CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

In today's competitive and complex business world, the ability to think critically and solve problems is an indispensable skill.   To be both effective and productive we need to continue to develop mentally, to rekindle our creativity, to understand how we think as well as utilize a systematic and open-minded approach to problem solving. In this course you will learn what  your thinking style is, how it can help you and where it can blind you. You will determine your mental blocks, and ways to overcome them.  Recognize why you rely on the known, learn when to rebel against it.  Practice challenging your assumptions and breaking out of outdated thinking patterns   Discover new options, see unlikely connections and unlock your mind for innovation. You will find out how to use imagination, intuition, humor, and playfulness to break out of limiting patterns of thinking, and to look for new possibilities, challenges and opportunities. 

BENEFITS:
The goal of this course is to develop mental skills, get out of  paradigm thinking, enhance your creativity and problem solving.  Upon completing this class you will have the tools to:
 

 • Assess your thinking style

 • Develop important thinking habits which you can use
      in all situations to be more creative

 • Get past assumptions and  limiting thinking boxes 

 • Identify and overcome roadblocks to effectiveness

 • Obtain the keys to help open the most common mental blocks

 • Learn eight approaches to generate new ideas and produce solutions

 • Practice blockbusting techniques

 • Use impractical  ideas as stepping stones to creative ideas

 • Learn how to playing the fool can lead to innovation

 • Understand when breaking the rules can be an avenue to invention

 • Identify places where you can hunt for ideas

 • Assess your problem solving style and choose the mode most appropriate to the problem

 • Find the problem before it finds you

 • Identify the real problem and avoid wasting time, money and energy on curing the symptoms

 • Make decision making the easiest part of the process

OUTLINE

Dangers & Opportunities

 • Understand Opportunities in Critical Thinking
 • Identify Dangers
 • Dealing With Your Mental Blocks

The Way You Think, The Way You Don’t Think

 • Identify  And Understand Your Thinking Style
 • Are You Darwin, Einstein, Socrates, Or Ford?
 • Maximize Your Style's Potential And Minimize Its Limitations 
 • Overcome Roadblocks Due To Habitual Thinking

Mental Calisthenics: Tactics for Building A Better Brain
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Enhancing Your Thinking Style And Problem Solving Ability With Brain Building Exercises

 P Problem Describing

 • Define Problems Effectively
 • Learn As Much As You Can In The Shortest Possible Time
 • Develop Fact-Finding Skills
 • Obtain The Keys To Help Open The Most Common Mental Locks

 R Researching The Cause

 • Make The First Assessment Successfully
 • Learn Strategies For Identifying The Source, Cause, And Affect Of Your Frustrations
 • Formulate And Test Validity Of Possible Assumptions

 O Option Finding

 • Generate Alternatives And Solutions
 • Practice Blockbusting Techniques 

 B Being Decisive - Choosing A Solution

 • Evaluate Ideas
 • Select Appropriate Solutions

 L Leading To Action

 • Develop Strategies To Resolve Problems
 • Implement Results
 • Develop An Action Plan
 • Overcome Obstacles

 E Evaluate And
 M Monitor Results

 • Find Problems Before They Find You
 •   Anticipate Potential Problems 

Action Planning

 • What Can You Do To Use It And Not Lose It