Opinions Speak Quote by Daniel Kahneman
““The principle of independent judgments (and decorrelated errors) has immediate applications for the conduct of meetings, an activity in which executives in organizations spend a great deal of their working days. A simple rule can help: before an issue is discussed, all members of the committee should be asked to write a very brief summary of their position. This procedure makes good use of the value of the diversity of knowledge and opinion in the group. The standard practice of open discussion gives too much weight to the opinions of those who speak early and assertively, causing others to line up behind them. What””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Talk on Decision Making, 2015
Encourages written pre‑summaries to capture diverse views and reduce dominance bias in meetings.
In simple terms: Write brief positions before discussion to use group diversity.
Key Takeaway
Use written summaries to balance voices.
Themes
decision making
meetings
bias
diversity
leadership
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
advisory
instructional
When to use this quote
- board meetings
- project teams
- strategic planning
- brainstorming sessions
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
group dynamics
information aggregation
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we ensure summaries are concise yet informative?
- What safeguards prevent summary manipulation?
A Different Perspective
May slow meeting flow and require extra time for writing.
