# Deliberate

The third step in the [8-step decision-making process](8-step-decision-making-process).

The purpose of deliberation is to process the information that was amassed during [accumulation](accumulate). This is accomplished by combining or patterning items that mean the same thing, clarifying definitions, and other techniques. Deliberation is an exercise in conveyance, where the results of the accumulation are reduced to a more manageable format.
