Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Getting to Yes is one of those rare business books that manages to be both practical and genuinely easy to read. I picked it up hoping for guidance on professional negotiation, but I quickly realized its lessons extend well beyond the boardroom. The principles, focusing on interests rather than positions, separating people from the problem, and striving for win-win solutions, apply just as naturally to everyday life, from family discussions to planning group projects. What makes it stand out is the clarity of the writing. Complex concepts are broken down into digestible examples without feeling oversimplified. Each chapter offers actionable strategies, yet it never feels like a dense textbook. The authors’ approach encourages thoughtful problem-solving rather than pushing hard bargaining tactics, which makes the advice feel both ethical and practical. Overall, it’s one of those books you keep within reach, not just for work but for navigating daily interactions more smoothly. Definitely worth picking up!!!

I had to read this book (along with Getting Past No) for my mediation class/certification (side note: mediation is NOT negotiation, but the two overlap in many areas). I absolutely hate reading so I bought the paperback and also the Audible version. I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did! I will reread and commit to memory the notes I took from this book--it is truly that helpful and educational! Pros: It definitely opened my eyes and made me see how/where/when I make errors when negotiating--even in my everyday life. It is an easy read and I got through the book within 4-5 hours on 1.3x speed on Audible. I feel like I highlighted something on every page...there is a ton of useful information! Not only do the authors define a certain topic/term, give examples, and identify where and when it may apply, but they also give solutions or how to counteract these actions (especially in Chapter 8 "What If They Use Dirty Tricks?"). As I read through/listened to the book, I thought about so many applicable situations in the past and present. Cons: Lots of examples were political/governmental/war-related. I think the examples are relevant because they show how even people in power (i.e., Presidents, etc) can mess up a negotiation because of xyz, but I kinda wanted to zone out during those examples. Just not my thing.

Getting to Yes started a revolution in negotiation, both by stressing principled negotiation and in making the material accessible to a very wide audience. It is still a good read, is still taught in universities and continuing education, and is an excellent starting point for people who are new to negotiation but intend a deep study because of its historical significance and its content. However, having taught Getting to Yes and having used principled bargaining in practice, I think there are a few shortcomings that are dealt with in other books. While Fischer and Ury do make the point that principled bargaining includes sticking to your priciples and not being a pushover, it is not emphasized enough. I have even found myself being too cooperative after reviewing this text because the emphasis is on being cooperative. I think this is a partcular danger for new/lay negotiators, especially if this is the first text they're exposed to or they intend to practice these concepts in daily life. The tone of the book is just a bit too friendly. As a result, there has been a backlash (wrongly, in my opinion) against this text in some quarters. The verbal judo section at the end is excellent, giving techniques for dealing with unreasonable people that are great. I would've liked more of these very practical tips and examples to go along with them, but the book as a whole is already a lot to digest. Newer versions of GTY do add more material here. Newer texts take these problems into account. The best, in my opinion, is the follow-on by Ury, "Getting Past No." It can be read without having read "Getting to Yes," although it is very interesting as a follow-on, too. In it, Ury is clearly taking into account the criticism that GTY was too soft and he presents a more robust vision of principled bargaining.

The premise of Getting to Yes is relatively simple; in essence the traditional view of negotiation (as a game of "give and take" between parties) is largely unproductive and can shatter working relationships between parties. Under this traditional view, parties are forced to choose between hardline negotiations (where you attempt to force your desired outcome) and softline negotiation (where you make extreme concessions in order to preserve the relationship). The authors offer a new outlook (referred to as "principled negotiation") where all parties work to make objective and rational statements about their desired outcomes (including providing empirical reasoning for their desired outcome). This new approach (summarized in the Appendix) removes the oppositional/adversarial outlook of negotiation and works to find creative solutions which satisfy the needs of all parties involved. The model proposed is easy to use. The first step involves detaching personal politics from negotiation. Through making the negotiation about the issue at hand, the authors claim that relationships are more likely to be preserved regardless of the outcome of the negotiation. A major element of removing personal politics from the negotiation is to focus on personal interest rather than a hard position. Expressing personal interest in more lucid terms rather than abbreviated and absolute terms (e.g. "I would like to be able to sell the house and have a capital gain that would allow me to put 20% on house X" rather than "I would like to get $160,000 for the house") allows both parties to understand the interest at play and to work to explore mutually beneficial outcomes. In addition to expressing personal interests, the authors also insist that the terms of the negotiation be expressed in objective terms (i.e. when negotiating the house price an offer would be based off of the same quantitative/qualitative comparisons used in an appraisal). Instead of throwing out arbitrary figures in order to whittle a party up or down, each party must justify their request with some particular objective fact. As the authors conclude the book, they provide a set of "Frequently Asked Questions" that they've received since publishing the first edition of the text. Each of the questions delve into more specific detail regarding how to employ the techniques in situations where power imbalances may be at place or one party simply refuses to negotiate. Overall, the authors use the bulk of the text to compare and contrast traditional negotiation styles with their proposed "principled" negotiation technique.

