workshop on critical thinking

Critical Thinking Workshop Activities

• Idea Generation
• Issue Resolution
• Issue Analysis

Critical Thinking Mindset

A critical thinking mindset supports people to reflect by using critical thinking questions when they discover and discuss new information. Critical thinking involves the evaluation of sources such as data, facts, media, stories, observable phenomenon, and research findings. Good critical thinkers can draw reasonable conclusions from a set of information and discriminate between useful and less useful details to solve a problem or to make a decision. Critical thinking skills are key to making better, and well-informed decisions.

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Ethos, Logos, Pathos

The goal of this game is to channel Aristotle’s assessment of your argument.

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Critical Thinking Workshop

How to Use Critical Thinking to Make Better Decisions

When you are at work, you are bogged down by customer complaints, unappreciative comments from bosses, and nasty snipes from colleagues.

When you are outside work, you get bombarded with information on what lifestyle to follow, what investments to get into, and even what food to eat.

How do you know who and what to believe? Can you distinguish truths from myths, facts from opinions? How do you solve a problem when you don’t have all the information?

The answer lies in Critical Thinking.

With Critical Thinking skills, you will make faster and better decisions even when you don’t have all the facts. You can quickly get to the root of the problem where you can analyse alternatives effectively. You can even tell when salespeople are applying pressure to make you buy. And as you become more aware of your personal biases, you can quickly distinguish between facts, opinions, generalisations and fallacies.

Learn at this workshop how to use Critical Thinking skills to make better decisions. You will get hands-on practice using these skills to identify problems, analyse claims and arguments, and make better decisions.

What you will achieve

By the end of the workshop, you will:

Understand how Critical Thinking can improve your career and life.

Be able to evaluate issues and arguments more objectively.

Make better decisions and create better solutions.

Become a more effective manager.

What you will learn

The workshop will cover:

Understanding Critical Thinking and how it works.

Analysing arguments and claims.

Managing personal biases and fallacies.

Listening skills and questioning techniques.

Investing smartly and profitably.

How to be a critical thinker.

Who should attend

Managers, executives and business professionals who want to improve their Critical Thinking skills so that they can make better decisions and become more effective managers.

What people say about the Critical Thinking workshop

“Excellent workshop. Trainer has good rapport with participants.” Senior Manager, Auditor-General’s Office

“Concise and easy to understand. Examples covered are real-life situations that one can relate to.” Manager, Statutory Board

“Workshop is informative and systematic. This course delivers.” Manager, Discovery Centre

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A Short Guide to Building Your Team’s Critical Thinking Skills

• Matt Plummer

Critical thinking isn’t an innate skill. It can be learned.

Most employers lack an effective way to objectively assess critical thinking skills and most managers don’t know how to provide specific instruction to team members in need of becoming better thinkers. Instead, most managers employ a sink-or-swim approach, ultimately creating work-arounds to keep those who can’t figure out how to “swim” from making important decisions. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To demystify what critical thinking is and how it is developed, the author’s team turned to three research-backed models: The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment, Pearson’s RED Critical Thinking Model, and Bloom’s Taxonomy. Using these models, they developed the Critical Thinking Roadmap, a framework that breaks critical thinking down into four measurable phases: the ability to execute, synthesize, recommend, and generate.

With critical thinking ranking among the most in-demand skills for job candidates , you would think that educational institutions would prepare candidates well to be exceptional thinkers, and employers would be adept at developing such skills in existing employees. Unfortunately, both are largely untrue.

• Matt Plummer (@mtplummer) is the founder of Zarvana, which offers online programs and coaching services to help working professionals become more productive by developing time-saving habits. Before starting Zarvana, Matt spent six years at Bain & Company spin-out, The Bridgespan Group, a strategy and management consulting firm for nonprofits, foundations, and philanthropists.  

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Our Self-Paced Critical Thinking for Problem- Solving and Decision-Making Course 

Take your critical thinking skills to the next level with this self-paced, online workshop. This course provides attendees with an excellent foundation and set of tools and techniques for critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. You'll learn the critical thinking Framework and gain a toolset that you can immediately apply in your job and life. Start gaining the confidence to make the best decisions for yourself, your team, and your employees.

Our Self-Paced Course

Self-Paced Critical Thinking Workshop 

Narrated by Mike Kallet, CEO Headscratchers and Author of Think Smarter

Video lectures with graphics downloadable pdfs practice activities, here is the introduction to the free preview.

