Our ability to learn new ways to think is the power of human potential. We have to make choices about the types of thinking that we apply to a variety of different challenges. Critical Thinking is the act of examining a set of facts and analyzing and evaluating relevant information. We live in a knowledge based society, and the more critically you think the better your knowledge will be. Critical Thinking provides you with the skills to analyze and evaluate information so that you are able to obtain the greatest amount of knowledge from it. It provides the best chance of making the correct decision, and minimizes damages if a mistake does occur. Critical Thinking will lead to being a more rational and disciplined thinker. It will reduce your prejudice and bias, which will provide you a better understanding of your environment. This workshop will provide you the skills to evaluate, identify, and distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information. It will lead you to be more productive in your career, and provide a great skill in your everyday life. Lastly, critical thinking skills will support your capacity to be innovative. Once you fully understand what it is, you can begin exploring what could be. By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to answer the following questions: 1) What is critical thinking? 2) How can I use nonlinear thinking strategies? 3) What does it mean for me to apply logic to situations? 4) How do I know when, how, and why to think critically about a challenge? 5) What skills allow be to better evaluate facts and data? 6) How will thinking differently effect my decision outcomes? 7) How can I challenge my self to see alternate perspectives? 8) How can I increase my problem solving abilities?

1. BOOK2BOARDROOM
INNOVATIVE AND CRITICAL
THINKING
Training Your Brain to Solve Problems and
Create Solutions

2. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Workshop Objectives
• What is critical thinking?
• How can I use nonlinear thinking strategies?
• What does it mean for me to apply logic to situations?
• How do I know when, how and why to think critically about a challenge?
• What skills allow me to better evaluate facts and data?
• How will thinking differently effect my decision outcomes?
• How can I challenge myself to see alternative perspectives?
• How can I increase my problem-solving abilities?

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Module 1:
“Intelligence is something we are
born with. Thinking is a skill that
must be learned.”
- Edward de Bono
What Is Critical
Thinking?

4. BOOK2BOARDROOM
What is Critical Thinking?
• Critical thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in
order to form a judgment.
• Critical thinking is logic-based thinking.
• Critical thinking relates to how we make decisions and use our
judgment.

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Why is Critical Thinking Important?
As new professionals, the ability to think critically and be creative is important
because we live in a knowledge-based society, and the more critically you think
the more knowledgeable you will be. Critical thinking cultivates your ability to
analyze and evaluate information so that you can best use the information to your
advantage.

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Components of Critical Thinking
In this module, we will discuss four components of critical thinking. They
are:
• Applying Reason
• Open Mindedness
• Analysis
• Logic

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Applying Reason
Applying reason is the process of
thinking about something in a logical way
in order to form a conclusion or judgment
Try to avoid emotional bias when
applying reason

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Open Mindedness
Consider relevant evidence
Be receptive to different ideas or opinions
Be open to alternatives

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Analysis
• Systematic examination and evaluation of
data or information
• Break down complex problems into its
component parts
• Gain a better understanding of cause-
effect relationships

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Logic
Logic is the science
of how to evaluate
arguments and
reasoning
Logic provides
rules for deriving
valid conclusions
Logical statements
are based on facts
called “premises”

11. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle: The Fox, the Sheep, and the Haystack
A farmer is traveling with a fox, a sheep, and a small stack of hay. He
comes to a river with a small boat in it. The boat can only support the
farmer and one other animal/item. If the farmer leaves the fox alone with
the sheep, the fox will eat the sheep. If the farmer leaves the sheep alone
with the hay, the sheep will eat the hay. How can the farmer get all three,
as well as himself, safely across the river?

12. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle Answer: The Fox, the Sheep, and
the Haystack
1. The farmer takes the sheep across the river to the other side.
2. The farmer returns to the first side.
3. The farmer takes the fox across the river to the other side.
4. The farmer returns with the sheep to the first side.
5. The farmer takes the hay across the river to the other side.
6. The farmer returns to the first side.
7. The farmer takes the sheep across the river to the other side.

