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Title: Getting to Yes - Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

By: Roger Fisher, William Ury

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    1. Separate the people from the problem. “Exploring each side’s perceptions openly and avoiding the tendency to blame are key negotiation skills.”
    1. Focus on interests, not positions. … “ identifying what interests are motivating the other party, and sharing your own interests, can open up opportunities to explore tradeoffs across issues and increase your odds of getting to yes.”
  1. Learn to manage emotions.” When you know that you will have your turn to express how you’re feeling, it will be easier for you to listen when your counterpart has his turn.”

  2. Express appreciation. “ … importance of expressing appreciation as a means of breaking through impasse. … and communicating understanding through words and actions—all critical negotiation skills.”

  3. Put a positive spin on your message. “…Communicating in a positive way is a much more effective means of getting to yes than blaming and criticizing….”

  4. Escape the cycle of action and reaction. …” a negotiation skill called negotiation jujitsu, which involves avoiding escalation by refusing to react. …. to channel our resistance into more productive negotiation strategies, such as “exploring interests, inventing options for mutual gain, and searching for independent standards.”