Critical Thinking Worskshop 2 days Training Course

Module 1: The Critical Thinking Mindset

• Defining critical thinking and its importance in the workplace
• Distinguishing critical thinking from reactive behaviour, assumption, and intuition
• Common barriers to clear thought processes
• The influence of time pressure, past experience, and organisational culture on decisions
• Introduction to a structured critical thinking framework
• Stages of observation, interpretation, analysis, exploration, and evaluation
• Transitioning from immediate answers to asking better questions

Practical Exercise: Review a recent workplace decision to identify the thought process that led to the outcome.

Module 2: Defining the Right Problem

• Differentiating symptoms from underlying issues
• Why organisations often address the wrong problem
• Problem framing and the art of asking better questions
• Identifying assumptions embedded in problem statements
• The 5 Whys technique
• Root cause analysis
• Exploring alternative explanations

Practical Exercise: Apply problem-framing and root cause analysis techniques to a real or simulated workplace challenge.

Module 3: Evaluating Information, Evidence, and Assumptions

• Distinguishing facts from opinions and assumptions
• Interpretation versus factual evidence
• Identifying gaps or incomplete information
• Assessing the credibility and relevance of data
• Differentiating between strong and weak evidence
• Recognising hidden assumptions
• Correlation versus causation
• Avoiding premature conclusions based on incomplete data

Practical Exercise: Assess a business scenario containing facts, opinions, assumptions, and incomplete evidence, and determine what additional information is needed before deciding.

Module 4: Cognitive Biases and Thinking Traps

• The impact of cognitive biases on judgement and decision-making
• Confirmation bias
• Anchoring bias
• Authority bias
• Availability bias
• Escalation of commitment
• Groupthink
• Recognising logical fallacies in workplace discussions
• Ad hominem
• Straw man
• Slippery slope
• False dilemmas
• Challenging one’s own thinking patterns

Practical Exercise: Identify biases, assumptions, and logical fallacies within various workplace scenarios and decision discussions.

Module 5: Analysing a Business Challenge

• Applying the critical thinking process to complex problems
• Clarifying the problem before proposing solutions
• Identifying available and missing evidence
• Challenging initial assumptions
• Considering alternative interpretations
• Separating relevant information from distractions
• Developing an evidence-based problem analysis

Practical Exercise: Small groups analyse a business case relevant to the client’s industry and present their findings and reasoning.

Module 6: Challenging Perspectives and Exploring Alternatives

• Why considering alternative perspectives enhances decision quality
• Asking: "What if we are wrong?"
• Identifying alternative explanations
• Devil’s Advocate techniques
• Red Team thinking
• Fostering constructive disagreement
• Challenging preferred solutions
• Using pre-mortems to identify potential failure points

Practical Exercise: Participants challenge a proposed business decision by identifying assumptions, risks, missing evidence, and alternative approaches.

Module 7: Creative Thinking for Better Problem Solving

• The interplay between critical thinking and creative thinking
• Divergent and convergent thinking
• Moving beyond the first or most obvious solution
• Brainstorming and brainwriting techniques
• Generating multiple alternatives
• Using SCAMPER to explore new approaches
• Evaluating creative ideas objectively

Practical Exercise: Generate and develop multiple solutions to a workplace challenge before selecting the most appropriate options.

Module 8: Structured Decision Making

• Transitioning from analysis to action
• Establishing clear decision criteria
• Objectively comparing alternatives
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Assessing risks and trade-offs
• Understanding stakeholder impact
• Utilising decision matrices
• Identifying potential unintended consequences
• Making decisions under uncertainty

Practical Exercise: Evaluate several potential solutions using agreed-upon decision criteria and present a justified recommendation.

Module 9: Critical Thinking in Leadership and Teams

• The role of critical thinking in leadership
• Reasons why teams sometimes make poor decisions
• The impact of hierarchy, authority, and groupthink
• Encouraging constructive challenge
• Creating an environment where questioning assumptions is encouraged
• Asking better questions in meetings
• Distinguishing between disagreement and conflict
• Facilitating evidence-based discussions
• Communicating recommendations clearly and persuasively

Practical Exercise: Participate in a structured team decision-making exercise involving competing priorities, incomplete information, and diverse stakeholder perspectives.

Module 10: Final Business Simulation and Action Planning

• Applying the complete critical thinking process
• Defining the problem
• Analysing evidence and assumptions
• Identifying biases and thinking traps
• Exploring alternative perspectives and solutions
• Establishing decision criteria
• Assessing risks and consequences
• Developing and presenting an evidence-based recommendation

Practical Exercise: Participants work in teams on a comprehensive business scenario or, where appropriate, a real workplace challenge faced by the client.