Practical Exercise (Negotiation Analysis)

The Scenario (Investment Presentation)

Imagine you are presenting an investment proposal to a committee of three key people.

You are explaining the projected profitability of the project.

The success of your presentation depends on your ability to "read the room", identify who is convinced, who is hesitant and who is opposed, so that you can tailor your message in real time. Let's analyze the three investors.

Hypothetical Investor Analysis

Alpha Investor (The Enthusiast): This person is sitting on the edge of his chair, leaning forward, a clear sign of interest and commitment.

His hands are open on the table, palms slightly up. She nods her head as you speak and maintains strong eye contact.

Their body language is congruent and positive. This person is clearly convinced or very interested in your proposal. You already have their support.

Beta Investor (The Skeptic): This person is physically leaning back in their chair, creating distance.

His arms are firmly crossed over his chest, creating a defensive barrier.

His head is slightly retracted (chin to neck) and, when you mention key figures, he frowns subtly and rubs the back of his neck.

This combination of barriers and stress appeasers indicates strong disagreement or skepticism. This investor is your main obstacle.

Gamma Investor (The Undecided Evaluator): This person shows mixed signals.

On the one hand, he rubs his chin, a classic gesture of evaluation and decision making.

However, he is not leaning forward like the Alpha Investor, but maintains a neutral posture.

In addition, his hand that is not on his chin drums impatiently on the table.

He is evaluating your proposal, but he is also impatient or hesitant. He is not against it (like Beta), but he is not convinced either (like Alpha).

Strategy to Follow Your strategy must adapt:

Toward Alpha: Maintain eye contact with him to reinforce your support. He is your ally in the room.

Toward Beta: You must address his resistance. Knowing that he is on the defensive, you should not push him.

Instead, you should pause and address him with an open-ended question to bring his objection to light, such as, "I see you are evaluating this critically, what concerns or issues would you like us to clarify?"

Toward Gam