Talking about negotiating a deal

This lesson plan introduces essential vocabulary and practical phrases for negotiating a deal in the workplace or everyday scenarios. Designed for beginner to intermediate learners, it focuses on simple, widely applicable terms like “offer,” “counteroffer,” and “discount,” alongside polite and versatile phrases for making offers, responding, and closing deals.

Through engaging activities like role-plays, visual aids, and a “Negotiation Market” game, learners will connect vocabulary to real-world contexts, such as buying products, renting, or business agreements. The lesson emphasizes clear pronunciation, polite grammar, and cultural sensitivity to accommodate diverse negotiation practices across cultures.

By the end, learners will confidently use key terms and phrases to negotiate effectively, make fair offers, and reach agreements in professional and personal settings.

Basic vocabulary

Start with essential words related to negotiating a deal. These should be simple, commonly used terms that learners can easily apply.

Vocabulary list

• Deal: An agreement or arrangement, often about price or terms.
• Negotiation: The process of discussing to reach an agreement.
• Price: The cost of an item or service (e.g., $100).
• Offer: A proposed price or condition (e.g., “I offer $80”).
• Counteroffer: A response with a different price or terms.
• Discount: A reduction in price (e.g., 10% off).
• Agreement: When both parties accept the terms.
• Budget: The amount of money available to spend.
• Terms: Conditions of the deal (e.g., payment schedule).
• Fair: Reasonable or acceptable (e.g., a fair price).
• Bargain: A good deal or low price.
• Final price: The last price offered, with no further negotiation.
• Quality: The standard or value of an item (e.g., high quality).
• Payment: How money is paid (e.g., cash, credit card).
• Deadline: The time by which a deal must be completed.

Vocabulary for extension

• Concession: Something given up to reach an agreement (e.g., lowering the price).
• Profit: The money earned from a deal (e.g., a good profit).
• Haggle: To negotiate or bargain persistently over price.
• Invoice: A document listing the items and price for payment.
• Warranty: A guarantee that a product works for a certain time.
• Installment: Paying in smaller amounts over time (e.g., monthly installments).
• Compromise: An agreement where both sides give up something.
• Retail: The original or standard price (e.g., retail price).
• Bulk: Buying a large quantity (e.g., bulk purchase for a discount).
• Flexibility: Willingness to adjust terms (e.g., being flexible on price).

Teaching tip

• Use visuals like a marketplace scene or a business contract to connect vocabulary to real contexts.
• Practice pronunciation of terms like “negotiation” (ne-go-shee-AY-shun) or “counteroffer” (COUN-ter-OFF-er).
• Create flashcards with words on one side and definitions or examples on the other for quick recall.

Useful phrases

Teach simple sentence structures for negotiating a deal. These phrases should be polite, versatile, and easy to adapt for different situations.

Key phrases

1. Making an offer
   • “Can you lower the price to [amount]?”
   • “I can offer [amount] for this.”
   • “Is [amount] okay for you?”
   • “How about [amount] instead?”
2. Responding to an offer
   • “That’s too low. Can you offer more?”
   • “I can accept [amount] if [condition].”
   • “How about a counteroffer of [amount]?”
   • “That’s a fair offer, but I need [condition].”
3. Asking for discounts or terms
   • “Is there a discount available?”
   • “Can you include [extra item/service]?”
   • “What are the payment terms?”
   • “Can we split the cost?”
4. Closing or declining a deal
   • “Okay, we have a deal!”
   • “That’s my final offer.”
   • “I’m sorry, it’s out of my budget.”
   • “Let’s agree on [amount/terms].”
5. Asking questions
   • “What’s your best price?”
   • “Is this the final price?”
   • “Can you make it quick by [deadline]?”
   • “What’s included in the deal?”

Teaching tips

• Write phrases on a board or handout and model their use (e.g., “Can you lower the price to $50? It’s a fair offer.”).
• Have learners substitute their own amounts or items into the phrases for practice.
• Emphasize polite intonation to make negotiations sound friendly and professional.
• Also see: Using “if” clauses in English and Conditionals in English

Example conversations

Provide short, realistic dialogues to model how to negotiate a deal. These examples progress from basic to more detailed, covering different scenarios like buying an item, renting, or business deals.

Conversation 1: Basic exchange (Buying a used phone)

Anna: Hi, how much is this phone?
Tom: It’s $150.
Anna: Can you lower the price to $120?
Tom: That’s a bit low. How about $140?
Anna: Okay, $130 is my final offer.
Tom: Deal! $130 it is.

