2. Important : Involves High Risk, Large Difficulty, and Much Uncertainty

1

Making Important Decisions

Session One

I. Introductions

A.Discussion of Class Title

1.“Decisions”: How close the gap between a situation being confronted and relevant goals?

2.“Important”: Involves high risk, large difficulty, and much uncertainty

3.“Making”: Assessing the situation, deciding on the best option, taking action

B.Introduce Self and Give an Example of an Important Decision You Have Experienced or Observed

i.e. Health, Family, Finances, Politics?

1.i.e. Relationships, Travel Plans, Purchases?

II.Decision Making Phases for Discussion:

A.Orientation: Assessing the situation and therelevant goalsusing frames

B.Selection: Choosing which decision to make using anchors to compare multiple options

C.Execution: Using the scenarios and scripts most likely to reach theintended goalsand learning from the resulting outcomes

III.Decision Making Goals for Discussion

A.Directing your own life by making more autonomous decisions and taking responsibility for the consequences

B.Extending and expanding your mastery of decision making by a process of continuing learning

C.Increasing your ability to collaborate with others to reach mutual decisions that result in win-win solutions

D.Choosing decisions which reflect an awareness of your larger objectives and higher standards that benefit others

IV.Case Discussion: The Expense Account Decision

V.Orientation: Framing the Decision Situation

1.Compulsive frames

2.Opportunistic frames

3.Diplomatic frames

4.Expert frames

5.Achiever frames

6.Individualist frames

B. The Relational Self and Framing the Decision Situation

1.Assimilation frames

2.Separation frames

3.Accommodation frames

4.Collaboration frames

C.The Collective Self and Framing the Decision Situation

1.Role-based frames

2.Norm-based frames

3.Value-based frames

II.Dialogues for Discussion

A.Read each dialogue in handout

B.Match a statement below with each dialogue

1. Frames are often selected to satisfy what we wish to be true.

2. Openness to the frames of others can open others to ours.

3. Sensitivity to others’ frames can decrease antagonism.

4. Frames similar to our own are frequently assumed in others.

5. Different frames can compete for our attention.

6. Making our frames clear to others can lessen their resistance to our decisions.

7.We sometimes hide our frames out of fear. .

8. Frames once established are hard to change.