Formation Critical Thinking Workshop: A 2-Day Intensive

Module 1: Cultivating a Critical Thinking Mindset

• Defining critical thinking and its significance in a professional environment
• Distinguishing between critical analysis, reactive responses, assumptions, and intuition
• Identifying common obstacles to clear and logical thinking
• The influence of time constraints, past experiences, and organisational culture on decision-making
• An introduction to a systematic critical thinking framework
• The stages of observation, interpretation, analysis, exploration, and evaluation
• Shifting focus from immediate answers to posing more effective questions

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

Module 2: Identifying the Core Problem

• Differentiating between surface symptoms and underlying issues
• Understanding why organisations frequently address the wrong problems
• Techniques for framing problems and asking the right questions
• Detecting implicit assumptions within problem statements
• Application of the 5 Whys technique
• Conducting root cause analysis
• Investigating alternative explanations

Practical Exercise: Utilise problem-framing and root cause analysis tools on a real or simulated workplace challenge.

Module 3: Assessing Information, Evidence, and Assumptions

• Distinguishing between facts, opinions, and assumptions
• Separating interpretation from concrete evidence
• Detecting gaps or incomplete data
• Evaluating the credibility and relevance of received information
• Differentiating between strong and weak evidence
• Identifying hidden or implicit assumptions
• Distinguishing between correlation and causation
• Avoiding premature conclusions based on partial information

Practical Exercise: Analyse a business scenario involving facts, opinions, and incomplete evidence, and determine what additional data is needed to make an informed decision.

Module 4: Recognising Cognitive Biases and Thinking Traps

• The impact of cognitive biases on judgement and decision-making
• Understanding confirmation bias
• Understanding anchoring bias
• Understanding authority bias
• Understanding availability bias
• Escalation of commitment
• The phenomenon of groupthink
• Identifying logical fallacies in professional discussions
• Ad hominem arguments
• Straw man arguments
• Slippery slope fallacies
• False dilemmas
• Techniques for challenging one’s own thought processes

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

Module 5: Analysing Business Challenges

• Applying the critical thinking framework to complex issues
• Clarifying the nature of the problem before proposing solutions
• Identifying available evidence and information gaps
• Challenging initial assumptions
• Considering alternative interpretations of data
• Filtering relevant information from distractions
• Formulating an evidence-based problem analysis

Practical Exercise: In small groups, analyse a business case relevant to the client’s industry and present the findings and logical reasoning.

Module 6: Challenging Perspectives and Exploring Alternatives

• The role of alternative perspectives in enhancing decision quality
• The importance of asking, "What if our current approach is incorrect?"
• Identifying alternative explanations for outcomes
• Employing Devil’s Advocate techniques
• Utilising Red Team thinking
• Fostering constructive disagreement
• Challenging preferred or obvious solutions
• Using pre-mortems to identify potential points of failure

Practical Exercise: Critically examine a proposed business decision by uncovering assumptions, risks, missing evidence, and alternative strategies.

Module 7: Leveraging Creative Thinking for Problem Solving

• The synergy between critical and creative thinking
• The balance between divergent and convergent thinking
• Moving beyond the first or most obvious solution
• Techniques for brainstorming and brainwriting
• Generating a wide range of alternatives
• Applying SCAMPER to explore new approaches
• Objectively evaluating creative ideas

Practical Exercise: Develop and refine multiple solutions to a workplace challenge before selecting the most suitable options.

Module 8: Structured Decision Making

• Transitioning from analysis to actionable steps
• Defining clear criteria for decision-making
• Objectively comparing different alternatives
• Conducting cost and benefit analyses
• Evaluating risks and trade-offs
• Assessing the impact on various stakeholders
• Utilising decision matrices
• Identifying potential unintended consequences
• Making decisions in the presence of uncertainty

Practical Exercise: Assess several potential solutions using established decision criteria and present a justified recommendation.

Module 9: Critical Thinking in Leadership and Teams

• The role of critical thinking in effective leadership
• Reasons why teams may make suboptimal decisions
• The effects of hierarchy, authority, and groupthink
• Promoting constructive challenge within teams
• Cultivating an environment where assumptions can be questioned
• Posing effective questions in meetings
• Distinguishing between disagreement and conflict
• Facilitating discussions grounded in evidence
• Communicating recommendations clearly and persuasively

Practical Exercise: Engage in a structured team decision-making exercise involving competing priorities, limited information, and diverse stakeholder viewpoints.

Module 10: Final Business Simulation and Action Planning

• Applying the full critical thinking process
• Defining the core problem
• Analysing evidence and underlying assumptions
• Identifying cognitive biases and thinking traps
• Exploring alternative perspectives and solutions
• Establishing decision criteria
• Evaluating risks and potential consequences
• Formulating and presenting an evidence-based recommendation

Practical Exercise: Teams collaborate on a comprehensive business scenario or, where applicable, a real-world challenge provided by the client.