The Power of a Positive No

How to Say No and Still Get to Yes

By: William Ury

Narrated by: William Ury

Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

No is perhaps the most important and certainly the most powerful word in the language. Every day we find ourselves in situations where we need to say no: to people at work, at home, and in our communities; because no is the word we must use to protect ourselves and to stand up for everything and everyone that matters to us.

But as we all know, the wrong no can also destroy what we most value by alienating and angering people. That's why saying no the right way is crucial. The secret to saying no without destroying relationships lies in the art of the Positive No, a proven technique that anyone can learn.

This indispensable audiobook will give you a simple three-step method for saying a Positive No. It will show you how to assert and defend your key interests; how to make your no firm and strong; how to resist the other side's aggression and manipulation; and how to do all this while still getting to yes. In the end, the Positive No will help you get not just to any yes but to the right yes, the one that truly serves your interests.

Based on William Ury's celebrated Harvard University course for managers and professionals, The Power of a Positive No offers concrete advice and practical examples for saying no in virtually any situation. Whether you need to say no to your customer or your coworker, your employee or your CEO, your child or your spouse, you will find in this book the secret to saying no clearly, respectfully, and effectively.

In today's world of high stress and limitless choices, the pressure to give in and say yes grows greater every day, producing overload and overwork, expanding e-mail and eroding ethics. Never has no been more needed. A Positive No has the power to profoundly transform our lives by enabling us to say yes to what counts: our own needs, values, and priorities.

©2007 William Ury (P)2007 Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"His reminders to consider the other person's perspective while asserting your own position create a clear, unambiguous path to win-win situations." (Publishers Weekly)

More for the business world than personal

I was looking for how to say No in personal relationships. with adult children and family.
This book has a lot of useful ideas for the corporate world and business dealings.

very good book

What made the experience of listening to The Power of a Positive No the most enjoyable?

Also, Some other good technics and Principals you will get from the book like, anger control, the great and confident from the your Batna.

Perfect

The narrator did this book justice And I recommend anyone who is learning how to talk to people better this is the way to go

Great book

A life changing book that was delightful to listen to .
I really enjoyed it

One of the best books I’ve ever read

It sounds cliché but really every adult in the world should read this book. It is about so much more than saying no. It is about how to properly communicate with people and have respectful and productive relationships and interactions. It is an easy read with concrete examples and the narration is excellent. Really, if you are at all hesitating to read this book, just get it. You will not regret it. I finished it and actually want to read it again even though there are so many other books on my list. It’s that valuable that I feel like I want to memorize it.

Very helpful book

As someone who has a hard time saying "no" to people, I found many helpful tips in this book that will allow me to take care of myself while being able to respectfully decline, when necessary. It's a book I'd listen to a second time, just to keep it fresh in my mind while practicing these strategies.

Very important

One of those audio books you cannot miss. Very important for business. Much more important for life.

Outstanding

I have listened to this book twice and bought the hard copy. Such 'uncommon' common sense as the author points out. This is a must read for both every day conflict resolution to world wide peace efforts. The examples given by the author are profound, pertinent, and life changing. A book for everybody regardless of your stage in life and regardless of socioeconomic status.

Learning to say NO!

This was a pretty good listen. I had to read it for graduate school, but I really took quite a lot away from it... especially the importance of saying no in a more positive way and taking better care of yourself first. I’m not USUALLY into motivational books, but it’s worth a read if you’re anything like me... you just rarely say no, haha!

Goes well with another book

This book is a very good technical complement to "How To Win Friends and Inflence People".

I recommend listening to the above book before this one. That way, you will have the tools to apply correctly the theory in this book.

I really liked the structure, the flow and the content of this audiobook. It talks about the cycle of a "No" and how to turn a negative "No" into a positive "No". The author gives us the tools and shows us how to recognize and act apropriately when a negative "No" is present.

I recommend this book.