Frame the Choice
How I present this will shape what they choose. Frame it deliberately.
Before presenting options to your team or an affected person, decide how to frame them. Write the options as gains ("we could capture X") vs losses ("we risk losing X"). Present the frame that serves the outcome. If you want action, frame as loss. If you want caution, frame as gain. Always present at least two options — never a single recommendation without alternatives.
You're presenting a decision to others and the way you frame it will influence which direction they lean.
Transparency demands that you present the information neutrally and let others form their own frame.
Why it works
Identical information framed as a gain produces different decisions than the same information framed as a loss. The frame you choose isn't decoration — it's the most powerful variable in the decision.
The same surgery described as ‘90% survival rate’ gets chosen far more often than ‘10% mortality rate.’ The information is identical. The decision changes. Your brain evaluates options relative to a reference point, and the frame sets that point. Loss framing triggers risk-seeking behaviour — people will gamble to avoid a loss. Gain framing triggers risk aversion — people protect what they have. This means the person who frames the options has enormous influence over the decision, even without arguing for a specific choice. Presenting options isn’t neutral. The structure of the presentation is already an argument. Choose the frame, or someone else will choose it for you.