Canonical · Negotiation & Persuasion · Book

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."

The idea

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.

Why it works

The takeaway — recall it first

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."

Chris Voss · BookContinue→