Decision Making Basics

Living in the information age, finding information is easier than ever. The trick is knowing where to find the data you need.

What this course covers:

• The difference between data and knowledge
• The various sources of data available to you
• How to determine which sources are trustworthy and reliable
• How to know when to stop gathering information

Gather well, and the decision gets easier.

Motivation is defined as the activation of goal-pursuing behavior. Motivation is the drive that pushes people to get things done. Over the years, much research has been conducted to find out what gets people motivated, and what helps them stay that way. To maximize workplace motivation, an employer must remove causes of dissatisfaction AND provide opportunities for satisfaction. In this course, we'll look at what truly drives people by discussing two types of motivation. We'll also walk viewers through hidden motivators, also known as cognitive biases, which tend to run in the background, yet still greatly impact decision making.

Some people dread a decision and postpone the inevitable because making up their mind is painful; others decide after careful thought and then second-guess themselves and pick apart their own rationale. Difficulty deciding quickly can be detrimental to your company or career, and this course addresses it.

What this course covers:

• The roadblocks that get in the way of decision making, and how to overcome them
• Why postponing decisions and second-guessing your reasoning hold you back
• The cost of slow decision making to your company and your career
• Decision-making tips that help you decide on things quickly
• How to decide confidently as well as quickly

It suits anyone who has trouble making decisions quickly at work or across their career.

Opinions are a flimsy and unreliable basis for business decisions. All too often, however, people do just that: base their workplace decisions upon the shaky foundation of their own or others' opinions. When what they really should be doing is basing their decisions on facts. Many struggle with even knowing if what they're hearing is a fact or an opinion. In this program, we'll talk about the difference between the two, and go over the various types of facts and opinions. We'll discuss how to use both in your decision making, and teach you how to test yourself, so you know that what you're basing your decision on is factual.

"I had no choice." "I wish there was another way to go..." "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place." No matter how you say it, the desire for more choices is a common one. A lot of the time, the hardest thing about making a decision is producing options in the first place. When you find yourself struggling to find viable options, or any options, two simple steps can help you move beyond the obvious and find creative solutions: naming the box and brainstorming. That's what we'll cover in this course on generating options.

Over decades, experts have studied how good decisions get made, producing models that frame the process.

What this course covers:

• How decision-making models structure your thinking
• The TDODAR model for quick decisions
• The Kepner-Tregoe matrix for deep analysis
• Adapting each model to different scenarios

Choose the right model for the decision at hand.

When different people make decisions, they approach those decisions in different ways. In other words, they have different styles of decision making. In fact, there are generally four recognized styles of decision making. They are directive, analytical, conceptual, and behavioral. In this program, we'll go over how to identify the different styles, and share the positives and negatives of each.