Date: 06 September 2024

Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes

Attendance: 23 students

A session on Decision Making was held on 06 September 2024 at the AV Room from 3:00-4:45 PM with the objective of improving students’ ability to make informed and effective decisions in personal, academic, and social settings. The session focused on decision-making frameworks, common challenges, and practical strategies for making better choices under various circumstances.

Objectives:

• To understand the decision-making process and its key components.
• To identify common obstacles that hinder effective decision-making.
• To provide tools and techniques for making better decisions.
• To encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Session Overview

The facilitator began with an icebreaker game of “Would You Rather” in which the students had to choose between two different alternatives for various situations and it got them in a reflective zone of how they process small decisions like that. After that, there was an overview of what decision-making is, emphasizing the importance of aligning decisions with both short- and long-term goals. Different types of decisions—personal, academic, social—were discussed. The session identified common barriers, including cognitive biases, personal values, emotional influence, and impulsivity. Participants reflected on how these factors can affect their choices.

An activity called the “Balloon Debate” was conducted in which students were divided into groups and each person assumed the roles of various characters or professions and argued why they should remain in a sinking hot air balloon. The group had to debate and come up with a unanimous decision about which person should be thrown out by considering multiple factors and possibilities. This helped them practice critical thinking, prioritization, and risk assessment in a controlled environment.

Students also engaged in discussions about their personal experiences with difficult decisions and they were very interactive. The exchange of ideas helped deepen understanding of the consequences and impact of decision-making on self and others. 

The session concluded with a discussion of actionable strategies, such as gathering relevant data, brainstorming, role-playing, considering multiple perspectives, determining needs versus wants etc..

Conclusion: The session successfully equipped participants with a deeper understanding of the decision-making process and tools to improve their decision-making skills. Participants left with a clearer perspective on how to approach decisions in a more structured and analytical manner, and got their first taste of an Aastha group session.