Which practice most improves trust during collaborative negotiation?

• A. Active listening
• B. Active listening and reflective responses
• C. Interrupting to assert positions
• D. Focusing solely on your own goals

Answer: (B)

Trust in collaborative negotiation grows when you listen attentively and then reflect back what you’ve heard. Active listening ensures you give full attention, acknowledge the other person, and avoid rushing to judgment. Pairing that with reflective responses—paraphrasing key points, naming the underlying interests, and validating emotions—shows you truly understand the speaker’s perspective and value their concerns. This combination signals respect, reduces miscommunication, and invites continued dialogue, creating a safer, more cooperative environment and stronger trust.

Interrupting to assert positions breaks the sense of safety and communicates that you’re more concerned with winning than understanding, which undermines trust. Focusing solely on your own goals ignores the mutual gains that trust relies on and makes the negotiation feel transactional.