Applying Critical Thinking to Problem Solving

Day 1: Foundations of Critical Thinking

0900 – 0930: Introduction and Ice-breaker

0930 – 1015: Session 1: Introduction to Critical Thinking

• What is critical thinking?

• What limits my ability to think?

• Why is it essential in problem-solving?

Activity 1:

Group exercise: Identify real-life scenarios of problems in the workplace that could benefit from critical thinking.

1015 – 1030: Break

1030 – 1200: Session 2: The Critical Thinking Framework

• Critical Thinking Fundamentals

• Key Characteristics of a Critical Thinker

• Principles of Critical Thinking

• Critical Thinking vs other methods

• Steps: Identify, Analyze, Evaluate, Interpret, and

• Tools: The 5 Whys and Root Cause

Activity 2:

• Identify characteristics of a critical thinker

• Define the problem by crafting a Problem Statement (use Activity 1) using the tools shared

1200 – 1300: Session 3: Research in the Age of (Too Much) Information

• Sources of information and impact on our behaviour

• Processing and validating information

• The use of AI (how much and when)

• Closing knowledge gap

Activity 3:

• Analyze a workplace issue using scenarios created in Activity 1 1300 – 1400: Lunch Break

1400 – 1415: Energizer

1415 – 1515: Session 4: Barriers to Critical Thinking

• Cognitive Biases (e.g., confirmation bias, anchoring bias).

• Overcoming Cognitive Biases

• Emotional influences and

Activity 4:

• Evaluate the quality of the information

• Differentiate between facts, opinions, and

• Check if the data aligns with the reality of the

• Identify alternative perspectives or potential blind spots 1515 – 1530: Break

1530 – 1630: Session 5: Essential Skills – Asking Powerful Questions

• What are powerful questions and what do they do?

• Examples of powerful questions and how they are used in the different contexts

• Types of questions and what they do: what, how, why; open vs closed

Activity 5:

• Series of activities involving whole class and pairs including 20 questions, question cards and Question Burst +

1630 – 1700: Q&A and Check-out

• Key take-aways

Day 2: Application and Real-World Scenarios

0900 – 0915: Check-in and Recap

0915 – 1030: Session 6: Creative Thinking in Problem Solving

• Divergent convergent thinking.

• Brainstorming and lateral thinking

Activity 6:

• Group: practice using 1 of the brainstorming techniques 1030 – 1045: Break

1045 – 1130: Practical

Activity 7:

• Interpret the problem by connecting the relevant issues and synthesizing them using mind-mapping or Futures Wheel Diagram

1130 – 1215: Session 7: The Role of Reflection in Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

• Reflective thinking – requires more than just thinking about what had happened but also why it happened and how it has impacted the

• Gibb’s Reflection Cycle

1215 – 1315: Lunch

1315 – 1330: Energizer

1330 – 1430: Session 8: Collaboration and Critical Thinking

• The role of diverse perspectives in critical

• Managing groupthink and enhancing team

Activity 8:

• Team simulation: De Bono’s 6 Hats to solve a hypothetical scenario

• Debrief: Discuss what went well and opportunities for

1430 – 1530: Session 9: Decision Time

• Scenario-based group activity: Evaluate your options to decide on how to solve a workplace problem (Activity 1)

• Utilise all available tools learnt 1530 -1545: Break

1545 – 1620: Session 10: Action Planning

• Develop an action plan to act on the decision (solution)

• This is the “how” part of the decision

1620 – 1700: Closing Session: Final Reflections and Feedback

• Most valuable insights and tools from the

• Trainer wraps up with motivational insights and practical

Here’s what we are going to do for you… because we believe it’s important

1. Start you off by understanding how you would normally think and identify gaps along the way

2. Help you understand that critical thinking is a skill you can actually practice

3. Arm you with the core essential skills that support critical thinking

4. Be cognizant of pitfalls in problem-solving and decision-making efforts

5. Create sound problem statements by understanding root cause

6. Develop a forward-thinking mindset by focusing on desired outcomes

7. Punctuate every topic with an activity to anchor the learning

8. Encourage you to practice through activities designed to apply to real-world scenarios

9. Appreciate the importance of learning from the problem-solving process through a critical review of the process