Decision Balance

What it is

One decision, weighed in four areas. Your mentee lists what doing it would bring, and weights each item from 1 to 5.

When to send it

Send it when they feel torn. It helps when one choice keeps coming back and every talk goes in circles.

• A real choicea job, a move, a course
• Going in circlesthe same pros and cons each time
• Time to thinkbefore the decision is due

Filling it in

Fifteen minutes, one area at a time. Write the decision, then the gains and losses, then how it would feel.

1. Name the decisionWrite it as one thing to do, like taking a job.
2. List gains and lossesFor you and people close to you, weighted 1 to 5.
3. Add how it would feelHow you would see yourself, and how others would see it.

Reading the answers

Read the weights, not the totals. One heavy item can matter more than many light ones.

• Gains and lossesthe two weighted totals
• Heaviest itema good place to start the talk
• Empty areaswhose view did they leave out?

Questions to ask

Ask about the heavy items. People who ask follow-up questions are liked more (Huang and others, 2017).

• Which item weighed more than you expected?then: what makes it so heavy?
• Whose view are you giving too much or too little room?then: what would they say?
• What would you need to know to feel sure either way?then: how could you find out?

Why it works

Writing it all down puts every consideration in view at once. Evidence that it improves decisions is limited, and for someone pulled both ways it can weaken resolve. Use it to see clearly, not to push yourself.

Sources

• Janis, I. L. & Mann, L. (1977). Decision Making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict, Choice, and Commitment. New York: Free Press.
• Mann, L. (1972). Use of a “balance-sheet” procedure to improve the quality of personal decision making: A field experiment with college applicants. Journal of Vocational Behavior 2(3):291–300.
• Miller, W. R. & Rose, G. S. (2015). Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy 43(2):129–141.

How a tool works on Mentornity

1. 1The mentor picks a tool from the library and sends it with a short message.
2. 2The mentee fills it in step by step; the answers are saved as they go.
3. 3Both see the answers, comment on any part and agree the next steps.
4. 4Only the two of them see the answers, not the program admins.

Guides for both sides

• Decision Balance for MentorsFor mentors and coaches: when to send the Decision Balance, how to read the weights, which questions to ask and how to keep the choice theirs.
• Decision Balance for MenteesFor mentees and coachees: what the Decision Balance is, how to fill it in, where to find it and what your mentor does with it.

More tools: Goals and action

• Wish, Obstacle, Plan10 min

  Name a wish, picture the best outcome, find what inside you gets in the way, and plan for it with if-then sentences.

• Conversation Map15 min

  Talk one topic through: where you are, where you want to be, what already works, and one first step.

• Goal Clarity Map20 min

  List what weighs on you, see how much of it you control, and turn one point into your goal for the programme.

All tools →