"We HAVE to Do It This Way!" — Says Who?
Hook
Picture this: your group project meeting. Someone — usually the loudest person in the room — announces:
"We HAVE to do it as a PowerPoint. That's just how presentations work."
Everyone nods. Nobody asks why. You spend the next two hours making slides. The presentation is fine. Whatever.
But here's the question nobody asked: did you actually have to?
What's Actually Going On?
This argument type is called Practical Reasoning. It goes like this:
- We want to reach Goal X
- Action Y is the way to reach Goal X
- Therefore, we must do Action Y
Sounds reasonable! And sometimes it genuinely is. If you want to pass your driving test, you have to practice driving. That's just real.
But the trap is in step 2. People say "Action Y is the way" — as if it's the only option. When actually, there are almost always multiple paths to the same goal.
The word "must" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in these arguments. Every time you hear it, your brain should flicker: wait — must we? Or is that just one option?
Real Life: The Group Project Classics
Group projects are basically a masterclass in practical reasoning gone wrong.
The PowerPoint Dictator:
"We have to use slides. That's what everyone does."
Sure. Or you could do a poster, a short video, a live demo, a zine, a podcast clip, a physical model. The goal is to communicate your idea clearly — there are a thousand ways to get there.
The "We Always Do It This Way" Move:
"We divide the work equally between all of us. That's the fair way."
Is equal distribution always the same as equal contribution? What if one person is great at writing and another can't write at all? What if equal parts leads to a chaotic final product that doesn't flow?
The Homework Version:
"If you want to get better at math, you have to do all the practice problems."
Maybe. Or maybe you need to watch three YouTube videos first, then do ten problems, then teach someone else the concept. Different paths, same destination.
The Social Media Edition
Practical reasoning shows up online all the time — often disguised as life advice.
"If you want to grow on Instagram, you HAVE to post every day."
That's one strategy. It works for some people. There are plenty of accounts that post twice a week and absolutely blow up. The goal is growth. The path isn't fixed.
"If you want people to respect you, you have to stand up for yourself loudly."
Or... you could do it calmly. Or through your work. Or by setting quiet, consistent boundaries. "Must" = limiting. Reality = wider.
How to Spot It (and Push Back Without Starting Drama)
You don't need to argue. You just need to ask one question:
"Is that the only way, or just one way?"
That's it. That one question opens up the whole space. Most of the time, people haven't thought it through — they're just defaulting to whatever seems obvious.
Some other useful questions:
- What's the actual goal here?
- What would happen if we tried a different approach?
- Who decided this was the rule?
Why This Matters Beyond Group Projects
Practical reasoning isn't just a school thing. It runs through basically everything:
- "You have to go to university to succeed."
- "You have to be on social media to have a social life."
- "You have to follow trends to stay relevant."
Every one of those has an unstated assumption: that the goal is fixed and the path is the only one. Challenge either of those, and the whole argument loosens up.
Some goals are worth questioning too. Do you want what they're pushing you toward? Or did you just inherit that goal without checking?
Your Challenge 🎯
In your next group project — or any situation where someone says "we have to..." — pause and suggest an alternative.
You don't have to fight for it. Just put it on the table:
"That could work — what if we also considered [X]? Just to compare."
Watch what happens. Sometimes your idea is better. Sometimes theirs is. Sometimes the combination is best. But the conversation that opens up is almost always more useful than "okay, sure, PowerPoint it is."
Bonus challenge: Find an "expert" online who gives "you MUST do this" advice. Ask yourself: must you? What's the actual goal? How many paths lead there?
The loudest person in the room isn't always right. They're just loudest.