Problem Solving With Creative, Critical And Analytical Thinking Skills: Tools And Techniques For Success

Introduction

Navigating decision-making in today's increasingly intricate world, characterized by widespread changes and uncertainties, demands approaches that adeptly identify genuine issues and their root causes. Often, this necessitates challenging the assumptions underlying our judgments. Essential for problem-solving, enhancing work-related outcomes, and driving organizational success are the skills of creative, critical, and analytical thinking. Critical thinking, essentially, involves refining one's thinking quality by grasping the fundamental structures of thought processes and subjecting them to intellectual benchmarks. Within this critical thinking framework, creativity becomes pivotal in generating ideas and innovating new solutions for the issues at hand.

There's a common misconception that creativity, critical thinking, and analytical skills are innate talents reserved for a select few. This belief is fundamentally flawed. Rather, these skills are processes that can be honed by anyone through consistent practice and a structured approach. This training session aims to explore how, why, and when one can apply this process effectively, facilitating more efficient problem-solving. It will provide actionable steps to shift perspectives, fostering a culture of critical thinking at all organizational levels. Furthermore, it offers insights into what to anticipate during the critical thinking process and furnishes guidance and tools to instil a supportive environment within the organization.

The outcome is an enhanced ability not only to boost personal creativity, critical thinking, and analytical skills but also those of one's team and the entire organization. This empowerment enables individuals to identify and cultivate new opportunities and problem-solving techniques. Utilizing a blend of case studies, personal experiences, and extensive research, this course aims to raise awareness among its participants regarding their distinct creative potential and critical thinking abilities. Ultimately, it aims to enable individuals and teams to flourish amid disruptions and diverse perspectives, leveraging the imperative need for everyone to employ critical and analytical skills.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the training program, participants will have acquired the knowledge necessary to foster critical and analytical thinking skills within themselves, their team, and the organization. This newfound understanding will empower participants to strategically implement steps aimed at enhancing these skills. They will gain the capacity to plan, apply, and execute creative and critical thinking techniques effectively, enabling them to tackle problems, offer innovative solutions, and fulfill their responsibilities more proficiently. Furthermore, they will develop the ability to shift their perspectives, thereby uncovering new possibilities previously unseen.

Key Content

Module 1: Creativity As The First Step Towards Critical And Analytical Thinking

• Creativity is a skill that you can learn: The creative process and our ability to be creative
• Personality traits critical to creativity: Relevant skills that is needed to drive creativity
• Obstacles to creativity: Factors that affect creativity must be identified

Module 2: Building Your Thinking Skills

• Importance of Persistency and Processes: How to build your thinking muscle
• Convergent Thinking versus Divergent Thinking: Need to have both to support healthy thinking
• Ways human psychology and situations keep us from reasoning well: Past experiences shaping our beliefs
• Fixed and growth mindset: Our personal qualities and abilities are not static; they remain open to change from outside and within

Module 3: Idea Generation Toolbox

• Brainstorming Session: Basic rules and benefits
• Brainstorming Techniques: Alphabet Brainstorming, Brainwriting, The Charette Procedure, Crawford’s Slip Writing Method, Role-Storming, Reverse Brainstorm, Circle Brainstorming
• Pros and Cons of Each Technique: Debriefing experience from participants

Module 4: Breaking Down The Key Steps In Critical And Analytical Thinking

• Central elements of critical thinking: Observing, wondering, gathering information, analyzing, synthesizing, reflecting, identifying, deciding
• Central elements of analytical skills: Zooming out and zooming in, breaking down issues to smaller components, research, comparing, investigation, concluding
• Intellectual values of a good thinker: Attentiveness, curiosity, motivated learner
• Benefits of practicing critical and analytical skills in the workplace: A cognitive skill that can be mastered, better decision-making, enhanced problem-solving skills

Module 5: The 5 Step Process To Problem Solving

• Identifying problem and root cause: Clarity, depth, root cause matrix
• Evaluating/choosing solutions: Standards in the decision-making process, analyzing advantages and disadvantages, engaging feedback
• Implementation: Importance of measuring success / implementation matrix

Module 6: Applying Critical And Analytical Thinking In The Problem-Solving Process

• Practice Session: Using actual case examples from previous day
• Debriefing learning experience: Participants sharing / evaluation of toolbox
• Commitment Session: What I need to do in order to start the process within myself

Target Audience

Team leaders, supervisors, executives, and managers.

Methodology

Lecture, videos, group discussion, games, case studies, and personal reflection.