A sample lesson from the course

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Make Critical Thinking a core competency skill set for your career from Mike Kallet, HeadScratcher's CEO and Think Smarter's author!

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foundation for decisions

Optional: Post course 1:1 mini coaching sessions available for followup and continued assistance

A 11 point Risk model that helps you evaluate the risk, w/exercises • Downsides • Downside Probability • Upside • Upside Probability • Downside Absorption Capability • Ignoring Statistical Downside • Controllability • Necessity of Upside • Reversibility, • Mitigation Strategy • Preeminent Metrics

What's the benefit of critical thinking, attendees learn pragmatic critical thinking techniques resulting in; • faster and higher quality decisions • superior solutions to problems, goals, and    strategies. • better understanding of the dynamics    between different aspects of a business or    project •  innovative ideas and solution • higher productivity • being better equipped to tackle problems     and make decisions on a daily basis, contact us for more information or to schedule a workshop.

We contrast your everyday automatic thinking with Critical Thinking.

Using concepts from our model we created a simple framework for critical thinking, overview    , ( download the workshop brochure for more details) critical thinking is a method of analyzing and looking at problems, decisions, and goals.  this results in faster decisions, more creative and innovative solutions, and higher quality deliverables. critical thinking has an immediate positive impact for solving current problems, and has significant long term benefits with business issues, goals, and strategies.  imagine the benefits when people are “thinking” at a new level., the foundation: , this three-day workshop provides supervisors, managers and leaders a thorough foundation and set of tools and techniques for critical thinking in a variety of problem solving, decision making and leadership situations.  the participants will practice these tools in numerous and extended exercise sessions using their real individual business issues.  templates, called thinksheets, are used as a guide for thinking, both in the class, and to aid future out of class use. , the thinking coach: , having learned and practiced the core critical thinking tools, the participants will role play and partake in an extensive thinking coach exercises.  a thinking coach is one who gets others to think.  as a manager and leader of people, it’s essential to get others to think critically.  whether you’re managing up, across or down, interacting with customers or third parties, being a thinking coach is a discipline to help and organization focus on true issues and implement critical thinking throughout an organization.  , creating a critical thinking environment: , critical thinking doesn’t happen by itself, nor with just training.  the environment needs to support it.   in this workshop, we’ll expand on additional tools to help foster a critical thinking environment.  this includes; expanded sessions on getting agreement, enrollment and presenting. also included are outside-the-box, abductive and impossible thinking tools to foster and encourage and environment to look at solutions beyond business as usual., our customization, while critical thinking isn’t difficult, the learning is most effective when tailored and practiced within a familiar area of focus and real world situation.  prior to the workshop, we meet with some of the attendees to obtain an understanding of the work they do and specific objectives and challenges they have.  with this, we create relevant examples and exercises for the workshop.    learning objectives:  •  be a thinking coach •  distinguish “automatic” thinking from       “manual” •  understand a framework for thinking       critically and apply the 3 step process •  learn and practice a variety of tools       including the use of thinksheets to: •  get clear on a problem, situation or goal •  guide thinking for conclusions •  guide thinking for decisions •  identify the “box” that constrains your current     thinking and think outside of it. •  creating credible presentations •  understand  change •  thinking through 11 risk factors •  leave the day knowing how to ask     questions to get yourself and others to     think critically •  identify where you can apply critical      thinking in your job, course outline:, we focus on the 3 major components of critical thinking related to problem solving and decision making and how to apply these in the work environment and as a leader. (also see diagrams in this document). • , of issue, problem, or decision.   • , conclusions, – 99% of conclusions are      inductive reasoning. this includes; facts,      observations,  experiences, beliefs,      assumptions.  we show how these      components form conclusions.  • , – the decision process is      different than reaching a conclusion ., topics covered:, •  “automatic” thinking from “manual thinking” •  framework and benefits of critical thinking •  empty your bucket • , on a problem or decision.      • clarity thinksheet      •  inspecting the problem statement      •  why, so what, what else      •  anticipatory thinking      •  need vs. want      •  ingredient diagram • ,      • conclusion thinksheet      •  inductive & deductive thinking.      •  the premise that leads to a conclusion          and how personality affects this.      •  how facts, observations, experiences,          beliefs and assumptions affect your          thinking      •  why people come to different           conclusions.      •  a critical thinking view of change      •  credibility and consistency      •  triangular thinking      •  argument analysis       •  presenting solutions to influence,          enroll, and get approval • ,      • creating an environment and stimulating creativity and innovation      •  thinking outside-the-box -      • what if, what other)      •  abductive thinking      •  impossible thinking      •  encouraging and enrolling a team         behind innovation •, – taking action       • decision thinksheet       •  the elements of decision       •  who, when and criteria       •  risk criteria – 11 risk factors          •  fuzzy criteria • , being a thinking coach,      •  the rules & extended role play to         practice this skill •  next steps - your plan to implement your     learning (for yourself and your team.

