Who would have thought that?
Starting with the salary you had in mind when you were still a student turned out to be a utopia when you actually started that first job. For a higher salary – it turned out – you had to negotiate. And that is difficult, even if you already have years of experience in your field. Although there is a valuable trick that can make your salary negotiation more successful.
Three seconds
Apparently silence is one of the most powerful tricks you can use during a salary negotiation. This is evident from a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Did you observe a silence of at least three seconds? According to researcher Jared Curhan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this can ‘lead to the recognition of golden opportunities’.
According to the researcher, a shift in someone’s way of thinking takes place at that moment. From zero-sum thinking (a way of thinking where one person’s gain means another’s loss) to a more reflective mindset. In other words, you can induce someone to agree to something that could work against him or her. This often has to do with the fact that someone feels a bit uncomfortable due to silence.
3-9 second technique
Other studies also show that it is effective to be quiet for a while. However, this involves a silence of three to nine seconds. But why is silence of this duration so effective? ‘We suspect, but cannot prove, that this is related to a specific window. This is the time that is really helpful, but it’s not so long that it’s uncomfortable,” Curhan told HuffPost.
Dutch research from the University of Groningen also showed that this can be effective. This study did mention a more specific number of seconds, namely four. ‘Four seconds turned out to be an optimal duration of silence. Participants (of the study, ed.) did not consciously notice the silence, saw the conversation as natural, but still felt that the conversation was significantly less pleasant.’
When it is used against you
Conversely, the tactic can also be applied to you. For example, a manager can take a break after he or she mentions an amount that does not meet your wishes. If your manager then takes a break, you are more likely to agree to that amount, because yes, such a silence is uncomfortable.
“There’s this idea that great negotiators are very slick people and they always know exactly what to say,” Curhan again. According to the researcher, it is better to take a longer break if someone uses a difficult tactic on you. “‘I’ll come back to it later’ or ‘I need to think about that’ are better answers, because you often come up with a better response if you don’t have to decide something in the heat of the moment.”
Source: Marie Claire | Image: Suits
