WEBVTT - 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 aheard Harry Potter fan, your mother in law

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>that may not always be the best way to maximize happiness.

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<v Speaker 1>Over time, you may find yourself at the same inoffensive

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<v Speaker 1>restaurant for every girl's Night and watching Mary Poppins over

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<v Speaker 1>and over again. So instead of aiming for consensus every time,

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<v Speaker 1>consider taking turns and letting everyone choose exactly what they want.

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<v Speaker 1>When it is their turn. You choose the movie this week,

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<v Speaker 1>your little guy the week after that, then the elementary schooler,

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<v Speaker 1>the middle schooler, your mother in law, then your husband.

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<v Speaker 1>Then it is your turn again. Everybody will broaden their

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<v Speaker 1>viewing experience, and you may discover movies that you never

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<v Speaker 1>would have tried otherwise. For your book club, all the

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<v Speaker 1>members could take turns choosing the book at a small

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<v Speaker 1>plates restaurant. If each person orders the two or three

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<v Speaker 1>dishes they are most excited about, and then you share

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<v Speaker 1>them all, it tends to work out. Of course, you

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<v Speaker 1>can set parameters for these choices. Maybe all book club

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<v Speaker 1>picks need to be under four hundred pages. Family movie

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<v Speaker 1>night might be limited to G or PG options. Restaurants

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<v Speaker 1>for girls' night out might need to fit within a

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<v Speaker 1>certain budget per person. But within these parameters, when it

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<v Speaker 1>is your turn to choose, you get to choose freely.

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<v Speaker 1>The upside of this method is that people tend to

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<v Speaker 1>choose things that they think are actually good when they

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<v Speaker 1>get a free choice. Do I think this movie is

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<v Speaker 1>or will be amazing is an entirely different question than

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<v Speaker 1>do I think five people with different interests won't all

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<v Speaker 1>hate this movie? Amazing raises the possibility of the choice

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<v Speaker 1>being something really cool, even if it isn't what you

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<v Speaker 1>would have picked. Sometimes consensus yields a decision that everyone

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<v Speaker 1>can deal with but no one loves. When multiple options

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<v Speaker 1>can be pursued over time, taking turns can lead to

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<v Speaker 1>more satisfaction. You know you will be thrilled with the

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<v Speaker 1>option every time your turn rolls around, and something unexpected

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<v Speaker 1>might delight you when it is someone else's turn. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number

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<v Speaker 1>four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an

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<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia that before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,

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