Making decisions

Erica Gingerich: This morning, I decided to have fruit for breakfast instead of a muffin, and then walk to work instead of taking the bus. Yes, I’ve decided to live a health lifestyle!  Every business day is filled with decisions, too. But how do we make "good" decisions? Is it better to consider all the details — or be spontaneous? Here’s communication skills expert Ken Taylor, with advice and an exercise. 

Ken: Thank you, Erica. In general, we take decisions to reach some kind of goal. Some people say that the art of decision making is simply choosing the right option from a range of possibilities. Let’s practise some of the language you might use.

In the following exercise you will hear some idioms and phrases connected to decision making. After each one, you will hear two alternative explanations. In the pause, choose the appropriate explanation, a or b. You will then hear the correct answer. Let’s start.

A stop-gap solution.This is:

• a. A temporary answer to a problem.
• b. An answer to a chronic problem.

A is correct. A stop-gap solution is a temporary answer to a problem.

To weigh the options. This means:

• a. To reject all the suggested answers to a problem.
• b. To carefully consider which choice is best.

B is correct. To weigh the options means to carefully consider which choice is best. Next.

To jump to conclusions. This is to:

• a. make a decision too quickly.
  
• b. decide logically.

A is correct. To jump to conclusions means to make a decision too quickly. Next.

A golden opportunity. This is:

• a. a chance to get very rich.
  
• b. an ideal moment to do something.

B is correct. A golden opportunity is an ideal moment to do something.

How did you get on? We commonly hear these expressions in international meetings when there are decisions to be made.