This study argues thatinformation structure managementis an important and problematic part of the competence sought by nonnative speakers, particularly for goal‐related discourse types where clarity and argumentative power play a role. Asnegotiationactivity is an important case in point, simulated negotiation material is used to show how certain non‐native structures hamper the process. Non‐natives find difficulties in condensing given information and in grounding it with the building of anaphoric relations, the placing of focus and the establishing of more global links. Conversely, natives use these categories to achieve control over the emergent negotiation pr