Your client won’t reach an agreement with the other party until there is at least some level of trust that the deal will actually happen. That trust grows from perceptions of the other party and those perceptions can come from engagement in small talk prior to negotiations, according to a study discussed in Science Daily.

Researchers in the U.S. and Germany looked at how small talk prior to a negotiation affected perceptions and outcomes. They concluded that small talk is a tool that helps build social capital and increases the likelihood of beneficial gains from negotiation, especially when men are the negotiators (because of expected gender behaviors and stereotypes) in situations where small talk is not expected.

Small Talk Can Aid in Negotiations

• Because women are expected to be more communicative, they’re expected to make small talk and earn no extra social capital for engaging in “chit chat” before a negotiation.
• The same behavior is unexpected from men and they are given a more positive perception and more favorable final offers.
• The benefits to men who use small talk are greater in negotiation situations where there is more ambiguity and where small talk is not normally expected.
• If expectations are clearly defined (including expectations of small talk), men and women who small talk are seen more favorably. But this normally results in better deals for men, not women.

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