"These were relatively lonely pieces of work, and suddenly it burgeoned into a major field, and Roger Fisher had a great deal to do with it," says Ames Professor of Law Philip B. Heymann. "It turned from a field that was a specialty for certain scholars into a broader approach for a variety of social programs."

If Fisher's procedure for negotiation--which he says can be reduced to just four parts--sounds rudimentary, Fisher says that's because, well, the essentials are simple.

"Up until a few years ago, negotiation was thought of as something like putting on your clothes--who needs it?" Fisher says. "I've had people call me up and say I knew everything in your book, but I didn't know I knew it."

Davis says that although the negotiation theory makes sense, "it is extremely difficult for people to put together that intuitive sense in a way that is internally consistent."

While the overall theory may be intricate, Fisher says that one does not have to be a scholar or diplomat to understand the basics.

In fact, next week he will deliver a talk in a nearby Belmont school, titled "Negotiating with Saddam Hussein and with your kids." Fisher recalls his response to a friend who inquired if there was in fact any difference between the two.

"Yes there is," says Fisher, "but not very much."