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The DARE Decision Making Model

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Instructor DOUGLAS HAWKS

Douglas has two master's degrees (MPA & MBA) and a PhD in Higher Education Administration.

Each day, we all make decisions, some more complex and important than others. Regardless of how big or small a decision might feel, you can benefit by applying a decision-making framework. In this lesson, we'll discuss the DARE decision-making model. Updated: 07/26/2022

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The DARE Decision-Making Model

Every aspect of our lives requires us to make decisions. Whether it's which degree to pursue, where to eat lunch, if a relationship should be continued, applying a decision-making model can help guide the way to making decisions. Relying on a pre-defined model will help you make better decisions and lower the chances you'll second-guess yourself after a decision is made.

A decision-making model is a framework or set of steps that can be applied in different situations to make a decision. A good model provides enough specificity to guide thinking, but be general enough to apply to a variety of situations.

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  • 0:04 The DARE Decision-Making Model
  • 1:41 Define the Decision
  • 2:24 Assess the Decision
  • 2:59 Respond
  • 3:29 Evaluate the Decision
  • 4:25 Lesson Summary
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Define the Decision

The first step is to specifically define exactly what it is that needs to be decided. That may sound like a simple, obvious step, but sometimes restating the decision helps to add clarity to the situation. If faced with a decision like whether or not to leave your current job for another, we can restate that decision as ''What is my highest priority right now: money or experience in this field?'' or as another example, ''Is the incremental increase in compensation worth the work of learning a new job, at a new place, with new people?''

Defining a decision by restating it in different ways helps to focus on what a decision is really about and leads to better outcomes in the next step.

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The second step is to assess the decision and its potential outcomes. Focus on the impact the decision will have on your life, as well as the people around you. This step may take the most time, as assessing a decision involves identifying potential options as well as thinking through how each of those options will affect you and those around you. This is the proverbial knocking over the first domino. Some decisions may have a tremendous amount of impact on your life, such as where to go to college or what job you should accept. Others, like what to eat for lunch, have a limited effect.

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The third step is to act or respond. In responding, you transition from having the idea of an option to actually implementing that option. If you say you're going to finish college someday but never apply or register for classes, then you haven't made the decision.

Sometimes we like to say things like, ''I've decided to go back to college, but I haven't decided when yet.'' According to the DARE model, if you haven't acted yet, you're only two steps into a four-step model.

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The fourth step is to evaluate the decision made. Even if you make a decision in a split second, the first three steps of the DARE model occur. If you're driving and the person in front of you suddenly brakes, you define, assess, and respond in the blink of an eye. Evaluation is the only step that doesn't automatically happen. The importance of this step is especially true in more important, complex decisions.

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A decision-making model is a framework or set of steps that can be applied in different situations to make a decision. The DARE decision-making model was first developed as part of a national elementary school program designed to discourage drug use, but it can be applied to decisions in other contexts, too.

The acronym DARE stands for:

  1. Define: Restating the decision helps add clarity to the situation.
  2. Assess: Focus on the potential outcomes and impacts.
  3. Respond: Act on and implement the decision.
  4. Evaluate: Reflect back on the decision to improve future choices.

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