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Asking Open-Ended Questions Increases Personal Gains in Negotiations

A vast wisdom literature espouses the power of asking open-ended questions during negotiations. But is this advice effective? We analyzed 61,057 speech turns from transcripts of 309 dyadic interactions using Natural Language Processing. Open-ended questions were uncommon, occurring only in 8% of all negotiators’ speech turns. Yet, we found robust positive linear relationship between asking open-ended questions and personal gains in the negotiation. In contrast, asking closed-ended questions and making non-question statements did not significantly impact personal gains. Open-ended questions solicited next-turn responses that were twice as long as those from closed-ended questions or statements, providing an informational edge. Providing experimental evidence, participants instructed to ask open-ended questions in live chat negotiations achieved significantly higher personal gains than those who did not (Study 2). These findings substantiate assertions that negotiators focus excessively on influencing at the expense of learning.

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