Progress for Peace Book Review: Getting to Yes
- Cindy Williams
- Aug 30, 2023
- 2 min read
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Penguin, 3rd edition, 2011), Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton
This ground breaking book was the result of the work from the Harvard Negotiation Project. It is a must read for anyone, especially those who want to improve their negotiation skills. The audiobook is six hours and definitely worth your time.
Why You Should Read this Book:
I guarantee you will become a better negotiator after reading this book. I have read Getting to Yes multiple times and still gain insight. The book outlines the process of principled negotiation as an alternative to positional negotiation by four key elements: “1) PEOPLE, separate the people from the problem; 2) INTEREST, focus on interest, not positions; 3) OPTIONS, invent multiple options looking for mutual gains before deciding what to do; 4) CRITERIA, insist that the result is based on some objective standard.”
What is the Most Useful Tool to Learn:
Separating the people from the problem is the most powerful tool, because once accomplished, you can more easily dig into the interests - yours and theirs. This is essential to principled negotiations and successful agreements. After thoroughly discussing each element, the authors bring it all together in a scenario, which provides a clear example of how to effectively utilize principled negotiation.
How this Book will Improve Your Communication, Peace Building, or Conflict Resolution Skills:
After reading this book, you will appreciate principled negotiation, navigate through the four elements, and negotiate with more powerful people. My favorite advice from the authors is “understanding is not agreeing.” If only we could keep that in mind when communicating with our loved ones, co-workers, and high stakes negotiators. As the authors would say “be hard on the problem and soft on the people.”
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