William Ury Books
William Ury is an American author, anthropologist, and negotiation expert. He co-founded Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and co-authored the international bestseller 'Getting to Yes'.
Known for: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, The Power of a Positive No: Save the Deal, Save the Relationship—and Still Say No
Books by William Ury
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Getting to Yes is a foundational work on negotiation that introduces the concept of principled negotiation, focusing on interests rather than positions. The authors present a method for reaching mutua...
The Power of a Positive No: Save the Deal, Save the Relationship—and Still Say No
In this influential guide, negotiation expert William Ury—co-founder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation—shows how to say 'No' effectively without damaging relationships. Drawing on decades of conflic...
Key Insights from William Ury
From Positional Bargaining to Principled Negotiation
When we first began studying negotiation at Harvard, we noticed a recurring pattern. People treated negotiation as a contest of wills. Each side took up a position, argued for it, made threats or concessions, and hoped that the other side would eventually give in. This is what we call positional bar...
From Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Separate the People from the Problem
Negotiation is not conducted in a vacuum. It is conducted by people, and people come with emotions, values, histories, and perceptions. When these human elements are entangled with the substantive problem at hand, the discussion derails. That is why the first principle of principled negotiation is t...
From Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
The Challenge of Saying No
Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth: most of us are not good at saying no. We either avoid it altogether, saying yes to please others and resenting it later, or we say no in a way that creates unnecessary damage. In my years mediating disputes across cultures and hierarchies, I saw that people o...
From The Power of a Positive No: Save the Deal, Save the Relationship—and Still Say No
The Three-Part Framework
A Positive No has a structure. It starts and ends with Yes, surrounding the No that often feels so harsh. I call this the Yes! No. Yes? framework. The first Yes affirms your own core interests and values—it’s the reason for your no. The No expresses your refusal clearly and respectfully. The second ...
From The Power of a Positive No: Save the Deal, Save the Relationship—and Still Say No
About William Ury
William Ury is an American author, anthropologist, and negotiation expert. He co-founded Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and co-authored the international bestseller 'Getting to Yes'. Ury has served as a mediator in conflicts ranging from corporate disputes to international peace negotiations.
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William Ury is an American author, anthropologist, and negotiation expert. He co-founded Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and co-authored the international bestseller 'Getting to Yes'.
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