An old-fashioned tactic
- Carolina Kindelan
- Apr 21, 2021
- 2 min read
What the President of the European Commission experienced today was a tactic that in negotiation we call "Altering the Physical Space". This tactic has been used for years by people, mainly "buyers" who seek to generate pressure on the "seller" by making them feel small and insignificant by seating them in lower chairs, making them wait in very hot rooms, or as is the case today with Erdogan, leaving them standing, without a chair.
There is nothing new in such a crude tactic whose aim is to generate power. What is new is that it is the Turkish president who is doing it to Europe. This gesture has been as well thought out and planned as the moment when Putin received Angela Merkel at his summer residence in 2007 accompanied by huge dogs. Merkel is terrified of dogs.
What is clear is that tactics when unexpected have their effect: to throw the victim off balance and leave them so perplexed that they are unable to think clearly and act accordingly. I'm sure we can all think now, what we would have done in that situation. Von der Leyen must still be thinking, "I must have done this or I must have said that". But on the very moment she was relegated to that small sofa on the side, she did not react appropriately and demand a chair for herself.
I always say that perceived power is more important than real power. That's why Von der Leyen must have demanded equal treatment. It does you no good to be the most powerful at the meeting if you sit on the back burner. Choose where you want to sit!
A picture is worth a thousand words and today Erdogan has managed to influence the perception of his balance of power in the eyes of his people and even the whole world. My question today is not whether he would do this to a man, I already know the answer. My question is, if a man would let it happen.
My recommendation when faced with this or any other tactic you may be subjected to, is:
1) Stop. Breathe. And take control.
2) Think clearly in the face of conflict by minimizing the emotions.
3) Choose your reaction based on what is strategically appropriate at the time rather than being driven by your education or your personality.
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