Be Alert to Conflict Handling Styles.
Even without major cross cultural differences, there can be a substantial discrepancy between the way one believes one is behaving and the way others perceive it. Classic examples are disconnects between people with different styles of handling conflict. These often are classified in five groups: competitors, compromisers, collaborators, accommodators, and avoiders. First, knowing one’s own preferred mode of handling conflict can alert one to natural ways of reacting and can liberate one to try out different approaches. Understanding these modes leads to a better understanding of the negotiating counterparty, and also to an appreciation of how they might be perceiving us.