Audiences Hold the Negotiator Accountable Audiences maintain control over negotiators by holding them accountable for their performance and by administering rewards or punishments based on that performance. This accountability occurs under two dominant conditions: (1) when a negotiator’s performance is visible to the audience so that the audience is able to judge how well the negotiator performs and (2) when the audience is dependent on the negotiator for its outcomes. An audience that that is dependent on a negotiator’s performance for its outcomes will generally insist that he or she be tough, firm, demanding, and unyielding in the struggle to obtain the best possible outcome for the audience. Failure to perform in this manner in the eyes of the audience may lead to public criticism of the negotiator, with the expectation that this criticism will embarrass him or her into performing in ways that guarantee a larger payoff for the audience. This was nicely demonstrated in a study reported by Breaugh and Klimoski (1977). Some agents had been members of a group that developed a negotiating position, while other agents were “outsiders” who had not helped to develop the position. After negotiations concluded, the agents had to go back and “sell” the negotiated agreement to their constituents (back-table negotiations). Agents who had team members had a far more difficult time selling the agreement than the outsiders because of their earlier participation in developing the group’s position.