🔥 Warm-Up (5 minutes)
- Think of a negotiation you've been part of, at work or elsewhere — what tactics did the other side use, and how did you respond?
- In your view, what separates a negotiator who achieves a win-win outcome from one who simply pushes for the best deal at any cost?
📖 Key Vocabulary
| English | Type | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| leverage | n. | Since they were the only supplier who could meet the deadline, the company had significant leverage in the negotiations. |
| concession | n. | Neither party was willing to make a concession on the delivery date. |
| impasse | n. | The talks reached an impasse when neither side would budge on pricing. |
| contingent upon | adj. | The final signing is contingent upon approval from the finance committee. |
| non-negotiable | adj. | The client made it clear that the delivery deadline was non-negotiable. |
| hammer out | phrasal v. | The two teams spent all afternoon hammering out the details of the licensing agreement. |
| sweeten the deal | idiom | To sweeten the deal, the supplier threw in free installation and a one-year warranty. |
| stipulate | v. | The contract stipulates that payment must be received within thirty days of delivery. |
| counteroffer | n. | Rather than accepting the initial bid, the vendor submitted a counteroffer with revised terms. |
| in good faith | idiom | Both sides agreed to negotiate in good faith, without withholding relevant information. |
🧠 Grammar / Strategy Focus
Inversion after negative adverbials is used in formal and written English to add emphasis, especially at the start of a sentence. When an adverbial with negative or restrictive meaning (Not only, Rarely, Under no circumstances, No sooner...than, Hardly...when) begins a clause, the subject and auxiliary verb (or main verb 'be') swap positions, just as in a question. For example: 'Under no circumstances should either party disclose the terms of the settlement to a third party.' This structure appears frequently in formal business writing — contracts, reports, and negotiation summaries — precisely because it signals firmness and formality.
✏️ Part 5 Practice
Incomplete Sentences
📝 Part 6 Practice
Text Completion (Subject: Re: Finalizing Terms – Riverside Distribution Agreement)
Dear Ms. Tran, Following yesterday's session, I am writing to confirm the terms we (1) during the negotiation and to outline the steps required before the agreement can be executed.
Not only did your team agree to lower the minimum order quantity, but you also consented to a (2) pricing structure that adjusts automatically with raw material costs, which we believe reflects a genuinely win-win outcome for both parties.
Please note that final approval is (3) upon sign-off from our legal department, which is currently reviewing the indemnification clause you proposed.
It is essential that the amended draft (4) to us no later than Friday so that we can circulate it internally before the board meeting.
We appreciate your flexibility throughout this process and look forward to formalizing the partnership. Sincerely, David Pham, Procurement Director
📰 Part 7 Practice
Reading Comprehension
HANOI — Talks between Vietnam-based agritech firm GreenHarvest JSC and its European distribution partner, NordFresh Group, reached a critical juncture this week after eight months of on-and-off negotiations over renewal terms. Sources close to the discussions indicate that NordFresh's insistence on an exclusivity clause — barring GreenHarvest from supplying competing distributors across the EU — proved to be the single largest sticking point, with GreenHarvest executives reportedly warning that such a stipulation would be a non-starter given the company's expansion plans in Germany and the Netherlands.
Notwithstanding the impasse, both sides issued a joint statement Tuesday indicating that a revised proposal, which would grant NordFresh preferential — rather than exclusive — distribution rights in exchange for a modest increase in minimum purchase volumes, has been tabled for further discussion. Analysts note that the willingness of both parties to walk back from their original positions suggests neither wishes to be seen as having triggered the collapse of a five-year partnership, particularly at a time when supply-chain disruptions have made securing reliable trade partners increasingly difficult. A final ruling on the matter is expected before the current contract lapses at the end of the quarter.
🎧 Listening Practice
Conversation (Part 3 style)
Teacher: read the script aloud twice (or record it) at natural speed, then ask students the questions below.
Man: Look, before we go any further, I have to be upfront — head office simply won't sign off unless we can bring the unit price down by at least eight percent.
Woman: I hear you, but frankly, our margins are already razor-thin on this order. What I can offer is a phased discount — five percent now, with the remaining three contingent on you hitting the volume targets in the second quarter.
Man: That's... not quite what we were hoping for, but I appreciate you meeting us partway. Would you be open to throwing in expedited shipping as a sweetener, given the tighter timeline we're now working with?
Woman: That's doable, provided the shipment volume doesn't exceed forty containers a month — beyond that, the logistics costs eat into any savings we'd be passing along.
Man: Fair enough. Let me run the revised numbers by my director this afternoon, and I'll get back to you by tomorrow with a firm answer.
Woman: Sounds good. Just bear in mind our current offer stands until Friday — after that, we'll need to revisit the whole proposal from scratch.