calculated guesses about what they want until you
find common ground.
- Limited information sharing: trust cultures are cautious about sharing their needs
and priorities unless they align clearly with yours. They are secretive and
deliberate (cẩn thận) in negotiations.
- Emphasis on flexibility and patience: negotiations take time, and agreements
often require flexibility. It is important to be patient as decisions are reached
slowly.
- Focus on your business partner: your obligation(nghĩa vụ) in dealing with trust
cultures is to pay attention to the partnership and the relationship itself rather than
getting overly focused on the technical details or legal jargon (thuật ngữ pháp lý)
found in the contract.
* map out discussion points in advance.
-> map out: to plan the details of something

Handout 1: Vocabulary and Task

a. Have a plenty of supporting data - Fact cultures
B. Avoid conflict - be diplomatic (khôn khéo) - People cultures -> Trust cultures
(make calculated guesses)
C. Feel free to give your opinion - People cultures
D. Try to think long term - Trust cultures (not share interest in short-term benefits)
E. Work hard to be liked - People cultures
F. Stay focused on your business goals - Facts cultures
G. Think aloud, digress, be creative - People cultures (thường revisit topic hoặc
introduce new ones)
H. Say what you mean - don’t be vague - Fact cultures
I. Interrupt immediately if you need to - Trust cultures -> People cultures (as the
other party tends to return the topics bất chợt)
J. Interrupt politely and seldom - People cultures -> Fact cultures (as fact cultures
want to stay on track and fix to the agenda, so if interruptions happen, they would
distract the flow; and if you want to interrupt, you should be polite).
K. Never interrupt - be patient and listen - People cultures -> Trust cultures (you
listen to them as they’ll listen to you)
L. Be flexible about time - People cultures (take your lead from … social intro should
go on)
M. Stick to the agenda - Fact cultures
N. Try to ‘read between the lines’ - Trust cultures (little infor, much guessing)
O. Don’t reveal too much too soon, wait - Trust cultures
P. Don’t be afraid to show your emotions - People cultures (Trust culture: biểu lộ
cảm xúc là vô dụng
Q. Don’t commit yourself to anything - Trust cultures
R. End with a list of action points - Fact cultures

3 Principle stages and their sub-stages

-> When you build rapport, you can create a good atmosphere and find things in
common.
-> set out = outline, present, list

* Each team’s role model:

Từ vựng bài 1: (60 words)

