IT’S YOUR DECISION CHAPTER 5Do You Know How To Solve Your Problems?

PREPARATION

State your interest in working the problem out.“I want to hear your point of view.”

Affirm the other person’s participation“I appreciate your willingness to work this

out.” Are the time and location convenient?

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

While the other person listens, each takes a turn and says:What happened from their point of view?How they are feeling?What they need or want?

BRAINSTORM SOLUTIONS

DiscussWhat are all the

solutions to the problem?

What would make us feel better about the problem?

How Would we like things to be between us?

EVALUATE THE SITUATION

Ask: Is it fair? Is it safe?Does it meet all

our needs? Not necessarily

wants, although hopefully some of those, too!

CHOOSE A SOLUTION

Ask:Does everyone

agree with and contribute to the solution?

Is it realistic?Is each person’s

responsibility clear?

FOLLOWING THROUGH

Discuss:When (time/place) Do we want to check

with one another to see how it’s working?When might it be necessary to change to

another solution?What happens if people don’t follow

through with this agreement?

PRIORITIES AND DECISIONS

Personal priorities are the principles, concepts, and beliefs that are most important to you.

Love, knowledge, honesty, religion, power, health, and friendship.

Higher priorities are more valued, so decisions that are made depend on how important the choices are to you.

SHORT/LONG – TERM GOALS Short – term goals are goals that are

reachable within the next hour or day. Long – term goals are goals that may take

several years to achieve. Clean your room, do your homework Getting a car, going to college When you know what’s important to you, you

can easily plan your goals.

STAGES OF A LIFE CYCLE

You travel through stages of birth, infancy, childhood, young adulthood, middle – age, aging, and death.

Setting goals and plotting them on a time/life line gives you an idea of how your future goals will fit into your life.

Plotting your goals on a time/life line can help you relate what you are doing today with where you want to be years from now.

HUMAN/NONHUMAN RESOURCES

Human resources come from within a person.

Nonhuman resources include money, material possessions, and community resources and facilities.

Many of your personal characteristics can serve as resources as you make choices.

You need to use resources to reach your goals.

STANDARDS FOR GOAL ACHIEVEMENT

Standards help you determine whether you are achieving your goals.

Standards that you set for yourself are personal standards.

Your standards are related to your personal priorities.

Some accept lower standards in some areas so they can uphold higher standards in others.

DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Identify the decision to be made. Gather and examine information. Identify possible alternatives. Evaluate the consequences of each alternative. Choose the best alternative and act on it. Evaluate the results.

MANAGEMENT PROCESS

Setting a goal: a variety of resources can help you set a goal that is realistic.

Making a plan: it’s important to have an effective plan for achieving your goal.

Carrying out the plan: your plan is actually tested.

Evaluating: you assess your degree of success in meeting your goal.

FOLLOW THE STEPSThis Will Create Good Decisions!