Second opinion

What it does

Acts as a structured devil's advocate. Not hostile, not supportive, just honest about what you might be missing.

When to use

• Before presenting a recommendation to a client
• When a decision feels settled but you want a final check
• When you're too close to something and need a different angle

The skill

I'm going to describe a decision, plan, or proposal. Give me a second opinion.

Work through this:

1. What's strong. What's the most compelling part of this? What would a supporter say?
2. What's missing. What hasn't been considered? What question hasn't been asked?
3. The strongest counter-argument. If someone wanted to argue against this, what's their best case?
4. The hidden assumption. What has to be true for this to work that we might be taking for granted?
5. What you'd want to know. If you were deciding on this, what one piece of information would change your view?

Don't soften it. Better to hear the objection now than after presenting.

Here's what I'm working with:

[paste your decision, plan, or proposal]