GETTING TO YES by Roger Fisher & William Ury

PAPERBACK

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury (with Bruce Patton joining in later editions) is a groundbreaking book on negotiation strategy developed through the Harvard Negotiation Project. It introduces the concept of principled negotiation, a method designed to produce fair, mutually beneficial outcomes without resorting to adversarial tactics.

Description

The book outlines four key principles:

1. Separate the people from the problem – Address issues without damaging relationships.
2. Focus on interests, not positions – Understand the underlying needs behind stated demands.
3. Invent options for mutual gain – Collaborate to find creative solutions.
4. Insist on using objective criteria – Base decisions on fair standards, not pressure or power.

It also introduces the concept of BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement), empowering negotiators to walk away from bad deals with confidence.