Getting to Yes

Compare the competitive nature of positional discussions and the cooperative nature of solving for interests. Which is more likely to generate a successful agreement, and why? Cite examples from the text to support your argument.

Suppose you are buying an item at a garage sale and the host offers to sell it for a price that’s way above your highest acceptable price. What question might you ask them that could move the bargaining away from positional negotiating and toward solving both sides’ interests? Depending on their response, what might be a follow-up question that you could ask?

Consider a minor problem you face in everyday life, and think up several ways to resolve it. Try for a dozen ideas, including wacky or unlikely solutions, then winnow them down to what, in your view, are the best three. Explain your choices, including why each of the other ideas fell by the wayside.

How does the use of accepted standards aid dispute resolution? How does such a method simplify negotiations, and why are such proposals hard to reject?

Of the book’s four main approaches to negotiation, which is the most important and why? Could it succeed on its own, without the aid of the other three approaches? Why or why not?

How is the book’s negotiating system based on principle? Why is positional bargaining not?

What steps might one take to ensure that a negotiation with a party from a different culture will go smoothly and respectfully?

Think of an unresolved dispute between you and another person. What is your BATNA if you and they can’t come to an agreement? How can you make your BATNA good enough to live with if there’s no settlement?