The information gap
diagnosis
To find out if that’s the case, I invite you to think about the decision you need to make with the aid of a few sets of prompts.
Details
About the exercise
The information gap diagnosis is a set of prompts that aims to help you identify if missing information is the reason why you haven't yet found the right decision you're looking for, and what that information is.
What type of information?
Internal (e.g. personal thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs, etc.), external (anything from external sources), or both.
For example:
If the information we miss is confidence, we'll notice that we don’t feel confident.
If the information we miss is someone’s opinion, then we wonder what that specific person might say.
To create distance from your thoughts so you can observe them more clearly and objectively, it's important to complete the diagnosis via writing or speaking out loud. Use which option works best for you, and the text editor, pen and paper, voice recorder or voice-to-text tool of your choice.
Only a starting point and direction for your thinking process that will help give structure to your thoughts.
Respond to each prompt one at a time, in the presented order.
Be as specific and detailed as you can when answering each prompt.
There are no right or wrong answers, only what comes to your mind in response to the prompts.
When no answer comes to your mind, either sit longer with the prompt or move to the next one.
Allow around 30 minutes to complete the exercise thoroughly. It may take less or even longer, depending on the complexity of the decision and the amount of information involved.
Please note:
Some of the prompts may be more relevant to you than others. Feel free to answer or skip them accordingly.
Equally, other prompts may trigger the same thoughts you went through already. Ask yourself "what else?" before deciding to skip them.
To Keep in mind
It is not important to complete the whole exercise. In fact, it may be that in the middle of it you already found your answer and you already know what you want to do moving forward. When that happens, feel free to no longer continue with the exercise, unless you want to.
Let's start
The information gap
diagnosis
Think about the following regarding the decision you need to make. Be as specific and detailed as you can.
- What decision do you need to make?
- What bigger picture does this decision fit into?
- By when does the decision need to be made?
- What triggered the need for this decision to be made?
- What is important about this decision?
- What are you moving towards by making this decision?
- What are you moving away from by making this decision?
- What happens if this decision is not made at all?
- What is the foreseen positive impact of the decision?
- What is the foreseen negative impact of the decision?
- Who else is directly affected by this decision?
- Who else is indirectly affected by this decision?
- What is the foreseen positive impact of the decision for them?
- What is the foreseen negative impact of the decision for them?
- What thoughts do you have about this decision?
- What makes you have these thoughts about the decision?
- What feelings do you have about this decision?
- What makes you have these feelings about the decision?
- What thoughts do those affected by this decision have?
- What makes them have these thoughts about the decision?
- What feelings do those affected by this decision have?
- What makes them have these feelings about the decision?
- What thoughts do others have about this decision?
- What makes them have these thoughts about the decision?
- What feelings do others have about this decision?
- What makes them have these feelings about the decision?
- What are the thoughts and feelings you have now that help you with the decision?
- What questions do you have related to the decision?
- What do you believe you should know more about?
- What are the options for the decision?
- What pulls you towards each option?
- What pulls you away from each option?
- What comes to your mind now given all you've thought about so far?
- How is what just came to your mind relevant to the decision?
- What do you want to do about it?
- What else came to your mind throughout the exercise that stood out to you?
- What do you want to do about it?
Note
For you
The exercise is in its early stages, so I am keen to learn how it helped you (or not) with your decision.
Should you wish to share your feedback with me, I will offer you a 30% discount to one 2-hour session with me in which I can help you make the right decision obvious to you when time is critical and the stakes are high. Learn about how I help here.
Both positive and constructive feedback are genuinely welcome, as they will help me improve the exercise for you and others.
Email me yours at ioana@iccomsa.com.