Mulitple curriculums for varied attendees

We also modify the curriculum for the mix of attendees: •   executives and business leaders •   teams (a manager and team, or cross       functional) •   supervisors, managers and directors •   individual contributors •   mixed class of multiple disciplines and       responsibilities.

Critical Thinking skills gained can be applied to:

 •  general problem solving and decision      making  •  new product ideas and creation  • short and long term business strategies  •  improved development processes and     quality  •  improved operational efficiency  •  crisis management  •  revenue generation and cost reduction      strategies  •  customer care improvement.

What's unique about our workshop?

This isn't your ordinary "academic" day. it's not just "theory", but pragmatic, proven techniques for solving real world business problems, strategies and challenges., we customize the workshop to your business, with real examples and exercises that come from interviews with would be attendees. the attendees learn critical thinking and see it in action with their own day-to-day issues..

While Critical Thinking isn’t difficult, the learning is most effective when tailored and practiced within a familiar area of focus and real world situation.  Prior to the workshop, we meet with some of the attendees to obtain an understanding of the work they do and specific objectives and challenges they have.  With this, we create relevant examples and exercises for the workshop.   Using their issues and challenges, as well as the functional areas focus and seniority of the attendees, we customize: •  The appropriate techniques and content most effective for the attendees •  The examples and break-out exercises used in the workshop

Learning objectives:,   after completing this course, you will be able to:       •  be a thinking coach       •  distinguish “automatic” thinking from “manual”       •  understand a framework for thinking critically and apply the 3 step critical thinking process       •  learn and practice a variety of tools to think critically including the use of thinksheets to:       •  get clear on a problem, situation or goal       •  guide thinking for conclusions (yours and your team)       •  guide thinking for decisions       •  be able to identify the “box” that constrains your current thinking and think outside of it.       •  creating credible presentations for buy-in, enrollment and approval.       •  understand how critical thinking can help to lead through change       •  thinking through 11 risk factors and how they weigh in       •  leave the day knowing how to ask questions to get yourself and others to think critically       •  identify where you can apply critical thinking in your job and create a next steps plan, we focus on the 3 major components of critical thinking related to problem solving and decision making and how to apply these in the work environment and as a leader. (also see diagrams in this document).       •  clarity of issue, problem, or decision. the most important step in critical thinking.        •  conclusions – 99% of conclusions are inductive reasoning. this includes; facts, observations,              experiences, beliefs, assumptions.  we show how these components form conclusions.        •  decisions – attendees learn that the decision process is very different than reaching a conclusion             and that quality decisions require two elements to be present.,     •  distinguishing “automatic” thinking from “manual thinking”     •  framework and benefits of critical thinking     •  empty your bucket     • , - “get clear” on a problem to solve or decision to make, and the clarity thinksheet          •  inspecting the problem statement          •  the tools of socratic questioning; why, so what, what else          •  anticipatory thinking          •  need vs. want          •  a family of headscratchers          •  ingredient diagram     • , - create solutions and the conclusion thinksheet          •  applying inductive & deductive thinking.          •  understanding the premise that leads to a conclusion and how personality affects this.          •  how facts, observations, experiences, beliefs and assumptions affect your thinking          •  why people come to different conclusions and what to do about it.          •  a critical thinking view of change and how to address it          •  credibility and consistency - increasing the strength of your premise          •  triangular thinking – when you can’t know exactly          •  argument analysis – review for and against arguments as elements of conclusions          •  exercises in presenting solutions to influence, enroll, and get approval     • , - creating an environment and stimulating creativity and innovation          •  thinking outside-the-box - challenging the premise (what if, what other)          •  abductive thinking - thinking beyond your experience          •  impossible thinking -to generate breakthrough ideas          •  encouraging and enrolling a team behind innovation     • , – taking action and the decision thinksheet          •  the elements of decision; who, when and criteria          •  risk criteria – 11 risk factors to help evaluate risk (downsides, downside probability,upside,             upside probability, downside absorption capability, ignoring statistical downside,             controllability, necessity of upside, reversibility, mitigation strategy, preeminent metrics)          •  fuzzy criteria – not all the criteria are black and white.  this topic looks at the grey ones     • ,          •  the rules & extended role play to practice this skill and implementing this in a team     •  next steps - your plan to implement your learning (for yourself and your team.

