I like your guidelines. Some others that come to mind:
-Some people are not just looking for advice but to avoid the responsibility of choosing for themselves (they want someone else to tell them what the right answer is). I think it’s important to resist this and remind people that ultimately it’s their responsibility to make the decision.
-If someone seems to be making a decision out of fear or anxiety, I try to address this and de-dramatize the different options. People rarely make their best decisions if they’re afraid of the outcomes.
-I try to show my work and give the considerations behind different pieces of advice. That way if they get new evidence later they can integrate it with the considerations rather than starting from scratch.
You also sort of touch on this but I think it’s also helpful to convey when you have genuine uncertainty (not at the cost of needless hedging and underconfidence) and also say when you think someone else (who they have access to) would be likely to have more informed advice on a particular question.
Especially with career decisions. I actually think that it can be good to start out with some noticeable gesture that makes people realize this clearly and use language like “this is my impression” or “my tentative judgment call is”.
-I agree. We live in a time where people are seeking a lot of validation and just want to be told what to do. It’s super important to encourage them to take agency and not just defer completely to others.
-Excellent point. If people are in a challenged state, I also see the priority as changing their state. E.g., increase their hope, agency, and light-heartedness.
-Reasoning transparency is great. Especially, because people will otherwise be inclined to overanchor on the specific suggestion instead of the consideration that led to the specific consideration.
I like your guidelines. Some others that come to mind:
-Some people are not just looking for advice but to avoid the responsibility of choosing for themselves (they want someone else to tell them what the right answer is). I think it’s important to resist this and remind people that ultimately it’s their responsibility to make the decision.
-If someone seems to be making a decision out of fear or anxiety, I try to address this and de-dramatize the different options. People rarely make their best decisions if they’re afraid of the outcomes.
-I try to show my work and give the considerations behind different pieces of advice. That way if they get new evidence later they can integrate it with the considerations rather than starting from scratch.
You also sort of touch on this but I think it’s also helpful to convey when you have genuine uncertainty (not at the cost of needless hedging and underconfidence) and also say when you think someone else (who they have access to) would be likely to have more informed advice on a particular question.
Especially with career decisions. I actually think that it can be good to start out with some noticeable gesture that makes people realize this clearly and use language like “this is my impression” or “my tentative judgment call is”.
-I agree. We live in a time where people are seeking a lot of validation and just want to be told what to do. It’s super important to encourage them to take agency and not just defer completely to others.
-Excellent point. If people are in a challenged state, I also see the priority as changing their state. E.g., increase their hope, agency, and light-heartedness.
-Reasoning transparency is great. Especially, because people will otherwise be inclined to overanchor on the specific suggestion instead of the consideration that led to the specific consideration.