Direct Your Future Determining Your Direction The Planful

Direct Your Future™ Determining Your Direction The Planful Decision-Making Process Copyright © Kuder, Inc.

What will you learn? Objectives At the end of this module, you will be able to: • Describe different kinds of decision-making strategies. • State the steps of a planful model of decision-making. • Apply the planful model to your career decision-making. Direct Your Future

The vocabulary of planning. Definitions • Decision – selection of one alternative rather than another. • Alternative – different ways in which a problem may be solved, or a goal reached. • Goal – an event, condition, or outcome that we set for some future date. • Consequences – results, or outcomes, of making a decision. • Valuing – a process of examining alternatives. Direct Your Future

Decisions in your life. How do decisions impact your life? • What are some examples of small decisions that are not likely to have a significant effect on you? • What are some examples of big decisions that are likely to have a significant effect on you? Direct Your Future

Decisions in your life. Class Discussion • What is a decision? • What are alternatives? • On what basis should we select one alternative rather than another? • What is a goal? How does a lack of goals affect decision making? • What are consequences? • Do all decisions have the same level of importance? Direct Your Future

Your roadmap for decisions. The Planful Decision-Making Model Step 1: Identify the decision to be made. Step 2: Consider characteristics of self. Step 3: Identify alternatives. Step 4: Collect information about each alternative. Step 5: Put alternatives in priority order. Step 6: Take action. Step 7: Review the decision and possible outcomes. Direct Your Future

Things to keep in mind … Basic Principles • The outcomes of some decisions are more important than others. • When outcomes are important, use the Planful Decision. Making Model. • Using the Planful Decision-Making Model does not ensure the outcomes you want, but increases your probability. Direct Your Future

Things to avoid … Other Decision-Making Approaches • Painful – spending a lot of time and energy finding alternatives and information, but not making a choice. • Impulsive – jumping to a choice without finding alternatives and information. • Compliant – making the choice that someone else wants you to make. • Delaying – putting off making a choice. Direct Your Future

Activity & Homework • Activity: – Before the next session, use the Decision Making In My Life worksheet to record five decisions you made recently. Summarize the alternatives, information considered, and results of each decision. • Homework: – Using the back side of the Decision Making In My Life worksheet, describe the process you use most frequently to make important decisions. – Consider a real-life decision that’s important to you. Using the planful process, list as many alternatives as possible. Direct Your Future