【中英双语】想做谈判高手，先读懂别人的微表情
The Secret to Negotiating Is Reading People’s Faces
by Kasia Wezowski
Although most of us like to think of ourselves as rational decision makers, ample research shows that emotions play an outsized role in negotiations. If you can’t read what your counterpart is feeling and instead focus only on what he or she is saying, you're highly unlikely to achieve everything you could have.
我们大多数人都以为，自己是理性的决策者，但研究证据却充分表明，情绪在谈判中所起到的作用大大超乎人们所想。倘若你把全副精力都放在对方说的话上，而没有留意对方的感受，你很可能会竹篮打水一场空。
Of course, experienced negotiators know how to mask their true feelings. They choose their words, tone, body language, and expressions carefully. To the average observer, they often appear neutral, impassive. Or they’re able to convincingly fake an emotion if they think it will help them advance their own interests.
当然，经验丰富的谈判者懂得如何掩盖其真实感受。他们小心挑选措辞、语气、肢体语言和表达方式。在旁观者看来，这类谈判者通常喜怒不形于色。或者说，他们很会伪装自己的情绪，只要觉得这么做有利可图。
However, there is a way to read what your counterpart is feeling even if they are deliberately trying to hide it from you. The secret is to pay attention to the spontaneous and involuntary microexpressions that rapidly flit across everyone’s faces at times of intense emotion. If you know what to look for, they can provide an instant, honest window into how your counterpart is feeling.
不过，就算对方蓄意隐藏，你也有办法读懂其感受。秘诀就在于，要特别关注对方无意间流露的微表情——人们情绪激烈时，脸上常会有这类表情一闪而过。如果你留心察看，它们就提供了一扇窗口，能让你当下诚实地看清谈判对手的感受。
Here are some examples of common microexpressions (as depicted by Patryk Wezowski — my husband and business partner — and me):
以下是一些常见微表情的例子（由我和我的丈夫兼商业伙伴帕特里克·维泽维斯基呈现）
Photos courtesy of the Center For Body Language.
As you can see, it's quite easy to recognize the meaning behind the expression on a still photo. In a real-life situation, however, when the stakes are high and the microexpression lasts for as little as one 25th of a second, it's a different game entirely.
要识别一张静态图片上的表情含义很容易。但在现实生活中，当事关利害，微表情又只持续短短25分之一秒时，情形就完全不一样了。
In my work as a body language researcher and instructor, I've long theorized that one of the key differences between exceptional negotiators or salespeople and those who are merely average is the ability to read these microexpressions, gauge visceral reactions to ideas or proposals, then strategically steer them toward a preferred outcome.
长期以来，作为一名肢体语言研究者兼教练，我得出的推论是——卓越的谈判者、推销员与平庸的相比，关键区别之一就在于能否读懂这些微表情，探测对某个想法或提议的本能反应，然后有策略地导向希望的结果。
To test this idea, we conducted two experiments using videos like this one, which gauge users' ability to recognize these expressions.
为了验证这个观点，我们用视频材料做了两项实验，那些视频就像这个一样，可以检测被试的微表情识别能力。
In the first study, we compared the video test scores of salespeople from the Karnak Stationery Company with their performance and found that those with above average scores noticeably outsold their colleagues. The second experiment involved salespeople from a BMW showroom in Rome, Italy. We found that high performers (who had sold more than 60 automobiles in the most recent quarter) scored almost twice as high on the test as low performers. Our conclusion: Effective negotiators seem to be naturally good readers of microexpressions.
