The Other Side's Victory Speech
Design a proposal the other side can defend as a win
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
The Victory Speech exercise starts at the imagined end of a difficult negotiation: the other side has said yes and must now defend that decision to people whose opinions matter. The negotiator writes roughly three points that would let the counterpart present the agreement as a victory, anticipates the toughest criticism those points will attract, and develops credible answers. This backward view exposes interests, fears, identity needs, and status constraints that a surface demand can hide. The negotiator then works forward, researching the counterpart where necessary and adjusting the proposal so those talking points become true. The goal is not cosmetic spin. It is to build a substantive path on which the other side can agree without sacrificing dignity or appearing defeated.
Origin
Extracted from The Tim Ferriss Show
Core principles
- 01Agreement must survive external judgment
- 02The other side needs a credible win
- 03Dreams and fears reveal persuasive leverage
- 04Work backward from a defensible yes
How to run it
- 1
Assume a yes
Run a thought experiment in which the counterpart accepts what you want. Place them immediately after the decision.
Pro tip Start with a seemingly impossible situation to force a new perspective.
- 2
Map the audience
Identify the board, peers, voters, family members, or other people to whom the counterpart must justify the decision.
Pro tip Prioritize the audiences whose judgment the counterpart actually cares about.
Watch out Do not assume your audience and theirs value the same things.
- 3
Write three victory points
Draft three concise reasons the counterpart could give for accepting. Make each point describe a real benefit, protection, or achievement.
Pro tip Use the counterpart's likely language and measures of success.
- 4
Stress-test the speech
List the strongest criticisms the counterpart will receive and the best honest answers available.
Pro tip A weak answer identifies a condition your proposal still needs to meet.
Watch out Do not invent benefits that the deal cannot deliver.
- 5
Build the path backward
Research the counterpart's deeper dreams, fears, and interests, then change the proposal so the speech is defensible. Help them reach and explain the yes.
Pro tip Talk to informed people beyond the obvious formal channels.
Watch out Avoid treating stereotypes as research.
In the wild
During the 2017 nuclear crisis, Ury's team tried to write victory speeches for Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Because little was known about Kim, Ury tracked down Dennis Rodman, who described Kim's interest in engaging with the West and his dream of visiting New York with Rodman. That information suggested a meeting could carry value beyond a formal agreement.
→ Trump and Kim met in Singapore, and each publicly treated the meeting as a victory.
Common mistakes
Writing your own victory twice
A speech framed in your values will not reveal what the other side needs to defend.
Using spin without substance
The exercise must improve the deal itself, not merely invent a flattering explanation.
Stopping at surface interests
The most useful leverage may sit deeper in dreams and fears that require active investigation.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for consequential asks where the counterpart must explain the decision to bosses, peers, voters, customers, or family.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when the imagined speech substitutes for direct research into what actually drives the counterpart.
From the transcript
“when you're facing a difficult conflict start by writing out the other side's victory speech”
“think about the hardest questions that they're going to get the criticisms that they're going to receive”
“see your job as a negotiator as helping them deliver that victory speech”
From the episode
#721: Master Negotiator William Ury — Proven Strategies and Amazing Stories from Warren Buffett, Nelson Mandela, Kim Jong Un, Hugo Chávez, and More
William Ury