- position (n) surface statements of where a person or organization stands, and rarely
provide insights into underlying motivations, values or incentives; lập trường
-> summarise the other side’s position: clearly and concisely restate the other side’s
viewpoint.
*underlying (real but not immediately obvious)
* incentives /ɪnˈsen.t̬ɪv/ (n) (~motivations) sth that encourages someone to do sth
- interest (n) a party’s underlying reasons, values, or motivations; động cơ lợi ích (khi
một bên tham gia vào 1 vấn đề hay sự việc).
-> Interests explain why someone takes a certain position. (chọn một lập trường)
- time-out (n) time for rest or recreation/ˌrek.riˈeɪ.ʃən/ (giải trí) away from one’s
usual work or studies; giải lao.
-> call for a time-out: đề nghị giải lao, yêu cầu tạm nghỉ
- to work out: to understand sth or find the answer to sth by thinking about it; hiểu
ra
- rapport /ræpˈɔːr/ (n) a good understanding of someone and an ability to
communicate well with them; mối quan hệ tốt, sự hòa hợp, sự hiểu biết lẫn nhau (để
giao tiếp tốt với nhau)
-> build a rapport
- to probe: to try to discover information that other people don’t want you to know,
by asking questions carefully and not directly; thăm dò.
- proposal (n) a suggestion, sometimes a written one; đề xuất, đề nghị, phương án gợi
ý.
- counter-proposal: áp dụng nhiều ngữ cảnh hơn, không chỉ giới hạn ở giao dịch
thương mại; thường được dùng khi một bên đưa ra một giải pháp hoặc phương án
thay thế trong một cuộc thảo luận hoặc thỏa thuận khi không đồng ý với đề xuất ban
đầu.
- counteroffer (n) an offer that is made by one side in a disagreement after the other
side has made an offer that is not acceptable; đề nghị phản hồi (thường được dùng
trong thương mại, hợp đồng, thương lượng giá cả; ví dụ khi mua bán một sản phẩm
nếu người bán không chấp nhận giá của người mua, họ có thể đưa ra một mức giá
khác)
- to resolve: to end a problem or difficulty
- to trade: to exchange sth, or to stop using or doing sth, and start using or doing sth
else instead; trao đổi.
- to generate: to produce; tạo ra
- concession (n) sth that is allowed or given up, often in order to end a disagreement,
or the act of allowing or giving this; nhượng bộ (hơi khác compromise(thỏa hiệp)
một chút, vì compromise là thường cả hai bên đều từ bỏ một phần yêu cầu của
mình).
-> trade concessions: trao đổi nhượng bộ (cả hai bên đều nhượng bộ cho nhau như
một cuộc exchange - trao đổi)
- thoroughly: in a detailed and careful way, completely, very much; kỹ lưỡng, chu
toàn
- in advance: before a particular time, or before doing a particular thing.
- initially: at the beginning
- sceptical (a) doubting that sth is true or useful; hoài nghi
- to get down to: to start to direct your efforts and attention towards sth; bắt đầu tập
trung vào.
- to rush: to (cause to) go or do sth very quickly.
- to insist: to say firmly or demand forcefully, especially when others disagree with
or oppose what you say.
- agenda (n) a list of matters to be discussed at a meeting.
- instinctive (a) (of behavior of actions) not thought about, planned, or learned; theo
bản năng.
- put forward: to suggest an idea for consideration.
- precise (a) exact and accurate
- to suspect: to not trust, to doubt
- to reveal: to make known or show sth that is suprising or that was previously secret.
- subtly: in a way that is small and difficult to notice or describe, but important;
tinh tế, khéo léo.
- notoriously /noʊˈtɔːr.i.əs.li/: in a way that is famous for something bad; khét tiếng.
-> notoriously slow decision-maker.
- binding (a) (especially of an agreement) that cannot be legally avoided or stopped;
ràng buộc (thường để chỉ một thỏa thuận hoặc hợp đồng mà không thể tránh né hoặc
hủy bỏ theo quy định pháp luật)
-> The contract we signed is legally binding, which means both parties are obligated
to fulfill their terms. (Hợp đồng mà chúng ta đã ký có ràng buộc về mặt pháp lý, có
nghĩa là cả hai bên đều có nghĩa vụ thực hiện các điều khoản trong đó).
- to end up: to finally be in a particular place or situation
- in isolation: separately
- to brief: to give someone detailed instructions or information.
- relevant (a) connected with what is happening or being discussed
- to be taken seriously: not joking
- to rest assured: to be certain that sth will happen
- terms (n) the conditions that control an agreement, arrangement, or activity; điều
khoản.
- concrete (a) clear and certain, or real and existing in a form that can be seen or felt.
- outcome (n) a result or effect of an action, situation,…
- preliminary /prɪˈlɪm.ə.ner.i/(n) an event or action that introduces or prepares for sth
else
- to take your lead from: to adopt, follow
- premature (a) happening or done too soon, especially before the natural or suitable
time.
-> His decision to … was premature, as the company had not yet established a solid
business plan.
- to arise: to happen
- to emerge: to become known, especially as a result of examining sth or asking
questions about it.
- heated (a) excited or angry
- there’s little point in: it’s useless to do sth
- vague (a) not clearly expressed, known, described, or decided.
- calculated (a) planned or arranged in order to produce a particular effect; có tính
toán.
- harmonious (with): looking, tasting, working well together; ~ be aligned with.
- diplomatic /ˌdɪp.ləˈmæt̬.ɪk/ (a) acting in a way that does not cause offence; khôn
khéo.
- to digress (in speech or writing) to move away from the main subject and discuss
sth else; lạc đề,chuyển hướng khỏi chủ đề chính.
- to read between the lines: to find meanings that are intended but that are not
directly expressed in something said or written; đọc hiểu ẩn ý, nhìn ra điều ẩn chứa.
- to commit oneself to: to promise or give your loyalty, time, or money to a
particular principle, person, or plan of action; cam kết, hứa hẹn.
- bottom line: the most important fact in a situation; cốt lõi, điểm mấu chốt.
- by all means = certainly
- room for manoeuvre (n) the opportunity to change your plans or choose between
different ways of doing sth; khả năng linh hoạt.
- loose ends to tie up: a few things to finish, các công việc còn dang dở.
- to get this straight: to understand sth/
- exclusivity (U) /ˌeks.kluːˈsɪv.ə.t̬i/: the right to have or do sth that is limited to only
one person or organization; độc quyền.

