Учебное пособие: English in business

- To what extent did you collect the necessary amount of information? How well did you set the criteria for creating and comparing options?

-What tools (if any) do you use to help you make your decisions? Does fear of failure sometimes stop you from making decisions? If so, think about the positive aspects of risk taking.

- Think about an important decision that you made recently at work/university. How well did you sell the decision to those affected by it?

- Think about the last bad decision you made. What did you learn from the experience that helped you to take better decisions?

EXERCISE: Which type of decision maker would say what?

Four types of decision makers are: directive, analytic, conceptual and behavioural.

Look at the comment below. Match each of them to one of these decision-making styles. (The

answers are on page . . . .)

1"I think our feeling here is that the third solution is the most creative and will also produce the best result in the long term. Is everyone happy with that solution?"

2"On the basis of all the data that we have collected, I think it's clear that the third solution is by far the most logical."

3"OK. I think that we have talked things through and have now a clear commitment from everyone. Can we agree to implement the third solution and discuss results at the end of the month?"

4"Implement this approach and report back at the end of the month on results." Answers: 1 Conceptual; 2 Analytic; 3 Behavioural; 4 Directive.

SURVIVAL GUIDE: decision making to bring about change

Coaching has established itself as a useful tool to support both individuals and groups when they have to take key decisions. Co-active coaching works with questions that stimulate insight into assumptions and principles behind decision making. The following questions, based upona template created by Sharon Drew Morgan(see www.businessballs.com), can help you to begin the process of innovative decision making.

1 Take a look around your working situation. What issues do you see that require a decision for change?

2 What has stopped you from deciding until now?

3 What would you need to see/hear/feel in order to take a decision?

4 What criteria are you using to decide what aspects of the situation need to be changed?

5 What needs to be changed first?

6 How are you going to handle of opinion in the decision-making process?

7 Who needs to support you so that you can take this decision?

8 How will you motivate them to support you?

9 How will you know whether you have taken the right decision?

10How will you be able to make this success sustainable?

THE LANGUAGE OF DECISIONS

Section A

This section provides some suggestions on phrases and vocabulary that you can use when making decisions. Remember, however, that you should only use the language that you and your colleagues feel comfortable with in your specific working context.

1Deciding to decide

What do we need to decide first?