Guiding decisions

Disciplines > Negotiation > Activities > Guiding decisions

Decision comparisons | Managing standards | See also

As the negotiation moves towards if you can shape how decisions are made, then you can affect their outcomes.

Decision comparisons

We make many decisions by making contrasting comparisons between two items. Thus we actually decide something is 'better' rather than 'good' (and even when we say 'good' we are still actually making some internal comparison).

Understanding how decisions are being made means understanding this comparison. If you can see what is being compared then you may be able to affect the outcome of the decision.

Managing comparisons

If you can manage the comparisons that people make you can guide their decisions.

People compare against ideals or standards, so if you can identify and change the standards that they use, you can change how they evaluate things.

Decisions also use criteria to evaluate options. Another way to gain collaboration is to focus on fair criteria by which everyone will agree.

Assertions and fallacies

Decisions can also often be guided by making assertions of fact. Whenever you say something, the other person has to assess whether your statement is true or false. One of the most common ways of doing this is to consider how confident you appear to be in making the statement. One of the basics of assertion is to speak with confidence. Look them in the eye. Speak clearly and steadily.

Fallacies are assertions that may appear to be true but are, in fact, false. Many of us use fallacies on a daily basis without realizing that there are holes in our arguments.