...significant than the technical specifications and price. The first stage of a negotiation, nontask sounding, includes all those activities that might be described...information related to the "business" of the meeting. A fundamental difference between American culture and those who rely more heavily on personal relationships...

...Sano (1986, 1989) call "non-task sounding." The phase involves all those initial activities that may be described as establishing a rapport or getting to know one another socially, often in an informal manner. Pre-negotiation does not include information related to the...