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Reflect
What kind of problems do you face?
How do you go about solving them?

14. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Module 2:
“To raise new questions, new
possibilities, to regard old problems
from a new angle requires a
creative imagination…”
- Albert Einstein
How Can I Use
Nonlinear Thinking
Strategies?

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What Is Nonlinear Thinking?
• Two common ways to analyze a problem are
through linear and nonlinear thinking
• Linear thinkers follow a step-by-step process
• Nonlinear thinkers use more creative,
unorthodox methods
• Nonlinear thinking is also called “lateral
thinking”

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Nonlinear Thinking Strategies
Four strategies to activate your nonlinear thinking process are:
• Stepping out of your comfort zone
• Don’t jump to conclusions
• Expect and initiate change
• Be ready to adapt

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Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
View information
from a different
perspective
Stretch your thinking

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Don’t Jump to Conclusions
Take the time to
acquire all
necessary
information
Know the
premises (facts)

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Expect and Initiate Change
“Be the change
you wish to see”
Nothing stays the
same
Expecting change
will better prepare
you to adapt

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Being Ready to Adapt
Adjust or modify to
different conditions
Adaptation is a
survival skill

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Module 3:
“Reasoning is simply a matter of
getting your facts straight.”
- B.F. Anderson
What Does It Mean
For Me to Apply Logic
to Situations?

22. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Major Steps of Logical Thinking
The four major steps of logical thinking are:
• Asking the right questions
• Organizing data
• Evaluating the information
• Drawing conclusions

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Ask the Right Questions
Ask many questions
What are the premises?
Any vital information missing?

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Organize the Data
First, make sure you know the premise
Make a diagram organizing the data
Make meaningful connections

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Evaluate the Information
Is the
information
valid?
Is the
information
true?
Belief bias
Confirmation
bias

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Draw Conclusions
Infer only what the data implies
Ensure inferences are consistent
Identify underlying assumptions

27. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Module 4:
“No problem can withstand the
assault of sustained thinking.”
- Voltaire
How Do I Know When,
How and Why to Think
Critically About A
Challenge?

28. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Characteristics of Critical Thinking
What are some characteristics of critical thinkers? In Module 4, we will discuss
eight characteristics of critical thinkers:
• Active Listening
• Asking Powerful Questions
• Focus and Reflection
• Being Humble
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Thinking Objectively
• Using Your Emotions
• Being Self-Aware

29. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Active Listening As a Critical Thinking
Strategy
Active listening allows you to gain all the critical information and facts that
you need to support you in making better decisions.
“The ear says more than the tongue.”
- W.S. Graham

30. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Powerful Questions Lead to Better Outcomes
• Raising powerful questions advocates self-improvement and
allows you to find out more information.
• Examples of powerful questions:
- What does the organization value?
- What is important to the organization’s culture?
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- How does my job fit into the structure of the organization?

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Focus and Reflection
Use reasoning
skills
Evaluate and
reflect
Ask for support
when needed
Think positive
and be aware of
the environment

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Be Humble
Keep an open mind
Be receptive to new information
Be modest regarding your own
opinion

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Seeing the Big Picture
Step 3: Interpreting convergences and divergences
Convergences reinforce events or
ideas
Divergences are points that do not
reinforce events or ideas
Step 2: Determining a hierarchy of information
Step 1: Laying out the entire account

34. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Thinking Objectively
Thinking objectively
means basing our
ideas on facts
rather than feelings
or opinions
Helps us engage
more thoughtfully
and deliberately

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Using Your Emotions As A Critical Thinking
Strategy
•Emotions should not be ignored entirely
•Professionals need empathy
•Allow your emotions to help you, not cloud your
judgment

36. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Being Self-Aware
Being self-aware means being conscious of your
own personality or character. Specifically, you
should be aware of your:
• Feelings
• Opinions
• Assumptions

37. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Module 5:
“True genius resides in the capacity
for evaluation of uncertain,
hazardous, and conflicting
information.”
- Winston Churchill
What Skills Allow Me
To Better Evaluate
Facts and Data?

38. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Evaluating Information
A big challenge in the process of critical thinking is how to evaluate
information. The best critical thinkers are those people, as Winston
Churchill noted, who are capable of gleaning through information
that may be unclear or conflicting. In this module, we will delve
deeper into the process of evaluation.

39. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Be Careful When Making Assumptions
Assumptions are the beliefs upon which we base our logic
Assumptions are ideas that we accept as true without proof or evidence
When assumptions are proven to be true, they become information

40. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle: The Bus Driver
A bus driver was heading down a street in Colorado. He went right past a stop
sign without stopping, he turned left where there was a “no left turn” sign, and
he went the wrong way on a one-way street. Then he went on the left side of
the road past a cop car. After all this, he still didn’t break any traffic laws. How
is this possible?

41. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle Answer: The Bus Driver
The bus driver is walking. Be sure not to assume anything that the facts
(premises) don’t tell you.

42. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Watch Out for Bias
Cannot eliminate completely
Be careful using preconceived
opinions
Use objectivity to oppose bias

43. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Ask Clarifying Questions
• Asking the right questions is important
• Helps to acquire more information
• Other questions will arise
“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and
certain characteristics of a vigorous mind.”
- Samuel Johnson

44. BOOK2BOARDROOM
SWOT Analysis
A SWOT Analysis allows us to think about
business situations objectively by identifying
internal factors (strengths and
weaknesses), as well as external factors
(opportunities and threats).
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunitie
s
Threats

45. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Module 6:
“The ability to perceive or think
differently is more important than
the knowledge gained.”
- David Bohm
How Will Thinking
Differently Effect My
Decision Outcomes?

46. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Benefits of Critical Thinking
Critical thinking helps us make better decisions and rationally apply
information. While there are many benefits to critical thinking, in this
module, we will examine only the following:
• Being more persuasive
• Better communication
• Better problem solving
• Increased emotional intelligence

47. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Being More Persuasive
“To be persuasive we
must be believable; to be
believable we must be
credible; (to be) credible
we must be truthful.”
- Edward R. Murrow
• Persuasiveness is the characteristic of being
able to influence others
• Utilizing a deliberate and thoughtful thinking
process will improve your ability to persuade
others

48. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Better Communication
The use of
analogies and
metaphors can
improve
persuasiveness
Use clear
language
The ability to
communicate
effectively is
directly related to
your ability to be
persuasive

49. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Better Problem Solving
Critical thinkers interpret information effectively to
reach well-reasoned conclusions
Critical thinking allows you to develop multiple
viable solutions to a single issue
Critical thinkers test all possible solutions against
relevant criteria and standards

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Increased Emotional Intelligence
• Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand one’s own state of
mind and one’s capabilities to manage oneself, to respond constructively
to situations, and to engage successfully with other people.
• High performing professionals have the ability to effectively execute their
duties without being negatively influenced by their emotions.

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Increased Emotional Intelligence
SELF AWARENESS
 Emotional Self-Awareness
 Accurate Self-Assessment
 Self-Confidence
SOCIAL AWARNESS
 Empathy
 Organizational Awareness
 Service Orientation
SELF-MANAGEMENT
 Self-Control
 Transparency
 Adaptability
 Achievement Drive
 Initiative
RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT
 Inspirational Leadership
 Developing Others
 Influence
 Change Catalyst
 Conflict Management
 Building Bonds
 Teamwork & Collaboration
WHATISEEWHATIDO
SELF SOCIAL
Figure depicts Daniel
Goleman’s Emotional
Intelligence model

52. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Module 7:
“Everyone sees drama from his own
perspective.”
- Jean-Marie Le Pen
How Can I Challenge
Myself To See
Alternative
Perspectives?

