Critical Thinking Worskshop 2 days Training Course

Module 1: The Critical Thinking Mindset

• Understanding critical thinking and its importance in the workplace
• Distinguishing critical thinking from reactive behaviour, assumption-based thinking, and reliance on intuition
• Common obstacles to clear and objective thinking
• The influence of time pressure, past experiences, and organisational culture on decision-making
• Introduction to a structured critical thinking process
• Key steps: observation, interpretation, analysis, exploration, and evaluation
• Shifting focus from seeking immediate answers to asking better questions

Practical Exercise: Examine a recent workplace decision and trace the thought process that led to the final outcome.

Module 2: Defining the Right Problem

• Distinguishing between symptoms and underlying problems
• Why organisations often end up solving the wrong problem
• Problem framing and the art of asking better questions
• Identifying hidden assumptions within a problem statement
• The 5 Whys technique
• Root cause analysis
• Exploring alternative explanations for issues

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

Module 3: Evaluating Information, Evidence, and Assumptions

• Differentiating facts, opinions, and assumptions
• Distinguishing interpretation from objective evidence
• Identifying missing or incomplete information
• Assessing the credibility and relevance of available data
• Evaluating strong versus weak evidence
• Recognising hidden assumptions
• Understanding the difference between correlation and causation
• Avoiding premature conclusions based on insufficient information

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

Module 4: Cognitive Biases and Thinking Traps

• How cognitive biases influence judgement and decision-making
• Confirmation bias
• Anchoring bias
• Authority bias
• Availability bias
• Escalation of commitment
• Groupthink
• Recognising logical fallacies in workplace discussions
• Ad hominem attacks
• Straw man arguments
• Slippery slope reasoning
• False dilemmas
• Challenging one’s own thought processes

Practical Exercise: Identify biases, assumptions, and logical fallacies within a series of workplace scenarios and decision-making discussions.

Module 5: Analysing a Business Challenge

• Applying the critical thinking process to a complex problem
• Clarifying the problem before proposing solutions
• Identifying available evidence and missing data
• Challenging initial assumptions
• Considering alternative interpretations of events
• 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 improves decision quality
• Asking: "What if we are wrong?"
• Identifying alternative explanations for outcomes
• Devil's Advocate techniques
• Red Team thinking
• Constructive disagreement
• Challenging preferred solutions
• Using a pre-mortem to identify potential failure points

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

Module 7: Creative Thinking for Better Problem Solving

• The relationship 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

• Moving from analysis to action
• Establishing clear decision criteria
• Comparing alternatives objectively
• Cost and benefit analysis
• Assessing risks and trade-offs
• Understanding stakeholder impact
• Using decision matrices
• Identifying potential unintended consequences
• Making decisions under uncertainty

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

Module 9: Critical Thinking in Leadership and Teams

• The role of critical thinking in leadership
• Why teams sometimes make poor decisions
• The impact of hierarchy, authority, and groupthink
• Encouraging constructive challenge
• Creating an environment where people can question assumptions
• Asking better questions in meetings
• Separating disagreement from conflict
• Facilitating evidence-based discussions
• Communicating recommendations clearly and convincingly

Practical Exercise: Participate in a structured team decision-making exercise involving competing priorities, incomplete information, and different 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, one of the client's real workplace challenges.