4 stars (Insightful...) - A good resource to improve communication skills and train yourself to be ready to participate in difficult conversations and avoid delaying them. Helped me to face conflict head-on. I would definitely recommend it to everyone! 5 stars (Not Just a Guru Book) - Filled with diverse and accessible examples, this book provides a use framework for dealing with many of life's most awkward moments. 5 stars (Read This Book!) - I couldn't recommend this book more highly. It is easy to read--better yet, easy to understand and implement. Whether you're a student or someone that just wants to understand the dynamics of conversation better, this book should be on your reading list. ... Penguin Putnam :: Self-Help :: Negotiation in Business :: Negotiation :: Negotiating :: Psychology :: Interpersonal communication :: Interpersonal Relations :: General :: Conflict Reso :: Difficult Conversations- How to Discuss what Matters Most
4 stars (A Classic that has been superceded.) - 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. 4 stars (Powerful Concepts) - A good primer or review for anyone confounded by negotiating and especially those pr... Penguin (Non-Classics) :: Economics :: Finance :: Business and Industry :: Business & Economics & General :: Negotiation :: Negotiating :: Business&Economics :: Business & Economics & Financ :: Getting to Yes- Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In