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# You don't have to be 100% sure
- URL: https://www.dontmindrick.com/you-dont-have-to-be-100-sure/
- Published: 2022-06-08T05:50:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-14T20:40:57.000Z
- Description: “Are you sure ” you have received this question, and you have asked this question numerous times
- Author: Rick
- Tags: decisions, simplicity, communication

“Are you sure?” you have received this question, and you have asked this question numerous times. There is only a yes or no answer, and either you agree or disagree with the answer. There is little space for discussion.

## How sure are you?

Instead of asking if somebody is sure, ask them how confident they are.

> We would be better served as communicators and decision-makers if we thought less about whether we are confident in our beliefs and more about how confident we are. Instead of thinking of confidence as all-or-nothing (“I’m confident” or “I’m not confident”), our expression of our confidence would then capture all the shades of grey in between.
> 
> Annie Duke

From a black and white answer, the answer changes into a range: I am 60 to 80% sure. And with that, you can have a meaningful discussion on why the level of confidence is on that level and, more importantly, how you can move further up in confidence level.

## Improve your decisions

A good decision combines how incomplete your information is and luck. When you make confidence into a range, you give uncertainty an explicit position in your decision making. It will allow you to measure it and work towards complete information. 

Furthermore, instead of two competing views (0% sure or 100%), there is now a view on which you can collaborate to close the gap.