53. BOOK2BOARDROOM
See Alternative Perspective
Keep an open
mind
Be receptive
to the ideas
and viewpoints
of others
Alternative
perspectives
can lead to
alternative
solutions

54. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Don’t Limit Your Point of View
Closed
mind
Bias
Limited
point
of view

55. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Consider the Viewpoints of Others
Be
empathetic
Helps to see the
bigger picture
Promotes objectivity in the
critical thinking process

56. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Influences on Bias
Emotions influence our perceptions
How information is framed by the speaker
How we interpret information

57. BOOK2BOARDROOM
When New Information Arrives
Organization schemas help to compartmentalize new
information
Identify the role that the new information plays
Organization schemas also make information easier to
use in the future

58. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Module 8:
“We can’t solve problems by
using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created
them.”
- Albert Einstein
How Can I
Increase My
Problem Solving
Abilities?

59. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Increasing Problem Solving Abilities
Utilize your
critical
thinking
skills
Follow a
problem-
solving
model
Practice
your skills
and reflect
upon the
outcomes

60. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Problem Solving Model

61. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle: 12 Balls, 1 Different
You have 12 balls, identical in every way except that one of them
weighs slightly less than the other 11 balls. You have a balance scale
and are allowed to do 3 weighings to determine which ball weighs
less than the others. What process would you use to weigh the balls
in order to figure out which ball weighs less than the others?

62. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle Answer: 12 Balls, 1 Different
1. Place 6 balls on each side of the scale. One side will weigh less.
2. Take the 6 balls from the side of the scale that weighed less. Place 3 of
these balls on one side of the scale and the other 3 balls on the other
side. One side will weigh less.
3. Take the 3 balls from the side of the scale that weighed less. Place one
of these balls on each side of the scale (which will leave you with one
ball that is not on the scale). If one side weighs less, then you know the
ball that weighs less than the others is on that side of the scale. If the
two sides weigh the same, then you know the 3rd ball (the one that isn’t
on the scale) is the ball that weighs less than the others.

63. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle: A Truth Teller and a Liar
You are walking down a path when you come to two doors. Opening one of the
doors will lead you to life of prosperity and happiness, while opening the other door
will lead to a life of misery and sorrow. You don’t know which door leads to which
life.
In front of the doors stand two twin brothers who know which door leads to which
life. One of the brothers ALWAYS lies and the other brother ALWAYS tells the truth.
You don’t know which brother is the liar and which one tells the truth.
You are allowed to ask ONE single question to ONE of the brothers (not both) to
figure out which door to open. What question should you ask?

64. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Riddle Answer: A Truth Teller and a Liar
Ask one of the brothers, “If I asked your brother which door is the good door, what
would he say?”
If you ask the truth-telling brother, he will point to the bad door, because this is what
the lying brother would point to.
Alternatively, if you ask the lying brother, he will also point to the bad door, because
this is NOT what the truth-telling brother would point to.
So whichever door is pointed to, you should go through the other one.

65. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Identify Inconsistencies
Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation
involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors
Use logic and objectivity to see variances
Natural tendency to eliminate inconsistencies

66. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Trust Your Instincts
• Instincts are your natural intuitive power
• Beneficial when paired with trial and
error, informed guesses and
brainstorming
• Watch out for biases and assumptions
that are not based on facts

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Always Ask Questions
Asking questions helps you gain more information
Asking questions can lead to new solutions
Ask questions at every stage of problem solving process

68. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Evaluate the Solution(s)
Make a diagram listing pros and cons of
each solution
Develop criteria for evaluation
Prioritize the criteria
Rate the proposed solutions

69. BOOK2BOARDROOM
Review: Workshop Objectives
• What is critical thinking?
• How can I use nonlinear thinking strategies?
• What does it mean for me to apply logic to situations?
• How do I know when, how and why to think critically about a challenge?
• What skills allow me to better evaluate facts and data?
• How will thinking differently effect my decision outcomes?
• How can I challenge myself to see alternative perspectives?
• How can I increase my problem-solving abilities?