Watch Your Tone... Relational Paralinguistic Messages in Negotiation : The Case of the East and West

The current study responds to recent calls by researchers to study the relational element in negotiations by examining how East Asian and North American negotiators convey relational cues using vocal paralanguage. Drawing upon the Involvement-Affective Model of relational messages, we posit vocal cues in negotiation connoting level of involvement (passive- active) and affect (positive-negative). Since cultural norms influence emotional expression, we also predict distinct patterns of vocal paralanguage accompanying relational status in the East versus the West. Our findings confirm that Canadian negotiators communicate positive perception of counterpart and active involvement in negotiation via faster speech rate and expressiveness in voice. Chinese negotiators exhibit self-control by remaining calm and suppressing emotion in vocal tone. Furthermore, warmth in voice predicts satisfaction with relationship in negotiation, especially when a negotiator is not actively involved. Theoretical and practical implications for cross-cultural negotiation and communication are discussed