Teaching interpersonal skills: convincing the student of the need for an extreme opening statement in negotiations

Training young people in work related interpersonal skills can be difficult. For them adopting ritualistic tactics such as using an extreme opening statement in a negotiation is a very different approach to communicating than the cryptic and concise technique they use when, for example, they send a text message. This study assesses whether it is today an appropriate interpersonal skill. The study examined the impact of an extreme opening statement on young people acting as both management and union representatives. It was found both responded more generously when they received a more extreme opening statement than a more moderate one. This occurred no matter how reasonable the statement was seen to be. Males and females reacted similarly to an extreme statement. It was suggested it may today be considered a sound negotiating strategy. The case study itself can be used in vocational courses, which include interpersonal skill training components, as a means of demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategy.