The technique was based on principles from the conflict theory of decision making from Irving Janis and Mann. It has been tested with high school students and reportedly has been found to improve student knowledge, raising confidence in decision making and changing self reported decision habits.
It aimed to provide adolescents with an understanding of factors that produce good and poor decision making as well as knowledge and practice of sound decision skills.
G.O.F.E.R approach has 5 simple steps which anyone could use when a decision has to be made:
1. Goals clarification
What are your Goals?
What are you Aiming for?
What are your Values?
What is important when it comes to the decision you are making?
2. Options generation
What are the current alternatives?
What if we were to develop more choices?
3. Facts-finding
What is available information?
What information is missing?
How are we going to get the mission info?
4. Consideration of Effects
What are the positive consequences of the options?
What are the negative consequences of the options?
Which options appear to irrelevant?
5. Review and implementation
How are we going to to review the implementation of the chosen option (s)?
