Why lists of pros and cons don't work - and what to do instead

Do you analyse alternatives, then convey your analysis to others? Maybe you’ve three ways to enter a market? Or three IT systems to decide between? Or three venues for a Christmas bash? This month, you see how people often convey such analysis, and what they should do instead. It's quite a long email - but it does include a new trick that’s not even in my book. And there's a fun video clip on 'numbers'. 

Assume bosses wish to buy a camera, and we must help them decide between buying a cheap compact, a medium-priced one and a pricey fancy one. We analyse pros and cons, then spread them over three slides (Figure 1): slide 1 - pros and cons of cheap one; slide 2 – pros and cons of medium, etc. Or maybe we show pros and cons in three paragraphs – or pages - of our report. It’s what many people do.

But bosses struggle. To compare pros and cons, readers must flick back and forth between the three slides, paragraphs or pages.

Instead, do a table of ticks and crosses (Figure 2 - below). Alternatives are in columns, and key criteria in rows. It's better for many reasons. (1) We can show extra granularity if we so desire - double ticks and double crosses show seriously good or bad bits. (2) Information is all in one place - readers easily skim, scan and compare. (3) It’s less repetitive – the list of pros and cons mentions the word enlargements three times, the table just once. Plus:

It’s more likely to have consistent phraseology: with lists of pros and cons, people are casual with their words. They unwittingly use different words to describe the same thing and similar words to describe different things. Confusing.

It allows a neutral score: a medium-priced camera is neither cheap nor expensive, so is that a pro or con? Who knows? In the table, it’s easy – it’s a dash.

It’s more likely to be complete: the list of pros and cons (Figure 1) misses stuff out. It doesn't say if price is a pro or a con for a medium camera (that's because it's neither pro nor con...). It doesn't say if a pricey camera can do videos. Stuff is missing (did you spot these omissions when you first saw Figure 1?). But put the list of pros and cons into a ticks-and-crosses table, and you spot such omissions – you've empty cells. (Note: nothing is missing from Figure 2 - I filled in all the gaps.)

Highlight trade-offs or give recommendations: tables of ticks and crosses are good, they help us reach conclusions – but often they aren’t the best way to convey those conclusions to others. Remember to rise above the table's detail and draw readers in with a lead-in comment. Maybe highlight trade-offs (“A cheap one suits us now, but might limit us should we later want video”). Maybe recommend: “We need reasonable enlargements, but must have video, so medium is best”. Join dots for readers.

Which is why the table doesn’t have a Total row… let me explain: if double tick is +2 and double cross -2, then Cheap scores -1, Medium scores 2 and Pricey 0. Sounds like Medium is best, no? No, it depends on the purchasing criteria, e.g. if this year’s budget is tight, Cheap is best.

How not to compare alternatives: many people do a table of pros of cons (Figure 3). Better than a list, but still poor. It's repetitive, it mentions the word enlargements three times. And it's not as easy to scan and compare - to see how each camera is for enlargements, readers' eyes must move around the table looking for enlargements. Also, such tables often suffer from the problems mentioned above - inconsistent phraseology, incomplete, little granularity (i.e. just a pro or con).

A quick check on someone's list pros and cons: for each option, count the number of bullets of (pros + cons). If they differ, something is missing (“12 pros-and-cons bullets for option 1, yet only 10 for option 2 - and 11 for option 3…?”). It’s an easy way to pick holes in people’s analysis…

But beware - think back to Figure 1, the list of pros and cons that we started with. Each option has the same number of bullets (six), yet stuff is still missing. That's because each option is missing the same number of things. They're all wrong by the same amount. So, yes, do count the number of (pros + cons) for each option. And yes, if these numbers differ, it proves the analysis is incomplete. A good instant check.

But if these numbers don't differ, it doesn't prove that the analysis is complete - something still might be missing. All dogs are animals, but not all animals are dogs.So... what to do then? A table of ticks and crosses, of course. We then really see if something is missing - and more clearly convey our analysis too.

The funny bit – a video clip: in last month’s email on how to round numbers, I said that few people can mentally juggle three digits. Some can… here’s a great four-minute clip from a 1997 episode of the UK TV quiz show Countdown where people do maths on six numbers to try to arrive at a given seventh number. Enjoy. (And one person added an interesting comment underneath: “Why bother having an entire clock if they only use half of it?”. Good point.)

I’m looking forward to the next three emails, they've been brewing a while. If you do talks, teleconferences, decks, and more, stay tuned...

Til then

Jon

P.S. One last tip on ticks-and-crosses tables: ensure you ask questions properly. If we ask, “Is it easy to use?” and “Is it expensive?”, we get a tick and cross for the cheap compact (easy, not expensive), yet both are good news for purchasers. For a consistent visual overview, phrase questions so Yes is good (“Is it cheap?”).

P.P.S. Of course, you can also show alternatives with decision trees. But that’s a story for another day.

Clarity and Impact Ltd | +44 20 8840 4507 | jon@jmoon.co.uk | www.jmoon.co.uk

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