ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview and a discussion on elements, negotiation application, and limitations of summarising and ratification. Summarising and ratification are key activities that support the closure of a negotiation and both are often overlooked. Whilst consensus-building is at the heart of collaborative negotiation, it is less so with competitive negotiation. Distrust and conflict often lie at the heart of negotiations and in order to reach a successful outcome these must be overcome. If one party continues to summarise the position repetitively, without any progress in the negotiation or movement from either party, then this can undermine the integrity of the discussion and can raise questions as to the willingness of that party to progress discussions. Negotiation application is acknowledges a concession, compromise or movement from the other party and confirms shared understanding of individual discussion points.
