Getting honest assessment.
THE PROBLEM
Models are trained toward helpfulness. They agree by default.
"What do you think of this?" produces praise.
WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS
"What are the three weakest points in this?" "What would a sceptical reader object to?" "Argue against this as forcefully as you can." "What am I assuming that might not be true?" "What would make this fail?"
WHY THESE WORK
They do not permit a general endorsement. The task is to find problems.
THE ASSUMPTION QUESTION
The most valuable. Most flawed plans fail on an unexamined assumption.
PRESENTING IT AS SOMEONE ELSE'S
"A colleague proposed this. What problems do you see?"
Removes the tendency to encourage.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE CRITICISM
Take it seriously rather than defending.
Most will be weak. One may be the thing you missed.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Ask for feedback and treat agreement as validation.
It would have agreed with the opposite.
