Program Coordinators are often caught in logical reasoning misconceptions. How can you avoid them?

1 False Dilemmas

A false dilemma is a logical fallacy that presents only two options as the only possible choices, when in fact there are more alternatives. For example, you may think that you have to either increase the budget or cut the quality of your program, when there may be other ways to optimize your resources or negotiate with your stakeholders. A false dilemma can limit your creativity and flexibility, and lead to unnecessary conflicts or compromises. To avoid false dilemmas, you should always question the assumptions behind the options, look for more evidence and information, and explore other possibilities.

4 Correlation vs Causation

A correlation is a statistical relationship between two variables, while a causation is a causal link between them. For example, you may observe that your program has a high attendance rate and a high satisfaction rate, and conclude that the former causes the latter. However, correlation does not imply causation. There may be other variables that influence both outcomes, or the direction of causality may be reversed or bidirectional. A confusion between correlation and causation can make you draw invalid or misleading inferences, and waste your time or resources on irrelevant or ineffective actions. To avoid this confusion, you should always look for evidence and logic that supports the causal claim, control for confounding variables, and use experiments or counterfactuals to test the causal effect.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?