[email protected]  |  (858) 459-7600

Critical Thinking

Better Thinking

This workshop is targeted at both individuals and teams.

People who only receive the usual training in collaboration use outdated techniques  missing the requisite critical thinking skills. Because of this, their own thinking and the outcome of many of their collaborations will take far too long and lead to failures and dead ends.

Symptoms of a need for improved critical thinking include: reports of activity [not results], long issues backlog,  difficulty with or avoidance of complex issues, long meeting times, complaints of lack of progress, frustration trying to influence others.  Soon the team resorts to guessing and voting and skip analysis.   

Typical is not good enough

The tools portion of most team collaboration training includes techniques designed for data gathering, data organizing and creativity. Critical thinking is not mastered.

Give people a new and dramatic boost in thinking effectiveness with mastery of BPI’s clear, simple, thinking framework complete with tools that can address any issue .  Learn how teams can converge on the true cause, and then converge on the best decision. During this two-day workshop Critical thinking methods are modeled, practiced, and then applied to the real job issues and projects of participants. These thinking methods work for applications of all types including process improvement, operations problems, people problems, and anytime collaboration and clear thinking are important to resolving an issue.

Tailored case study packages

Tailored case study packages are available from over two dozen industry packages. For example:

• Manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical
• Electronics

One Day Workshops

Portions of the content selected from Critical Thinking is available in these one-day workshops:

• Systematic Problem Solving
• Systematic Decision Making

• Focal Session Descriptions
• Guest Presentation Program
• Daily Schedule
• Register as an Ambassador
• Testimonials from Past Attendees
• Thank You to Our Donors
• Presuppositions of the Conference
• Recommended Reading
• Overview of Sessions (Flyer)
• Presuppositions of the Annual International Conference
• Testimonials from Past Conferences
• Recommended Publications
• Dedication to Our Donors
• Session Descriptions
• Testimonials from Prior Conferences
• International Critical Thinking Manifesto
• Scholarships Available
• Travel and Lodging Info
• FAQ & General Announcements
• Focal and Plenary Session Descriptions
• Program and Proceedings of the 39th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking
• The Venue: KU Leuven
• Call for Critical Thinking Ambassadors
• Conference Background Information
• Call for Ambassadors for Critical Thinking
• Conference Focal Session Descriptions
• Conference Concurrent Session Descriptions
• Conference Roundtable Discussions
• Conference Announcements and FAQ
• Conference Program and Proceedings
• Conference Daily Schedule
• Conference Hotel Information
• Conference Academic Credit
• Conference Presuppositions
• What Participants Have Said About the Conference
• Registration & Fees
• FAQ and Announcements
• Conference Presenters
• 37th Conference Flyer
• Program and Proceedings of the 37th Conference
• Conference Sessions
• Conference Flyer
• Program and Proceedings
• Academic Credit
• Conference Session Descriptions
• Available Online Sessions
• Bertrand Russell Distinguished Scholar - Daniel Ellsberg
• 35th International Conference Program
• Concurrent Sessions
• Posthumous Bertrand Russell Scholar
• Hotel Information
• Conference FAQs
• Visiting UC Berkeley
• Bertrand Russell Distinguished Scholar - Ralph Nader
• Conference Concurrent Presenters
• Conference Program
• Conference Theme
• Roundtable Discussions
• Flyer for Bulletin Boards
• 33rd International Conference Program
• 33rd International Conference Sessions
• 33rd International Conference Presenters
• The Bertrand Russell Distinguished Scholars Critical Thinking Conversations
• 33rd International Conference - Fees & Registration
• 33rd International Conference Concurrent Presenters
• 33rd International Conference - Hotel Information
• 33rd International Conference Flyer
• 32nd Annual Conference Sessions
• 32nd Annual Conference Presenter Information
• 32nd Conference Program
• The Bertrand Russell Distinguished Scholars Critical Thinking Lecture Series
• 32nd Annual Conference Concurrent Presenters
• 32nd Annual Conference Academic Credit
• 31st Conference Sessions
• Comments about previous conferences
• Conference Hotel (2011)
• 31st Concurrent Presenters
• Registration Fees
• 31st International Conference
• 30th International Conference Theme
• 30th Conference Sessions
• PreConference Sessions
• 30th Concurrent Presenters
• 30th Conference Presuppositions
• Hilton Garden Inn
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• 29th Preconference Sessions
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The 42nd Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking

Join Us for The 42nd Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking

Includes 10 Weeks of Free Membership at Our Subscription Website: The Center for Critical Thinking Community Online ! Access Begins July 13th!

Webcam Highly Recommended

Conference Theme:

Critical Thinking - Essential to Effective Reasoning in All Subjects, Fields and Professions

How Do We Make Sense of the World's Growing Complexity & Become More Effective Within It?

The Answer: Critical Thinking

A different type of conference.

• Highly interactive sessions filled with stimulating discussions and activities.
• Concepts and tools you can immediately apply to your work, life, learning, and teaching. Nothing "purely academic" is taught here!
• Sessions occurring multiple times to accommodate participants in different time zones.
• Ten weeks' free access to the Center for Critical Thinking Community Online - the world's largest repository of critical thinking publications, videos, activities, and interaction among fellow critical thinking enthusiasts.

Conference Rates

Types of sessions, focal sessions.

This year's Focal Sessions are live online workshops led by Fellows and Scholars of the Foundation for Critical Thinking. These sessions are 'Focal' because they focus on the very foundations, or the central ideas, in a rich conception of critical thinking. Each Focal Session targets one or more essential concepts or sets of principles in critical thinking, often in connection with essential applications of critical thinking. Most Focal Sessions are appropriate for both new and returning attendees, while a few are for those who have worked with us before; these will be plainly marked as 'Advanced Sessions'

Focal Sessions involve minimal lecture and a great deal of interactive group work. 

Guest Presentations

"how can i prepare to get the most from this conference", focal session presenters, dr. linda elder.

Dr. Gerald Nosich

Dr. Gerald Nosich is a noted authority on critical thinking and has given more than 250 workshops to instructors and governmental agencies on all aspects of teaching it. He is the author of Reasons and Arguments, Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum , and Critical Writing: Using the Concepts and Processes of Critical Thinking to Write a Paper . Dr. Nosich has given workshops for instructors at all levels of education  in the United States, Canada, Thailand, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Singapore and England. He has worked with the U.S. Department of Education on a project for a National Assessment of Higher Order Thinking Skills; given teleconferences sponsored by PBS and Starlink on teaching for critical thinking; served as a consultant for ACT in Critical Thinking and Language Arts assessment; and been featured as a Noted Scholar at the University of British Columbia.  He is author of numerous articles, audio- and videotapes on critical thinking.  He has been Assistant Director at the Center for Critical Thinking at Sonoma State University. Dr. Nosich is Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York Buffalo State and at the University of New Orleans.

Dr. Carmen Polka

Dr. Carmen Polka has worked diligently to infuse critical thinking into her classroom instruction, curriculum, and assessment for nearly twenty years. Focused on transforming education through the implementation of quality instructional practices, Dr. Polka instigated and co-authored the Colorado Academic State Standards targeting research and reasoning based on the Paul-Elder framework. As a leader and critical thinking expert in her district, she led professional development and coached K-12 teachers to effectively utilize Paulian theory. Dr. Polka is currently a principal at an elementary school, and she recently earned her doctorate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at the University of Northern Colorado. She is also a licensed K-12 Special Education teacher.

Dr. Paul Bankes

For nearly twenty years, Dr. Bankes has played an important leadership role in fostering the Paulian conception of critical thinking in multiple school districts. As a principal, he led the implementation of this critical thinking approach to bring about state-recognized levels of achievement in three different Title I schools – a high school, a middle school, and an elementary school. He helped author the reasoning portion of the Colorado Academic Standards that are based on the Paul-Elder framework. In addition to his administrative experience, Dr. Bankes was an elementary school teacher, continues teaching critical thinking courses at the college level, and is currently serving as a Director on his School Board of Education.