Conversation 2: Adding details (Renting an apartment)

Sara: Hello, is this apartment still available? What’s the rent?
Juan: Yes, it’s $800 per month.
Sara: That’s a bit high. Can you do $750?
Juan: I can’t go that low. How about $780 with free parking?
Sara: Sounds good, but can we sign the lease by next week?
Juan: Yes, that works. Let’s agree on $780.

Conversation 3: More advanced (Business deal)

Mark: Hi, Lisa, I’d like to buy 50 units of your product. What’s the price?
Lisa: It’s $20 per unit, so $1,000 total.
Mark: Can you offer a discount for bulk orders?
Lisa: Sure, I can do $18 per unit, so $900.
Mark: That’s fair, but can you deliver by next month?
Lisa: Yes, we can meet that deadline. Okay, we have a deal at $900!

Teaching tips

• Role-play these dialogues with the learner, switching roles to practice both making and responding to offers.
• Encourage learners to adapt the dialogues using their own scenarios (e.g., buying a car, negotiating a salary).
• In group settings, pair students to practice, prompting them to ask follow-up questions or propose counteroffers.

Teaching strategy

Here’s a step-by-step lesson plan to teach this topic effectively (approximately 45 minutes):

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “Have you ever tried to get a lower price for something? What happened?” to spark interest.
• Show a short video clip or image of a market or business meeting to introduce the concept of negotiation.

Step 2: Vocabulary introduction (10 minutes)

• Present the vocabulary list using visuals or a slideshow of negotiation scenarios (e.g., a marketplace or contract).
• Practice pronunciation, especially for terms like “bargain” or “agreement.”
• Play a quick game: Say a word (e.g., “offer”), and learners use it in a sentence or explain its meaning.

Step 3: Phrase practice (10 minutes)

• Display key phrases and model them with your own example (e.g., “Can you lower the price to $20? It’s my final offer.”).
• Have learners practice by filling in the blanks (e.g., “I can offer ____ for this.”).
• Correct pronunciation and grammar gently, emphasizing polite tone.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read one example conversation aloud, emphasizing natural flow and polite intonation.
• Pair learners (or role-play with them) to practice the dialogues, encouraging personalization.
• Ask learners to create their own short dialogue based on a specific scenario (e.g., buying a laptop or negotiating a service fee).

Step 5: Wrap-up and personalization (5 minutes)

• Have each learner share one or two sentences about a negotiation (e.g., “I offered $50 for a bag, and we agreed.”).
• Provide feedback on their use of vocabulary and phrases.
• Assign homework: Write 3-5 sentences about a real or imagined negotiation or practice a dialogue with a friend.

Additional tips

• Cultural sensitivity: Be aware that negotiation customs vary by culture (e.g., haggling is common in some markets but not in others). Discuss when and where negotiation is appropriate.
• Visual aids: Use images of markets, online listings, or contracts to make the lesson engaging.
• Listening practice: Play a short audio or video clip (e.g., from YouTube or ESL resources) of a negotiation to expose learners to different accents and styles.
• Adapt for level: For beginners, focus on simple phrases (e.g., “Can you lower the price?”). For intermediate learners, encourage more details (e.g., “I can offer $100 if you include free shipping.”).
• Incorporate technology: If teaching online, share a screen with a mock listing (e.g., a used car ad) or use a virtual whiteboard to write phrases.

Common mistakes to address

• Grammar: Learners may say “I offer $50” instead of “I can offer $50.” Emphasize “can” for politeness.
• Pronunciation: Terms like “negotiation” or “discount” may be mispronounced. Practice these explicitly.
• Politeness: Some learners may sound too direct (e.g., “Lower the price!”). Teach polite forms like “Could you lower the price, please?”

Example activity: “Negotiation market”

For group classes, try this interactive activity:

• Set up a mock market where each learner has an item to sell (e.g., a phone, a chair) with a starting price.
• Learners take turns being buyers and sellers, using phrases to negotiate (e.g., “What’s your best price?” or “I can offer $30.”).
• Alternatively, create a “Find Someone Who” game (e.g., “Find someone who got a discount in a negotiation”).

Homework or follow-Up

• Writing: Write a short paragraph (5 sentences) about a real or imagined negotiation (e.g., buying a car or renting a room).
• Speaking: Record a 30-second audio or video describing a negotiation, including an offer and counteroffer.
• Research: Look up a local market or online platform (e.g., Craigslist) and write down three negotiation phrases you could use.

Teacher’s Toolkit

• Classroom Tech: Webcams (Logitech C920), ring lights, noise-canceling headsets.
• Stationery: Post-it notes, dry-erase markers (Expo), and portable whiteboards.Reference books: English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy or Oxford Word Skills.