Good listening as a wise negotiation tactic

Listening is a foundational interpersonal skill. Effective listening is central to managing the dual demands of negotiation: competing over limited resources while sustaining cooperation and trust. Nevertheless, limited research has shed light on how to listen effectively in negotiation. Integrating research from psychology, communication, and negotiation, we identify three common listening traps that undermine negotiation effectiveness: negotiators tend to focus too much on: (1) the self (and too little on others); (2) resolving disagreement (and too little on exploring it); and (3) what is said (and too little on what remains unspoken). We propose three approaches for effective listening in negotiations: (1) listening to understand rather than persuade; (2) listening for movement and change; and (3) making listening observable through concrete verbal and nonverbal behaviors. We argue that high-quality listening improves both informational and relational outcomes by facilitating deeper information exchange, increasing trust, and supporting integrative agreements. By highlighting high-quality listening as a wise negotiation tactic, this article illustrates how negotiators can better navigate the tension between cooperation and competition in mixed-motive interactions.