文具公司Karnak Stationery Company的销售员参与了第一项研究，我们在对比每个人的视频测试得分与工作业绩后发现，那些分数较高的人，在公司的销售业绩也明显更出色。我们第二项实验的参与者则是意大利罗马的一家宝马汽车展厅销售员。我们发现，业绩好的销售（最近一个季度卖出60多辆车），其测试得分几乎是业绩差的同事的两倍。我们由此得出：谈判高手似乎天生都擅长解读微表情。
The good news is this isn’t an ability you either have or you don’t. You can learn it, and get better at it over time, with practices tests and in real-life negotiations by following some simple rules:
不过，好在这并非一种可遇不可求的“超能力”。遵循以下几条简单的规则，你也能学会读懂微表情，还能通过一段时间的尝试和谈判实操后，更得心应手地应用它。
Focus on the face. The next time you ask an important question in a negotiation, focus on your counterpart’s face for at least four seconds, instead of just listening to the words coming out of his or her mouth.
重点观察对方的脸色
下次你在谈判中提出一个重要问题的时候，请不要只顾着注意听对方说了什么话，而要把注意力集中在对方的脸上，至少观察4秒钟。
Tell a story. Negotiators have an easier time controlling their expressions when they’re talking. So don’t ask too many open questions. Instead describe what you want or share an anecdote about another negotiating partner who shared concerns similar to theirs and watch how they respond as they listen. Their guard will lower a little and you’ll be able to see their honest reactions to what you’re saying — knowledge to guide the rest of the conversation.
适时讲故事
在侃侃而谈时，谈判者比较容易控制自己的表情。所以不要问太多开放式问题，而要描述你的愿景，或者讲点和对方有类似担忧的另一个谈判对手的轶事，观察对方在听你讲述时作何反应。这样做会让对手卸下一些心防，从而可以看出他们对你所说的有什么真实反应，以了解接下来该怎样引导谈话。
Present multiple options. As you present a list of choices to negotiating partners, their microexpressions will reveal which they like and which they don’t, sometimes even before they’re consciously aware of their preferences. Watch closely to see what their face tells you about each option.
给对方提供多种选项
当你向谈判对手列出多种备选方案时，微表情会暴露他们喜欢哪种，讨厌哪种。有时，甚至连他们自己都还没有意识到之前，就给出了线索。密切观察对方的脸色，可使你看出其选好喜恶。
Here’s how it might work in practice:
Imagine you’re a consultant who has proposed a certain fee for your services: “Based on your requirements, we can propose $100,000 as the consultancy fee for this project.” If you see your potential client show the microexpression of disgust, you can calibrate accordingly and lower your price without skipping a beat: “But because we anticipate a longer term collaboration and are excited about the direction your business is heading in, we can offer you 25% discount.”
接下来就让我们看看，如何把它应用在实践中：
假设你是一名咨询顾问，你刚给出自己的服务报价：“基于贵方的需求，我们对这个项目要收取10万美元的咨询费。”如果你看出潜在客户显露不快的微表情，就可以紧跟着做出相应的调整，降低报价：“但是，由于我们期待与您长期合作，看好贵方业务未来的发展方向，我们可以给您打个七五折。”
What if you instead recognized an expression of happiness or contempt after the initial offer? Maybe your counterpart expected a higher price, or doubts that you’re offering the premium level of service. You could quickly adjust your price in the opposite direction: “That’s the basic fee which covers X and Y. For your project I also recommend our entire suite of services including A, B and C, which means the total price would be closer to $150,000.”
但是，你提出最初报价后发现，对方露出了开心的或是轻视的表情，那该怎么办？也许对方原本预期的是一个更高的报价，或者在怀疑你无法提供顶级服务。你可以迅速给价格来个逆向调整：“这只是包括了X与Y的基本收费。对于您的项目，我还建议选择包括A、B和C的全套服务，也就是说全包价，那要接近15万美元。”
Attention to microexpressions allows you to secretly respond to the feedback your negotiating partners don’t even realize they’re giving, ensuring that you stay in control of the dialogue and achieve better outcomes.
悉心留意微表情，可以使你在与谈判对手的交锋中先人一步，不动声色地掌控对话，取得更有利的谈判成果。
卡莎·维泽维斯基是肢体语言培训机构the Centerfor Body Language的创始人，著有四本相关书籍，同时也是反映执教经历的纪录片《Leap》的制片人兼导演。
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