In the context of negotiations, the opponents commonly have contradictory views and might have high competition over the same resources. The ethical side of negotiations might be impeded by the desire to achieve one’s goal by any means. Therefore, the issue of trust is of great importance when establishing relationships with negotiators. It is especially true for the communicators who are unacquainted and do not have any substantial basis for trust. When articulating the responsibilities and terms of cooperation, the negotiating parties must have a certain level of confidence that the other party is reliable and trustworthy. This knowledge is a cornerstone of effective communication for the achievement of agreement. To build rapport with the negotiating party, it is important to exhibit trust. It is possible to do so by explicitly articulating one’s principles and vision of trusting conduct at the beginning of negotiations.
This will set a benchmark for the other party to comply with and to adhere to the set rules during the bargaining process. Also, to ensure when to trust the other party, one might choose trustworthy counterparts for negotiations when it is possible. Conducting mere research about a company or an individual with whom one plans to negotiate, as well as using networks to identify the most trustworthy parties might facilitate the level of trust and ultimately affect the outcomes. When trying to build trust with the opponent, one might exercise the utilization of a wider range of communicational channels, concentrating on those that provide the richest communication opportunities. From this perspective, arranging a personal face-to-face meeting instead of an online or telephone conference would be a contribution to a more trusting negotiation session. Thus, it is vital to enhance trust to achieve the best results n negotiations.