Dr. Brian Barnes

Dr. Brian Barnes holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Humanities and an MA in Philosophy from the University of Louisville. Barnes is a veteran of the US Army, along with other non-academic careers, and currently teaches face-to-face and online classes at several universities in traditional philosophy topics, sustainability, and critical thinking. He has co-authored articles examining critical thinking strategies and tactics for the National Teaching and Learning Forum and is author of the textbook, The Central Question: Critical Engagement with Business Ethics . Barnes co-hosts the weekly radio show, Critical Thinking for Everyone! , on 106.5 Forward Radio in Louisville; he also created Adventures in Critical Thinking , a critical thinking comic book series.

Dr. Linda Tym

Dr. Linda Tym is an Associate Professor of English in Tennessee. Originally from Canada, she completed her PhD studies at the University of Edinburgh and was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. She is currently pursuing her Certification in the Paul-Elder Approach to Critical Thinking under the mentorship of Dr. Elder. In addition to Dr. Tym's focus on critical thinking, her research focuses on memory studies, Scottish literature, and Scottish-Canadian diasporic literature. Her work has been published in the Scottish Literary Review, Journal of the Short Story in English, Macmillan Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Gender series, and Gale Cengage’s Contemporary Literary Criticism series.

What People Say About Our Conferences

Overview of sessions.

• A more visually intuitive Overview of Sessions is available her e
• A detailed daily schedule can be seen here
• Full Session Descriptions can be seen here

Sunday, July 24:

1:00 p.m. - 7:00p.m. edt.

Pre-Conference

• Placing Critical Thinking at the Heart of Teaching and Learning Every Day … Dr. Brian Barnes
• Improving Student Writing in Any Class Through Explicit Tools of Critical Thinking... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Advanced Session: Improving Your Instruction Through an Enriched Understanding of Critical Thinking Fundamentals... Dr. Paul Bankes

MONDAY, July 25:

Pre-recorded.

• *Introduction to the Conference … Dr. Linda Elder *Please view before attending sessions.

12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT

Focal Sessions I Choose from the following…

• Foundational for New Participants: Understanding Critical Thinking as Essential to Education in Any Field of Study and at Every Level… Dr. Linda Elder
• For Business and Government: Using Critical Thinking to Analyze Problems … Dr. Paul Bankes
• For Returning Attendees: Practice Deconstructing Problems in Your Classes or Profession… Dr. Linda Tym
• *Introduction to the Conference … Dr. Linda Elder *If you haven't already, please view before attending sessions.

3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EDT

Focal Sessions II

Choose from the following …

• Teaching Students to Properly Assess Reasoning in Every Course… Dr. Gerald Nosich 
• Connecting Evidence-Based Instruction to the Rich Tools of Critical Thinking... Dr. Paul Bankes
• For Returning Attendees: Where Are You in the Stages of Critical Thinking Development?…  Dr. Carmen Polka 

8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. EDT

Focal Sessions III

Choose from the following…

• Repeat (Foundational for New Registrants): Understanding Critical Thinking as Essential to Education in Any Field of Study and at Every Level... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Repeat: Connecting Evidence-Based Instruction Based on the Broader Tools of Critical Thinking... Dr. Linda Elder
• Repeat (For Returning Attendees) : Practice Deconstructing Problems in Your Classes or Profession … Dr. Linda Tym

TUESDAY, July 26:

Focal sessions iv, choose from the following…  .

• Helping Students Learn the Fundamental and Powerful Concepts in Your Courses ... Dr. Linda Elder
• For Business and Government: Using Critical Thinking to Evaluate Alternatives in Complex Contexts... Dr. Brian Barnes
• Practice Deconstructing the Reasoning Embedded in Articles or Chapters to Improve Your Instruction and/or Knowledge Base in Any Field... Dr. Paul Bankes

3:30 p.m. - 6:00p.m. EDT

Focal Sessions V

Choose from the Following Focal Sessions...

