Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Three of the ideas you’ll keep

The Clif summary of Getting to Yes pulls out 7 insights. Here are the first three.

1. Stop bargaining over positions. Digging into fixed positions produces unwise deals, drags on inefficiently, and damages relationships, because each side defends its stance instead of solving the real problem.
2. Separate the people from the problem. Be soft on the people and hard on the issue. Tackle perceptions, emotions, and miscommunication directly so they don't contaminate the substance.
3. Focus on interests, not positions. A position is what you say you want; an interest is why you want it. Behind opposed positions usually lie shared and compatible interests you can build on.

The other 4 — and the full 10-minute summary — are in the app.

What’s inside: 10 chapters

The whole summary runs about 10 minutes, read or listened to.

1. The Trap of Bargaining Over Positions
2. Principled Negotiation: A Better Game
3. Separate the People From the Problem
4. Focus on Interests, Not Positions
5. Invent Options for Mutual Gain
6. Insist on Using Objective Criteria
7. What If They Are More Powerful? Develop Your BATNA
8. What If They Won't Play? Negotiation Jujitsu
9. What If They Use Dirty Tricks?
10. Putting It All Together