Getting to Yes: How to Negotiate Agreement Without Giving In
Roger Fisher | 2003-01-01 00:00:00 | Simon & Schuster Audio | 0 | Negotiating
Getting to Yes is a straightorward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting taken -- and without getting angry.
It offers a concise, step-by-step, proven strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict -- whether it involves parents and children, neighbors, bosses and employees, customers or corporations, tenants or diplomats. Based on the work of Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deal continually with all levels of negotiations and conflict resolutions from domestic to business to international, Getting to Yes tells you how to:
We're constantly negotiating in our lives, whether it's convincing the kids to do their homework or settling million-dollar lawsuits. For those who need help winning these battles, Roger Fisher has developed a simple and straightforward five-step system for how to behave in negotiations. Narrated soothingly by NPR announcer Bob Edwards, Fisher adds the meaty portions of the material with a sense of playfulness. The blend of voices makes this tape easy to listen to, especially the real-life negotiating scenarios, in which negotiating examples are given. This is a must-have tape for every businessperson's car. (Running time: one hour, one cassette) --Sharon Griggins
Reviews
Separate the People from the Problem:
Negotiators are people first. A working relationship where trust, respect and friendship are built up over time can make each new negotiation smoother and more efficient. People have egos that are easily threatened. They see the world from their own personal vantage point. Routinely, they fail to interpret what you say in the way you mean. The book says to focus on three basic categories: perception, emotion and communication. People problems fall into one of these three buckets. Getting to Yes shows you how to put yourself in someone else shoes to reduce the conflict. It also demonstrates how to deal with someone who blames your side for not delivering or who goes off the handle. The principles teach you how to turn someone from finger pointing to working with you on the problem.
Focus on Interests - Not Positions:
Positional bargaining is one of the most common mistakes people make in negotiating. A position is a stance on an issue - for example "I won't take less than $3,000 for my used car". When negotiators bargain over positions, they tend to lock themselves into those positions. The more you try to convince the other side of the impossibility of changing your opening position, the more difficult it becomes to do so. Your ego becomes identified with your position and now you have a new interest "saving face". It's much better to focus on the person's interests, which are their desires behind the position. Getting to Yes goes into great detail on how to use interests to create the best agreement for all parties.
Invent Options for Mutual Gains
This was the most fascinating part of the book. I have tried this on numerous occasions and was amazed at the result. It teaches you how to split the pie so that all parties are happy. Instead of negotiating on an "either/or" basis, Getting to Yes shows you how to create multiple options for mutual gains. People often stumble in negotiations because they are looking for a single answer and are focused on a fixed pie. What happens when you expand on that pie and consider other options? Most people don't do this because they see their job as narrowing the gap between positions, not broadening the options available. The book says they tend to think "We're having a hard enough time agreeing as it is. The last thing we need is a bunch of different ideas." The book shows you how to create multiple options. It's a lot easier than it sounds and people are impressed with this type of forward thinking.
Getting to Yes was written 30 years ago and is still relevant today. I have implemented this approach in high level negotiations as well as smaller, more routine things. It has strengthened my business relationships and taken the pain out of negotiating. I would highly recommend this book.
Also, for those who are looking to achieve a goal, I would recommend "Goal your 30 Day Game Plan for Business & Career Success." Goal!: Your 30-Day Game Plan for Business and Career Success I used this book to increase my sales performance - it's recommended by the CEO's of Clorox & Office Depot. The book was easy to use and I reached my goal.
Reviews
THE BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY GREAT
BUT AMAZON NEEDS TO BE AWARE THAT KINDLE CUSTOMERS ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT!!! FOR SOME BOOKS IS CHEAPER TO BUY A PAPERBACK COPY THAN THE DIGITAL COPY. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!
Reviews
Getting to Yes has been around for many years and I always assumed it was some kind of slick how-to-sell-stuff book. It's not. Instead, it breaks down the process of negotiation in a way that is both sensible and consistent with important social and personal values. The book makes explicit the importance of preserving/improving relationships, while also making clear that principles matter. The book highlights the false dichotomy of either stubbornly holding to a position or capitulating about something dearly held without a good, principled reason for doing so. The book makes accessible a process that seems particularly critical in a society growing more polarized, less civil, and increasingly interested in volume at the expense of reason and cooperation. Nothing described in the book is magic but it is all immediately applicable to your next negotiation, big or small, and it is all stuff you can begin doing unilaterally.
Reviews
The book is 2x more expensive in digital form than in book version?
Ridiculous!
Reviews
I recently finished reading the book `Getting to Yes' by Roger Fisher and William Ury. The book expanded on the concepts I was taught in the eCornell Project Leadership Certificate Conflict Resolution class.
I learned how to separate the people from the problem, focus on interests instead of positions, invent options for mutual gain and insist on using objective criteria to arrive at a fair agreement. Additionally, the book focused on techniques for responding to attacks by using "negotiation jujitsu" instead of responding in kind.
I got a lot of value out of this book because it provided me with a method to rely upon when I am nervous or scared before and during a negotiation.
My biggest Eureka! moment in the eCornell class was realizing that by concentrating on interests instead of positions, I could free both sides of the table to craft an agreement that would satisfy both sides without necessarily needing concessions by either side.
I liked learning about "negotiation jujitsu" techniques when I read the book, because I feel frustrated and nervous when negotiations turn into personal attacks. Learning a method for handling personal attacks will help me be a more effective negotiator in the future.
I would recommend this book for potential students and alumni of the eCornell Project Leadership Certificate classes.
Download this book!
Free Ebooks Download