12/03/2015
http://www.ted.com/talks/william_ury.html
William Ury: The walk from "no" to "yes"
William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in
even the most difficult situations -- from family conflict to, perhaps, the Middle East. (Filmed at
TEDxMidWest.)
William Ury is a mediator, writer and speaker, working with conflicts ranging from family feuds to
boardroom battles to ethnic wars. He's the author of "Getting to Yes."
Now watch the first part of the talk and answer the following questions:
o In which way does the story the speaker tells at the beginning resemble negotiations?
o What is the secret of peace and how did the speaker arrive at this conclusion?
o What is the concept of the ‘third side’ and why is it important?
② Before watching the second part of the talk, match the following words with the definitions:
1. a facilitator a) killing and violence
2. to speak candidly b) to get to the bottom of an issue
3. bloodshed in Chechnya c) someone who helps a person or organization do something more easily or find the answer to a problem, by discussing things and suggesting ways of doing things
4. to get at the root of the problem d) to have a personal interest in something
5. to have a personal stake in
something e) honestly, frankly
Now watch the second part of the talk and answer:
A. In the negotiations between the leaders of Russia and Chechnya, what was the „wrong step of Chechnya´s vise president and the „right“ step of the speaker?
B. Why do Americans worry about the conflict in the Middle East?
C. What is the original story of the Middle East? What is its main idea?
D. What does the speaker consider as a remedy against intolerance and disrespect?
③ Before watching the third part of the talk, work out the following words:
to retrace the steps of someone = …………………………………………
a perfect stranger = …………………………………………
hostility vs. hospitality = …………………………………………
a mosque = …………………………………………
desperately poor = …………………………………………
to change the game = …………………………………………
"When spider webs unite, they can halt even the lion."- ......................................................
Now watch the third part of the talk and answer the following questions:
o Which idea came to the speaker? Was it a success?
o Did the Abraham Path project change anything? What exactly?
o What is your opinion about the idea of such a ‘walk’?
o Can ‘taking the third side’ help resolve the conflicts?
William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations -- from family conflict to, perhaps, the Middle East. (Filmed at TEDxMidWest.)
