How can you be sure that you understand the messages your counterpart is communicating? When negotiating, use interactive skills which include clarifying, verifying, and reflecting to be sure that you and your counterpart are on the same page:
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Clarifying
You are clarifying when you use facilitative questions to fill in the details, get additional information, and explore all sides of an issue. For example, “What specific information do you need me to provide?” Or “Precisely when do you want the report?”
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Verifying
You are verifying information when you paraphrase the speaker’s words to ensure that you understand her meaning. For example, “As I understand it, your plan is . . .”; “It sounds like you’re saying . . .”; or “This is what you’ve decided, and the reasons are . . .”
