Critical Thinking

Course Description

Feeling overwhelmed? What if you could learn a process for thinking to make better decisions and create better solutions? In this course, you’ll learn and practice techniques to generate breakthrough ideas and solve your most pressing problems. You’ll also discover how to ask the right questions, challenge assumptions and see others’ viewpoints with clarity.

You’ll learn how to:

• • Translate abstract ideas into tangible results

• • Evaluate ideas and adjust assumptions

• • Solve problems based on credible evidence

• • Make dramatically better decisions

You’ll also receive:

• • The “My Thinking Styles” assessment, which gauges your thinking style preferences

• • A personalized development report with your individual results and areas for development

• • AMA’s Critical Thinking Model, with an action plan for implementing critical thinking and decision-making skills back at work

• • Pre- and post-seminar assessments

• • Tune-up materials to review what you’ve learned after the event

• • A skill-enabling toolkit, downloadable from the AMA Learning Portal

Course Objectives

The Mindset for Critical Thinking

• Understanding the neurological and psychological brain functions involved in critical thinking
• Discovering the mental habits that dispose people to be effective critical thinkers

Clarifying Problems Using Critical Thinking Techniques

• Gathering and assessing data
• Analyzing a given situation to identify the problems at hand
• Recognizing your assumptions and cognitive biases
• Unmasking persuasion techniques
• Identifying and managing emotions
• Framing and translating issues into formulated, actionable items

Developing Solutions and Solving Problems with Critical Thinking Skills

• Applying counterfactual thinking techniques to assess and refine solutions
• Using diagrams to assess data, check for gaps and communicate solutions to others
• Seek relevant alternative viewpoints for constructive critique

Understanding Your Mindset for Critical Thinking

• Interpreting feedback on your “My Thinking Styles” assessment
• Gaining insight into your critical thinking mindset
• Selecting which parts of your mindset to develop further

Organizational Context and Awareness for Critical Thinking

• Analyzing power relationships, values, and formal and informal structures of your team or organization
• Acquiring key interpersonal and communication strategies to strengthen your relationships

Implementing Your New Knowledge and Skills

• Anticipating pitfalls you may encounter as a critical thinker
• Creating an action plan for development of critical thinking skills