Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 2, Session 3: Making Decisions | Page 43 of 127“Evaluate the outcome. (Possible answers: Whatever decision Lena makes today, she can check in
three weeks to see how it’s going and whether she is happy. She can probably change
her mind or the situation to make it better for herself.)- Discuss some of the following questions with the participants:
How well do you think PAUSE worked for Lena’s decision?
If you were in Lena’s position, what would be the most difficult step of PAUSE for you?
Which might be the easiest step?
After considering the situation with PAUSE, what decision would you make and why?
Would your decision be based more on your Head, Heart, Hands, or Hope?
What is a potential disadvantage of using PAUSE? (Possible answers: It takes longer. You might not
remember to use it. You might forget what all the steps are.)C. Summary
Summarize by saying:
“It’s easy to become worried about whether you are making the right decision. That’s why it’s
important to know what your Head, Heart, Hands, and Hope are telling you. You can consider the
decision from more than one angle. Then, using the steps of PAUSE, you can think through all the
options and the possible consequences. You will have a better chance of getting the result you want.
And if you need to change your mind, you’ll know what to change it to!”III. Practice (30 minutes)
Materials:
Handout 2: Pause for Better Decisions (Three to four copies for each group)
Handout 3: Practice with PAUSE (One copy for each group)
Trainer Material 1: Ideas for Using PAUSE
A. PAUSE for Better Decisions (continued)
Participants practice using the PAUSE steps for making better decisions.
- Divide participants into groups of four or five. Give each group three or four copies of Handout 2 :
Pause for Better Decisions and Handout 3: Practice with PAUSE. Say:
“Here’s a chance for you to practice using PAUSE. Your group has several situations where someone
needs to make a decision. As a group, work through the steps of PAUSE. You can use a different sheet
for each situation to keep notes. Later, I’ll ask your group to describe your thinking about the situations
you studied.”Note: As an alternative to copies of handouts, participants could reproduce the information on plain paper.Note: These examples in Handout 2 intentionally have been written to be less challenging or controversial. But as the
facilitator, you should review them to make sure they are culturally appropriate and relevant for your group. Feel free to