A free guide from THNK
Before you
react
Pause. Check. Choose.
A practical guide to replying, sharing and reacting with more care. For any platform. And the group chat.
Subscribe free & get both PDFsGet both PDFs in your welcome email. You’ll also receive Think First: The Journal by email. Free to join; unsubscribe anytime.
Two useful PDFs. One free subscription.
Read on screen. Print a copy. Keep it close.
Start here
Three steps before
the next click.
A post can be accurate, misleading, uncertain, or mostly opinion. Work out what you are being asked to believe and what your response will add.
Pause
What is the claim?
Read the whole post. Name the claim. Notice your first reaction, including the pleasure of agreeing.
Check
What supports it?
Open the original. Check the date, context and evidence. Look for independent evidence when the claim matters.
Choose
What will I add?
Add one useful point, share with context, ask, wait, or move on. You do not owe every post a response.
Same standard for my side. Room to say, “I don’t know yet.”
Put it to use
A way to think.
Words to respond.
The guide includes worked examples, reply templates and a printable worksheet. Try it on a post you almost shared.
When the source is unclear
“Can you share the original source and its date?”
When you need to wait
“I haven’t verified the main claim, so I’m leaving it unshared for now.”
Other templates help you clarify a point, share with context, discuss a judgment, or correct your own post.
Included in the 9-page guide.
The free download
Learn it. Then keep it handy.
Two PDFs · US Letter format
01 / The 9-page field guide
Practice, examples and useful tools.
The first page teaches the three steps. The rest helps you apply them when the claim or conversation needs more care.
- Sort factual claims, forecasts, allegations and judgments.
- Follow a claim to its source and recover missing context.
- Try clearly labeled practice examples.
- Use reply templates, a worksheet and a reference card.
02 / The one-page cheat sheet
The short version, close at hand.
Three questions, two reply starters and the reminder to use the same standard for your side. Save it on your phone or print it beside your desk.
Built around THNK’s Clarity Framework and established checking habits, including Mike Caulfield’s SIFT and the Digital Inquiry Group’s Civic Online Reasoning. Method credits and source links are included in the guide.
A few practical questions.
What do I get when I subscribe?
Your free THNK subscription includes the 9-page Before you react guide and the standalone one-page cheat sheet. Download links are sent in the welcome email.
Is a paid subscription required?
No. Both PDFs come with a free subscription to Think First: The Journal on Substack. You’ll also receive Jim’s independent essays by email. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Can I use this on any platform?
Yes. The questions apply to social posts, comment threads and group chats. The guide asks what the claim is, what supports it, and what your response would add.
Can I print it?
Yes. Both PDFs use US Letter pages. The guide includes a writing worksheet; the one-page cheat sheet is designed to stay nearby.
Before the next post
Pause. Check.
Choose what you add.
Get the 9-page guide and one-page cheat sheet with a free subscription to THNK.
Subscribe free & get both PDFsSign up on Substack. Look for your THNK welcome email.