Life doesn't negotiate – we do. Negotiation is part of every aspect of our life…and yet we rarely reach perfect agreements. Inspired by Life was founded on the principle that negotiation does not require winning or losing, but joint solutions for mutual gain.
Developed by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton, Getting to Yes has been the benchmark in negotiation and mediation for more than 30 years. The combined wisdom contained in this book has been applied worldwide in high-stakes negotiations such as those that produced the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, the peace deal between the FARC and government forces in Colombia, and the settlement of the multibillion-dollar commercial conflict between Carrefour and Abilio Diniz.
For 15 years, Israel and Egypt had fought for the Sinai Peninsula. Only when they reached the very heart of the issue was a breakthrough achieved: Egypt wanted sovereignty and Israel wanted safety. In1978, Getting to Yes helped facilitate a peace plan between the two countries, making use of the single-text method.
For almost 50 years, Colombia was defined by brutal civil war. In 2016, William Ury and an international team of facilitators, including Cuba, achieved a peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla movement. The President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, received the Nobel Peace Prize for this work the same year.
Not every negotiation constitutes an international crisis. But every negotiation shapes the future of the people involved. Getting to Yes has been tested in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable in order to find effective solutions to your specific problems.
As a consultant in crisis and negotiation management, I support organisations and individuals in tough, complex negotiations. I help dissolve hurdles, find common ground, and reach agreements that benefit everyone involved.
Contending parties who can be convinced to take a walk together are but a single handshake away from real agreement. On a very literal walk, we will get to the heart of the issue at hand, evaluate pressure points, and find new avenues for change.
Together with William Ury, I travel the Middle East and discover its people, their history, and their dreams for the future. In my talk, I report on the Abraham Path, a route through the Middle East and into the heart of one of the most fraught and challenging conflicts of the contemporary world.
A consultant in crisis and negotiation management, Oliver draws on over 10 years of experience in negotiation training and 20 years in managing international IT projects.
He learned the ins and outs of Getting to Yes from co-author William Ury, with whom he travels the Abraham Path. He regularly teaches its negotiation and mediation techniques at the Forum Democracy in Dusseldorf, as well as in a variety of medium-sized enterprises and public organisations.
Oliver lives and works in Dusseldorf. In his spare time, he is an ambassador for and board member of the Abraham Path Initiative and an avid hiker of trails throughout Europe, Southwest Asia (also known as the Middle East), and beyond.
