William Ury

William Ury’s passion is helping people, organizations, and nations get to yes. His training is in anthropology, his practice is in mediation, and his mission is peace. He is one of the world’s best-known experts on negotiation, and author of “Getting to Yes” and most recently of “Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict.” A cofounder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, Ury has served as a negotiation adviser and mediator in conflicts ranging from coal mine strikes to family feuds to wars in the Middle East, Colombia, Korea, and Ukraine. Ury lives in Colorado, where he loves to hike in the mountains.

Author photo © Carl Studna

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William Ury: Being a Possibilist

A healthy relationship—whether that’s between two people or two nations—is not one in which everyone agrees; it’s one where it’s safe for differences, and we have the skills to honor all of our needs. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with renowned mediator and bestselling author, William Ury, about his new book, Possible and the insights he has gleaned through more than four decades of conflict-resolution across the globe. 

If you only listen to one podcast this year, may it be this one! Tami and William discuss: Meeting animosity with curiosity; shifting perspective and the metaphor of the balcony; self-observation; how more silence leads to more cooperation; the 3A trap: avoid, accommodate, or attack; the link between creativity and conflict; why negotiation is more about listening than speaking; reaching “second order agreement”; creating a “golden bridge” across our divides; universal needs and the question, what do you really want?; humble audacity; the notion of bringing in the third side; the importance of reconciliation; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

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