The voice of the negotiator

Abstract: Often what matters is not what we say, but how we say it. The human voice affects perceptions about the speaker in various ways from physical strength, to competence, or leadership qualities. Despite the crucial role that both communication and perception management play in the negotiation process, research about these paralinguistic effects is scarce in the negotiation literature. In the present research, we examine how two properties of the voice – pitch and perturbation – affect economic outcomes in negotiation. In 78 recorded negotiation sessions, we focus on these voice properties during the formulation of the first offer as a predictor for the speaker’s individual and the dyad’s joint gain. We thereby further extend the understanding of paralinguistic effects in competitive settings.

Keywords: Voice properties, paralinguistics, negotiations

Topic: NEG   |   Format: Extended Abstract