Getting a Grip on Emotions in Negotiations: The Possibilities of ICT

Negotiation is a daily occurring process at all levels of society. Emotion plays an important role in negotiation between humans. In this paper we discuss to what extent and in which form ICT techniques can be used to get a grip on the emotional processes that play a role during negotiations. We focus on emotion recognition and measurement. Our analysis shows that current emotion recognition & measurement technology is mainly usable in the preparation for negotiations (including training sessions) and during offline moments of the negotiation (e.g., time-outs). The main arguments for this conclusion are: (1) valid and reliable emotion recognition and measurement techniques are usually invasive, and, (2) it is unclear if participants in a negotiation accept the technology.