Can "no" actually mean "yes"? Yes, it can, according to William Ury in The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes. I read his book Getting to Yes about a year ago and feel, as a mediator, this book is much more helpful and practical because it focuses on the importance of relationship over that of reaching a "deal." This paragraph in the final chapter sums up the author's message:The great problem today is that we have divorced our Yeses from our Nos. Yes without No is appeas...

This is a self-help book in the bad sense of the word. It's too long, repetitive and annoying. With anonomyous examples of John doing this and that. Somewhere in there is a mix of bragging about negotiating international incidents or workforce debates. The book could have been a paragraph:Say NO, by first understanding what you want to say YES to. When you do, it becomes clear why you MUST say NO. Don't be emotional while negotiating. Be factual and present your side with keeping in mind the oth...

Not as straightforward as I had expected unfortunately It wasn't engaging enough and I got super bored at the second half

Heaven knows I needed the information from this book, however, it could and should have been covered in 4-5 chapters instead of 12. The author's main contribution is helping the individual recognize and feel good about a proper no with his yes, no, yes formula. Yes to my underlying need/value, no to the current proposition, and Yest to opening further dialogue.

Outstanding book on how to negotiate yourself towards declining things that take up your life, and how to make it not backfire. 4.3/5

This is "must read" for everyone. More important than getting to yes, is being able to say no to all of the things that prevent you from accomplishing the things you say yes to. Doing this in a graceful way is even harder. Saying yes when you really mean no means being a pushover. Saying a blunt no can hurt feelings and close doors. So how do you do this in a graceful way? The key is by balancing what would appear to be contradictory characteristics and this book shows how to do this.

Yes, I know you are here to read a review.No. I won't write the review you want to read.Yes, I will still capture my thoughts on the book, but it will not be a review you want to read.Saying "No" can be nerve-racking. The disapproval and judgement we may receive in saying "No" can deter many people from properly expressing themselves. Why do we feel this? More importantly, is this a problem? It is a problem, in that by not saying "No", you do not stand up for your "Yes". You cannot say "Yes" to

Provides a framework for how to say No in a Positive manner. Good points, examples to support concepts, just a bit long.

I really like William Ury as an author. He founded the Harvard Negotiation Project and writes good negotiation books. His first book Getting to Yes, is a good book on negotiation theory. His second Getting past no, talks about difficult negotiations. His third, the power of the positive no could really be the first in the series with self analysis of what you really want before you negotiate. I should have read this book years ago! I like his idea that no is really yes to what you really want. H...

This contained lots of good points and advice. However, I wasn’t engaged enough because the examples used weren’t relatable. Most of them were corporate or political examples. It was also very repetitive which made it long-winded. Also, to be successful in asserting No depends on the person’s vocabulary. Although Ury provided things to say in certain situations, I don’t think it was enough. I’m skeptical that people with lack of vocabulary would find it easy to express their No. Even I find it h...

I love this book. It's so practical and it will definitely benefit me and other readers. Time management techniques can't help you if you keep saying 'yes' to all requests. But how do we say 'no' without losing the good relationship. Read this book and you will find the answer.

Yes. No. Yes. That pretty much sums up this book. My entire grad school negotiation course was based on Ury's first book "Getting to Yes", so, I figured I'd give this one a try too. I was extremely pleased with the book. I did not realize how many times in a day this would come in handy. It is nice to be able to confidently say no to people without having it be confrontational. Or, even worse caving in just to try and keep the other party happy. The book uses the phrase "How can I stand on my fe...

Like most self-help books, this book didn't need to be this long.The recommended way to say "no" is as follows: "Yes! No. Yes?"That is, first state the positive value you're seeking to protect. Next, state plainly and without insult your refusal to do what the other person asks. Then offer an alternative that might be mutually agreeable.This actually works, and makes sense for a wide range of cases. It allows for the possibility of future cooperation, but also works if no such possibility exists...

No it’s a powerful word, the building blocks of life have inherent “no” in them. Permeable membrane are a no with conditions.So I found myself in a lurch after the presidential election of 2016 in the United States. There was a change of power in my department as well as shifting social tensions in my area, and all of that resulted in the realization that I needed to be a better leader. I needed to use the authority that I had within my spheres of influence and start in my space and the people

I read this book after exiting a difficult situation as best I could, yet feeling that I somehow didn't do it as well as I should have. Although I tend to shy away from both business books and self-help books, unless I know the author well, this one just called out to me from the shelf. Thank goodness I snapped it up. Basically, the book coaches the reader on socially advisable routes to keep yourself and your family well balanced. That's a huge undertaking, but it does it simply by advising on

was an okay book, a bit too much description and examples, but thats how they explain it right

More than 20 years ago, I was introduced to William Ury's concepts of "Getting Past No" and "Getting to Yes" during conflict negotiation and mediation - and several of his key phrases have stuck with me ever since. I'd still like to re-read each of those books as well, but noticed my library had this on audio so I grabbed it. It's an excellent read, and I highly recommend it.

This was a really interesting book in how to say no to someone while still leaving all of the doors open for the relationship to continue (and possibly even improve). My only complaint is that I felt it could've been more concise, but the content was fantastic.

This book outlines a reliable formula for telling people "no" without ruining your relationship with them. Mr. Ury's strategy focuses on articulating your personal priority or value that overrides your willingness to help someone. For example, "I have been working a lot recently and promised my family that I'd spend the weekend with them, so I can't help you move on Saturday." And then to follow that up with something you can offer to do for them in the future, such as, "But can I stop by once y...

No. Such a simple word yet it's so hard to use. Most of us take on far too much because we are afraid to say no and for good reason. We've all had experiences were we did actually muster the courage to say no and felt extremely guilty afterwards. Moreover, the person who we said no to often gets mad at us and that simple word starts a huge drama. In the end, it would have been much easier just to shut our mouths. Evidentially, our problem wasn't saying the word but in how we go about saying No.