WEBVTT - Second Cup: Don't go for the least common denominator

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is for when you are making a decision with

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<v Speaker 1>family or friends, don't assume that consensus is best. Instead

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<v Speaker 1>of settling for the lowest common denominator, consider taking turns

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<v Speaker 1>choosing so that everybody gets their top choice. From time

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<v Speaker 1>to time, so many of us sometimes find ourselves needing

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<v Speaker 1>to make a collective decision about what everyone is going

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<v Speaker 1>to do. What's a movie that everyone can enjoy for

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<v Speaker 1>family movie night? Maybe you are trying to please your

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<v Speaker 1>active toddler, your elementary schooler who's into Pixar, your middle

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<v Speaker 1>schooler who's a diehard Harry Potter fan, your mother in

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<v Speaker 1>law who likes classic musicals, and your partner who just

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<v Speaker 1>wants everyone to stay put for the entire time. What

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<v Speaker 1>books should you read for book club next month? When

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<v Speaker 1>members have different tastes and different schedules. Where should you

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<v Speaker 1>go for your monthly girls' night out this month when

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<v Speaker 1>people are coming from different directions and have a variety

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<v Speaker 1>of tastes and budgets. We've all been in situations like

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<v Speaker 1>these where you may be able to reach a consensus

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<v Speaker 1>through collective decision making, but that process doesn't necessarily lead

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<v Speaker 1>to an option that everyone is thrilled with, even if

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<v Speaker 1>it is satisfactory to everyone. A lot of people have

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<v Speaker 1>a working assumption that consensus is the way to go,

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<v Speaker 1>but that may not always be the best way to

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<v Speaker 1>maximize happiness. Over time, you may find yourself at the

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<v Speaker 1>same inoffensive restaurant for every girl's Night and watching Mary

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<v Speaker 1>Poppins over and over again. So instead of aiming for

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<v Speaker 1>consensus every time, consider taking turns and letting everyone choose

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<v Speaker 1>exactly what they want. When it is their turn. You

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<v Speaker 1>choose the movie this week, your little guy the week

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<v Speaker 1>after that, then the elementary schooler, the middle schooler, your

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<v Speaker 1>mother in law, then your husband. Then it is your

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<v Speaker 1>turn again. Everybody will broaden their viewing experience, and you

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<v Speaker 1>may discover movies that you never would have tried otherwise.

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<v Speaker 1>For your book club, all the members could take turns

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<v Speaker 1>choosing the book At a small plates restaurant. If each

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<v Speaker 1>person orders the two or three dishes they are most

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<v Speaker 1>excited about, and then you share them all, it tends

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<v Speaker 1>to work out. Of course, you can set parameters for

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<v Speaker 1>these choices. Maybe all book Club picks need to be

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<v Speaker 1>under four hundred pages. Family movie night might be limited

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<v Speaker 1>to G or PG options. Restaurants for girls' night out

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<v Speaker 1>might need to fit within a certain budget per person.

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<v Speaker 1>But within these parameters, when it is your turn to choose,

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<v Speaker 1>you get to choose freely. The upside of this method

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<v Speaker 1>is that people tend to choose things that they think

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<v Speaker 1>are actually good when they get a free choice. Do

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<v Speaker 1>I think this movie is or will be amazing is

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<v Speaker 1>an entirely different question than do I think five people

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<v Speaker 1>with different interests won't all hate this movie? Amazing raises

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<v Speaker 1>the possibility of the choice being something really cool, even

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<v Speaker 1>if it isn't what you would have picked. Sometimes consensus

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<v Speaker 1>yields a decision that everyone can deal with, but no

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<v Speaker 1>one loves. When multiple options can be pursued over time,

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<v Speaker 1>taking turns can lead to more satisfaction. You know you

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<v Speaker 1>will be thrilled with the option every time your turn

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<v Speaker 1>rolls around, and something unexpected might delight you when it

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<v Speaker 1>is someone else's turn. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number four then Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts.

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<v Speaker 1>At iHeartMedia that before Breakfast is spelled out with all

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<v Speaker 1>the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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