HANDOUT 2 - Listen and fill

New words:
- The head of our research unit
- Lead the negotiations for
- Thesis /ˈθiː.sɪs/ supervisor: giáo viên hướng dẫn luận văn
- Marvellous teacher
- Manufacturing plant
- Decentralize /ˌdiːˈsen.trə.laɪz/ (v) to move the control of an organization or
government from a sing;e place to several smaller ones; phi tập trung hóa.
- That’s still at the planning stage.

HANDOUT 3 (CÓ FILE)

HANDOUT 4
New words:

- look forward to; a productive meeting.

- begin by suggesting a procedure
- negotiatiate the terms of licensing agreement
- establish a strong basis for moving our collaboration forward.
- sth fit in with sth
- look more closely at; the questions of exclusivity
- add sth to the agenda
- seem to be in agreement on our objectives
- decide the order in which
- start off by outlining our respective positions.
- move on to the details of the agreement itself
- allocate some time to; the matter of remuneration method
- get through: to finish sth
- by all means: certainly
- licensor /ˈlaɪsənsər/: a person/ organization who gives another person or
organization official permission to make, do, or own sth; người hoặc cơ quan cấp
bằng.
- licensee /ˌlaɪ.sənˈsiː/ : a person who has official permission to do sth, especially to
sell alcoholic drinks; người được cấp bằng.
- initiative: a new plan or process to achieve sth or solve a problem.
- fit (n) the way in which two or more things suit each other or work together.
- remuneration /rɪˌmjuː.nəˈreɪ.ʃən/ (n) payment for work or services; thù lao, tiền
công.
- lump sum (n) a single payment of an amount rather than several payments of
smaller amounts; khoản thanh toán trọn gói, khoản tiền trả trong một lần.
- milestone (n) a time when a piece of work must be finished or something must be
achieved; cột mốc.
- proposal:
+) the first offer made by one party to the other.
+) in written and/ or verbal form
+) provide the basis for the negotiation and a possible settlement (a deal)
- counterproposall:
+) alternative offer(s) after the first by other party that may suit both parties
+) often in verbal form
+) made when one party refuses or do not agree with the first proposal
- licensing agreement: hợp đồng cấp phép
- the scope of the licence: phạm vi của giấy phép
- the territories: khu vực địa lý, khu vực pháp lý, hoặc các lĩnh vực hoạt động khác
nhau.

Extract 1:
OK, before we begin, let me just say that with this particular deal, it's imperative we
reach a final decision today. If we can't reach a firm agreement by the end of this
session, we may have to talk to other suppliers (Forcing the other party into a
corner by putting undue pressure on them). But, obviously, this is something we
would prefer not to do. We would, of course, on an order of this size, expect a
substantial discount (Tất nhiên, với đơn hàng lớn như thế này, chúng tôi mong đợi
được giảm giá đáng kể). We would also insist on free service and maintenance
(making too many demands: discount, free service and maintenance). I don't want to
be hit with service charges six months from now (Tôi không muốn phải chịu (~ be
unexpected affected by) các khoản phí dịch vụ trong vòng sáu tháng), so I'm afraid
that's not negotiable /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃə.bəl/ (not leaving room for manoeuvre). So, shall we
proceed?
* We would, of course, on an order of this size, expect a substantial discount:
Talking figures too soon (request for a discount)

