Getting to Yes
Roger Fisher & William Ury · 1981
"Negotiation goes better when you separate the people from the problem and argue over underlying interests instead of fixed positions."
Two Harvard negotiators noticed the same failure in labor talks, divorces, and hostage crises alike: both sides dig into positions and the deal dies. Their fix, published in 1981, became the negotiation standard.
Fisher and Ury's method rests on four moves. Separate the people from the problem — attack the issue, not the person, so ego and defensiveness don't derail substance. Focus on interests, not positions — 'I want the window shut' is a position; 'I'm cold' is the interest underneath it, and interests have more workable solutions than positions do. Invent options for mutual gain before deciding — brainstorm broadly before narrowing, so you don't settle for the first workable split. Insist on objective criteria — market value, precedent, expert judgment — so the outcome is argued on fairness, not on who has more leverage in the room that day.
According to Getting to Yes, why does focusing on 'interests' instead of 'positions' open up more possible solutions?
Read more about the topic
The explanation above is written with AI assistance. These are the originals — go to them to check it.
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving InPenguin Books
Never Split the Difference
"The FBI's top hostage negotiator argues that logic loses to emotion in real negotiations — so the job is to hear and label the other side's feelings before you ever propose a number."