Make the strongest case against my recommendation before I commit
Red-teams your preferred option with the best counter-argument, the weak points in your case, and the evidence that should change your mind.
The prompt
Argue against my recommendation as strongly and fairly as you can, so I can see if it holds up.
The decision: [WHAT IS BEING DECIDED]
My recommendation: [THE OPTION I PREFER]
Why I prefer it: [MY REASONING AND EVIDENCE - paste numbers, notes, or analysis]
The alternatives I rejected: [OTHER OPTIONS, and why I set them aside]
Who will decide or push back: [ROLES AND WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT]
Do this:
1. Write the strongest case against my recommendation, as a smart, well-informed skeptic would make it. Lead with the best argument, not a list of small ones.
2. Make the best case for the strongest rejected alternative.
3. Point out weak spots in my reasoning: thin evidence, cherry-picked data, correlation treated as cause, sunk-cost thinking, optimistic timelines, or ignored costs.
4. Name the evidence that would change the decision: what we would need to see (and roughly what threshold) to switch to another option, and whether we can get it before deciding.
5. Say honestly whether my recommendation still stands, should be changed, or needs conditions attached.
Return: the counter-case (one tight paragraph), the alternative's best case, weak spots as bullets, a table of "Evidence that would change the decision | Can we get it? | How", and your verdict with what would make my case stronger.
Be direct, not contrarian for its own sake. If my reasoning is sound, say so. I make the final call.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Thinking & Decisions prompts
What to fill in
- WHAT IS BEING DECIDED
- THE OPTION I PREFER
- MY REASONING AND EVIDENCE - paste numbers, notes, or analysis
- OTHER OPTIONS, and why I set them aside
- ROLES AND WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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