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The Issue Of Bargaining Over Position

Decent Essays

Negotiation is part of everyday life, and we use it to get something that we want from other people. The “problem” that Roger Fisher and William Ury refer to is the issue of bargaining over position. When we argue over positions, it produces undesirable outcomes. In negotiations, people tend to pay attention to the position, and not the underlying concerns of both parties. This is not only inefficient, but it can also lead to strained relationships between two parties. “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In” by Fisher and Ury is a step by step guide to negotiating using a method known as “principled negotiations.” In principled negotiation, you and the other party are seen as the problem solvers rather than adversaries. The goal of principled negotiation is always to reach an outcome “efficiently and amicably.”

The Method
Every negotiation will involve people, and Fisher and Ury make it very clear that people are not perfect. While some may be good communicators, others may not be good listeners on the receiving end. We have our own interests and goals, in which we tend to see from our point of view. According to Fisher and Ury, the first step to a successful negotiation is to “separate the people from the problem.” The most common human problem that we face tends to be “perception, emotion and communication.” To prevent these problems from happening, the authors suggest that we “build a working relationship” and focus on the problem itself, not the

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