Like the title says: a great read, and a good intro to the key concepts behind managing differences.

A book every one should read regardless of profession. It teaches you how to stop treating disagreements as a battle of egos and start treating them as shared problems to be solved together.

This book has been around for quite a while and is vaunted by many as THE book on negotiation. I, like many others, am unconvinced. If you have never negotiated anything in your life, this is the book for you. It's a great primer, but it's far from all-encompassing. The authors admit that it is not meant to cover everything, though. It teaches what's known as "principled negotiation," which is a non-adversarial style. It's particularly useful for business deals and personal conflicts, since it emphasizes mutual problem solving and de-emphasizes taking positions, thus allowing everyone to "win." On the other hand, anyone who has successfully negotiated even the most minor of deals (i.e. haggling), won't find this as useful. In order to be effective, you have to convince all parties to accept the premise of principled negotiation. If they don't the whole system falls apart. Furthermore, if you are in an adversarial proceeding (lawsuit, arbitration, etc.), this is fairly useless. In those proceedings, the other party either doesn't care whether you "win" or actively wants you to lose. If you come up against a manipulator, the practices in this book will prove to be more hindrance than help. I had to read this as part of a law school class. To put it mildly, other aspects of the class were far more useful than this book. Bottom Line: a good starting point. Just don't make it a stopping point.

Reviewing a book 15 years after its publication might seem a bit pointless. But that depends on the book. In this case, we're talking about a book that has near cult status in the business community. Over the past 15 years, this book has been referred to and revered in thousands--if not millions--of articles, seminars, college course, and training programs. In fact, as of the date of this review over 100 published books cite Getting to Yes. If you're in business and haven't read this book, you are operating with less than full power. But the book has value well beyond the business world. If you've ever had a disagreement end in a way that left you or the other party feeling cheated or manipulated, that ending probably came about because you were either bargaining about position or confusing the people with the problem. Either strategy guarantees at least one loser. Unfortunately, most disagreements follow one or both of these losing strategies. With discipline and practice, you can apply the knowledge in this book so that you: * Preserve relationships without giving in (go along to get along). * Can satisfy the interests of both parties. * Ensure both parties are motivated to uphold their end of the bargain. * Feel good about the agreement reached and the people who reached it. The strategies have nothing to do with tricking other people or playing games. The strategies have everything to do with respecting other people and refusing to play games. In the publishing world, "thud factor" is a major consideration. Many readers expect filler, in the form of anecdotes and stories (as if they want the author to assume they are too daft to understand assertions made directly in plain English). Getting to Yes is 200 pages long, with the last 50 pages or so being basically a review and a "Cliff Notes" of the first 150. So, you have the book followed by a summary of the book. What you don't have is 150 pages stretched to 300 pages with stories that a busy executive would rather skip. The concise writing is a huge plus to many people, but some reviewers see it as a minus. So, you may also read reviews saying that other books are "better" because they are thicker. I have two proposed solutions to that: 1. Read the first 150 pages of Getting to Yes twice. This will equal 300 pages. 2. Read the book, then practice it. Take 150 pages of notes regarding your experiences. You now have the stories and filler you wanted. The authors wrote this book not to entertain, but to educate. It gets to the point. There is no obfuscation, meandering, or distraction. That same communication style is required in a negotiation. The occasional anecdote may be helpful, but to lead a negotiation to a successful conclusion you must focus on the real issues. That is what this book does. And that's why it's a classic in the classroom and in the boardroom, and in executive suites and staterooms throughout the world. Be sure to read Getting Past No and The Power of a Positive No, as well.

Un libro interessante, chiaro e ricco di spunti pratici. Perfetto per chi desidera migliorare le proprie competenze nella vendita e nella negoziazione, sia in ambito professionale che nella vita di tutti i giorni.

This book may change the way I negotiate. Most of what the authors say in the book could fall under the category of “common wisdom”. The good thing about this book is that it organizes such common wisdom in a way that a negotiator can use it to his benefit. One of the classic books on negotiation worth reading.

very well structured to the point and all practical advice

This is an amazing book to have. The art of proper negotiation is paramount. This book gives you the right steps to effectively teach you how to negotiate. I highly recommend it. Easy to read.

Bought this to help with one of my modules at university. Most law degrees only teach substantive law and the philosophical side of it, but mine teaches you how to be a lawyer too. As such, we spent a lot of time studying the mechanics of negotiations. I can safely say that this book is fantastic. Since I've read it, I've been able to use some of the techniques it covers in day-to-day life - this is not an exclusively specialist text (it's written in easy to understand Plain English) and is relevant to resolving any form of conflict. The best thing is that the techniques actually work! A lot of the content is transferable to other areas too, so it's great value for the price. It also made for very interesting reading, and considered the psychological effects of different negotiation styles - it doesn't just give you a list of what to do, but it explains WHY the points being made will work. This is one of the key assets to this text. Buy this book now! Tip: if you're a student, buy the Kindle version like I did. That way when you're making notes, you don't need to keep wrestling with the binding to keep the book open.