The role of negotiation in the everyday business life has increased over the period of years with everyone struggling to get the best for oneself. There are a number of agencies who aid their clients to bargain professionally on various matters relating to the business like sales, settlement of disputes, or in making major decisions in the companies. The services of the professional negotiators are sought after to successfully face the stiff competition in the global market.

Negotiation could be integrative or distributive varying with the method of approach used. A victorious negotiator uses the integrative negotiation technique wherein the parties involved reach into a solution that is satisfactory to both of them. In a distributive technique the negotiation moves with the intention of winning at any cost which can bring a strain into the working relationship amongst the people involved. Silence plays a great role in a win-win or integrative negotiation technique.

Silence is a powerful tool in the hands of the negotiators as it induces to listen to what is being said by the other party and utilise the information for the successful presentation of one’s view points. When the mediator remains quiet, he has to put his mental resources to work for analysing the data dispersed by the other for gaining an upper hand in negotiation. Silence also means mastering the art of listening without interruptions to understand the needs and the expected course of action desired by the confronter. The mediator must learn to exploit the time taken by the confronter to speak to understand where he stands, the different options open before him and mentally manipulate the various options to identify the best solution that he can come up to the views put forth by the other party.

Expressive silence gives a feeling of importance to the opponent and persuades him to speak more than what he intended to do. The negotiator must understand that the people have a general tendency to speak to fill the vacuum between the conversations. Pausing for a few seconds after the terms are laid out by the opponent might coerce the latter to reconsider the options and bring about solutions that are favourable to the negotiator. Thus silence has the power to understand the extent to which the opponent is willing to go to close the deal. It highlights the upper hand the negotiator has over his opponent, thereby helping him to push his strengths further. Remaining tacit can also help in gaining time to think over a solution when the negotiator is in a precarious position. Silence also expects the mediator to put forth the questions that can motivate the latter to speak more on the matter involved. Body language also plays a great role in negotiation. Remaining tight-lipped but very expressive has immense power than any tool in negotiations. Measure must be taken to maintain the eye contact through out the conversation to make the opponent feel the importance his presence plays in the meeting.

But before resorting to the art of silence, the negotiator must have exercised his resources diligently to discover the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent, the possible moves that could be brought up by the latter and the most profitable solution that he could lay to the various options put forth by the other. A thorough background check helps to anticipate the reactions and responses that can be laid by the confronter and in finding the maximum concession one can make to reach into a successful solution. But perfecting the art of silence requires a conscious and continuous effort to reap its fruits. A beginner can try to perfect the art of drawing information by remaining silent and reaching into a favourable solution by practicing it on his friends or colleagues before reaching the actual venue.

Remaining silent during negotiations can create a long term positive relationship between the parties involved as a mutual amicable solution is reached. The opponent can be manipulated without his knowledge using silence as a tool to reach into a solution that was desired by the negotiator. As stated by Josh Billings, “silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute”.