Welcome to HeadScratchers - On-Site Workshops

Advanced Critical Thinking and Decision Making

Course #301
Duration:1 Day, At customers location

• Review of the 3 step Critical Thinking Process for solving problems and making decisions
• Advanced "Thinksheet" guides for getting clear about a situation, reaching a conclusion and making
decisions.
• Additional Critical Thinking Tools and Techniques with interactive and group exercises
• Expanded Exercises and Practice, including Case Study
• Understand and balance Risk and a 9-Point Risk Thinksheet
• Fast Decisions, Fuzzy Criteria, and Analysis Paralysis
• Intuition, and strong beliefs
• Groups decisions and guiding others to use sound problem solving and decision making
• Customized examples and exercises from prior interviews with attendees
• Critical Thinking Practice and Role Playing with real time issues of the attendees

During the class, the attendees will be applying Critical Thinking to their own current business problem. In this way, when they return to their desk, they already know how to proceed.

What's unique about our workshop? This isn't your ordinary "academic" day. It's not just "theory", but pragmatic, proven techniques for solving real world business problems, strategies and challenges.

Customized
We customize the workshop to your business, with real examples and exercises that come from interviews with would be attendees. The attendees learn critical thinking AND see it in action with their own day-to-day issues.

Download Workshop Brochure (pdf) for a more detailed look

Read HeadScratchers our clients have used in the workshop.

Mulitple curriculums for varied attendees
We also modify the curriculum for the mix of attendees:
• Executives and Business Leaders
• Teams (a Manager and team, or cross functional)
• Supervisors, Managers and Directors
• Individual Contributors
• Mixed class of multiple disciplines and responsibilities

Using concepts from our model we created a simple framework for Critical Thinking

We contrast your everyday automatic thinking with Critical Thinking.

Decisions

Conclusions

Clarity

Conclusions

Decisions

Critical Thinking

Automatic Thinking

Stronger foundation for decisions
More time on getting clear and less time and rework needed for decisions

Weaker foundation for decisions
Less time on getting clear and more time and rework needed for decisions

Using the tools from the Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Workshop, we add others

Empty Bucket
Inspection
Need
Why? So What?
What's Next?
The Ingredients
Vision

Get Clear

Facts
Observations
Experiences
Beliefs
Assumptions

plus

Influencing
Triangular Thinking
Change

Reach
Conclusions

Need
Upsides
Downsides

plus

Risk Model
Preeminent Metrics
Advanced Criteria

Decisions

Overview (Download the Workshop Brochure for more details)

This workshop builds on the material from Course #201, "Critical Thinking for Problem Solving and Decision Making", with added content, practice, and case study time to strengthen comprehension. Additional topics include: Influencing and Communicating ideas, Trianglar Thinking, Making Fast Decisions, Fuzzy Criteria, Analysis Paralysis, A 9-Point Risk model and template, Advanced Decision Criteria, Preeminent Metrics. The course includes:

Optional: Post course 1:1 mini coaching sessions available for followup and continued assistance

Clarity

Conclusions

Decisions

This Results in ...

Focus
People, Time and Money spent
on the right problem

Clarity of issue and decision to be made

Thoughtful,
Defendable and Clear Conclusions
New ideas
Skills to influence and Guide Others

Alternatives

Solid Conclusions

Successful Decisions
Fewer iterations and redo's
Crisp, Decisive, Defendable Decisions
Alignment
Enrollment
Risk Mitigation

Faster and Quality
Decision Making

What's the benefit of Critical Thinking and the workshop.
Attendees learn Pragmatic Critical Thinking Techniques resulting in;
• Faster and higher quality decisions that are more likely to be the correct ones.
• Superior solutions to problems, goals, and strategies.
• Advanced view and tools for decision making
• Better understanding of the dynamics between different aspects of a business or project
• Innovative ideas and solution
• Higher productivity
• Being better equipped to tackle problems and make decisions on a daily basis.

Critical Thinking skills gained can be applied to:
• General problem solving and decision making
• New product ideas and creation
• Short and long term business strategies
• Improved development processes and quality
• Improved operational efficiency
• Crisis Management
• Revenue generation and cost reduction strategies
• Customer care improvement

Advanced Decision Making incorporates a Risk Model