Extract 2:
Now, so as not to waste time, we've prepared some figures we'd like you to have a
look at. As you'll see, what we're proposing is an initial setting-up fee of twelve
thousand dollars, payable in advance, and then three payments of twenty-five
thousand dollars payable on completion of the three stages of the project — that's
roughly every four months — with a fifteen percent penalty for late completion. How
does that look?
* Introduce figures too early
* Reveal the strategy (financial strategy)

Extract 3:
OK, now you've seen our standard price list, but let me say straight away that we can
be very flexible there. OK? There's plenty of room for manoeuvre (showing too
much flexibility before the negotiations have even begun). In order to secure your
business, we're also prepared to offer interest-free credit on this first consignment
(making concession before they’ve been offered anything). Normally, we would then
charge the usual six percent, but, again, this is very much negotiable. Perhaps we
could also rethink (xem xét lại) delivery charges (phí vận chuyển) if that was
something you weren't happy with (nếu đó là điều bạn không hài lòng)(leave them
very little room for manoeuvre as the negotiation progresses).
* consignment: an amount of goods is sent somewhere; lô hàng (được ký gửi).

Extract 4:
Let me be totally upfront with you. Our key interest in this negotiation is this: to find
a local distributor we can trust, one we can work with on a long-term basis (1.
keeping your options limited, stating few priorities). The financial side of things is
much less important to us —we're prepared to offer very favourable terms to the
right company (2. Talking figures too soon, introduce financial position too early). I
won't say money's no object (tiền không phải là vấn đề), but you get the picture (bạn
hiểu ý tôi mà). Now, ideally, we'd like someone with first-hand experience (kinh
nghiệm triếp) of our products, but that's not such a high priority for us. We can offer
training there (3. Showing too much flexibility upfront). Much more important for
us is that they have excellent contacts in this market and a well-established
customer base (…có các mối quan hệ tốt trong thị trường; một cơ sở khách hàng
vững mạnh) (4. not leaving room for manoeuvre, specify exact requirements: market
contacts, a customer base).

Task 4:
You want to apply pressure:
A. It’s imperative we reach a final decision today. (Điều bắt buộc là chúng ta phải
đưa ra quyết định cuối cùng hôm nay)
B. We would insist on free service and maintaince (bảo trì).
C. I’m afraid that’s not negotiable.
You want to move things forward
D. We can be flexible there.
E. There’s plenty of room for manoeuvre.
F. This is very much negotiable.
You want to be perfectly clear
G. Let me be totally upfront with you. (Cứ để tôi nói thẳng với bạn; Để tôi thành
thật với bạn)
H. Our key interest in this negotiation is this
I. That’s not such a high priority for us.(Đó không phải là điều ưu tiên hàng đầu của
chúng tôi)

New words:
- Defensive (adj)
- Confrontational (/ˌkɑːn.frənˈteɪ.ʃən.əl/(adj)
* Types of listener (4): The secret of successful networking and communication at
work and in social situations is to be a good listener. Good talkers are first of all good
listeners. Research has identify four types of listener:
. Non-listeners: cannot listen or don’t want to listen, only interested in themselves
stories.
. Marginal listeners: impatient (eye movements, tapping their fingers, moving their
feet, check their mobile phone), not interested in the conversation.
. Pretend listeners: they give comments but they don’t actually care about it, judge
what you say, don’t care about your feeling.
. Active listeners: patient, understanding = sympatheric, quiet.

Listening:
1. Paula: Active listener
2. Steve: Marginal listener/ pretend
3. Kate: Non-listener
4. Mr Klein: Pretend listener marginal
Is it very difficult to sit in silence and look at someone who is talking to you?
You want to show empathy and interest
So how to show these reactions?
Body language (show your understanding silently)
Facial expressions
Fillers (Mmm, I agree, Ah huh,..)

1. Clarifying
2. Empathizing
3. Focusing
4. Acknowledging