Decision-Making Study Guide
Curriculum for ages 16+
*If your 16+ years old, review the content below to pass your Decision Making Quiz!
Including Personal Experience in Decision-Making
Personal experiences inform the decisions we make. Personal experiences can both help in the decision making process by shedding light on potential consequences and relevant social conventions, but they can also inhibit decision-making if they prevent you from taking acceptable risks or considering the experiences of others. Using your personal experiences to effectively inform your decisions is an important quality in good leaders. Good leaders also remember to link in the right people when making decisions so that they don’t rely too heavily on their personal experiences but consider those of others as well. Reflect on a decision you made in which you compromised between yours and others’ personal experiences.
Example 1 – Should I hit a difficult shot again in a tournament?
The last time you took a particularly difficult shot, it didn’t go very well. But you’ve been practicing consistently since then and discussed with your coach what you did incorrectly and how you can fix it. Your coach encouraged you to try the shot again. She also knows how difficult it is but is confident you can do it. Taking into account your personal experience and your coach’s, you can make an informed decision about whether to hit this shot in a tournament.
Example 2 – Should I study for the test tonight?
The last time you decided to hang out with your friends the night before a test, you didn’t get a very good grade. When you are collecting all necessary information to decide whether or not to go play some games at your friend’s house on a Wednesday night before an English test, you remember the experience you had not doing well. You also discuss it over with another friend who had a similar experience and together you decide it would be best to not hang out on a weeknight and you plan to spend Friday night together. This is effectively taking your personal experiences and those of others into consideration.