Critical Thinking Skills

Who and why?

This is a course for anyone who is seeking to expand their approach in order to work more effectively.

The competency that next-generation leaders lack the most is strategic thinking which hinges on critical thinking skills. Many leaders would benefit from developing their ability to create a vision. And to understand the total enterprise and how the parts work together – both these competencies are closely tied to critical thinking.

Critical thinking is the raw material of a number of key workplace skills, such as problem-solving, decision-making, organisational planning, and risk management.

Course overview

The essence of critical thinking lies not in answering questions but in questioning answers. So it involves questioning, probing, analysing and evaluating.

During the course delegates will be utilising techniques to practise these skills. Throughout the day they will be challenged to question assumptions, adopt different perspectives and seek new potential in situations.

The course will include a focus on real life business examples in their organisation. Delegates will be encouraged to think outside their own culture and to think like the “competition”.  Among the principles considered are Occam’s Razor, Socratic Dialogue, the Pareto Principle and the RED model.

Key learning points

By the end of the course delegates will be able to:

• Take a creative and open approach to exploring the data
• Critically analyse the situation, including financial implications, risk analysis, etc.
• Work with and manage ambiguity
• Explore a range of options and identify the most effective overall solution
• Apply different types of thinking for improved analysis and problem solving
• Use different thought approaches at different times to yield better results
• Determine the root cause of business problems and opportunities
• Generate innovative responses to business problems and opportunities
• Assess their own thinking style preferences
• Think in the present to prepare for the future