• Why Education Should Entail the Development of Intellectual Character as Well as Skills and Abilities... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Helping Students Learn to Reason Through Social, Political, and Environmental Issues Using the Tools of Critical Thinking... Dr. Carmen Polka
• How Egocentric and Sociocentric Thinking Lead to Belief in Misinformation, Fake News, Conspiracy Theories and All Manner of Nonsense... Dr. Brian Barnes

Focal Sessions VI

Choose one of the following sessions to attend…

• Repeat: Helping Students Learn the Fundamental and Powerful Concepts in Your Courses ... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Educating for Freedom of Thought and Why This is Essential to Cultivating Fairminded Critical Societies  … Dr. Linda Elder
• Repeat: Practice Deconstructing the Reasoning Embedded in Articles or Chapters - to Improve Your Instruction and/or Knowledge Base in any Field ... Dr. Paul Bankes 

WEDNESDAY, July 27:

3:00 p.m. edt.

Guest Presentations Posted

• Read Guest Presentation Descriptions Here

8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. EDT

Special Meetings on Professional Development (interested participants can choose one at the conference)...

• K-12... Dr. Linda Elder
• Higher Education... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Business & Government... Dr. Brian Barnes

THURSDAY, July 28:

Focal sessions vii.

• How to Approach Students as Thinkers in K-12 Instruction ... Dr. Paul Bankes
• How to Assess Yourself as a Reasoner; How Students Can Assess Themselves as Reasoners... Dr. Brian Barnes
• Why Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice and Anti-Racism Require Critical Thinking... Dr. Linda Elder

Focal Sessions VIII

• Reworking Your Syllabus Using Critical Thinking Foundations ... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Distinguish Questions of Fact, Preference and Judgment ... Dr. Paul Bankes
• For Administrators: How to Support Critical Thinking at Your Institution ... Dr. Carmen Polka

Focal Sessions IX

• Repeat: How to Assess Yourself as a Reasoner; How Students Can Assess Themselves as Reasoners ... Dr. Brian Barnes
• Repeat: Reworking Your Syllabus Through Critical Thinking Foundations ... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Critical Thinking Therapy for Mental Health and Self-Actualization ... Dr. Linda Elder

FRIDAY, July 29:

Choose from the following closing sessions..., 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. edt.

• Early Closing Session ... Dr. Linda Elder
• Late Closing Session... Dr. Gerald Nosich

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About Onsite Training What is onsite training?

The Full List See all onsite courses.

Locations Find out where we can deliver training.

Thinking, planning, and problem solving training courses and workshops, instructor-led programs . delivered onsite, the benefits of learning creative and critical thinking skills.

People and organizations thrive on innovative ideas, fresh perspectives, and new answers to old problems. 

Critical thinking courses can help ensure teams are defining problems correctly and avoiding faulty thinking. Innovation and creativity workshops can teach people to see problems differently and craft viable solutions to workplace challenges.

If your organization could benefit from learning some new tools, one of our instructor-led training offerings may be the answer.

About Our Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Problem-Solving Programs

Our courses explore a range of planning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. These workshops are designed to help teams develop their ability to see information through a range of lenses and methodically approach data.

The programs outline various creativity and ideation techniques, provide an overview of the process of critical thinking and its value, offer practice with problem-solving methodologies, explore innovation and decision making, and provide a forum and process for crafting a strategic plan.

Our Workshop Facilitators

The members of our team who facilitate this suite of workshops are practiced at leading groups through the tools each program offers. These workshop leaders are flexible and able to adjust the agenda as needed depending on the level of mastery the group achieves using each tool.

Our Interactive Approach to Training

We firmly believe in learning by doing, and we know the best way to master new techniques and tools is to practice them. For that reason, our workshops are activities based and hands on. During our sessions, participants can expect to solve a range of workplace problems as they practice new methods of generating ideas, defining problems, evaluating options, and making decisions.

Course Overviews

To explore our existing onsite training options, review the short descriptions found on this page. For more detailed information, click on the course titles to read the full workshop outlines.

We can conduct our workshops as described in the course overviews, tailor them to address specific issues, or fully customize content to meet your business needs.

Please  get in touch , and we can schedule some time to learn more about your organization, what’s important to you, and your goals and objectives for training. We look forward to hearing from you.

Note:  When evaluating the available programs, you’ll notice we offer some courses in multiple lengths. The primary difference between the shorter and longer options is the depth to which we explore the concepts and the number of exercises and activities we choose for your program.

Ah Ha! Learning to Think Critically and Creatively: Techniques for Sparking Ideas, Solving Problems, and Rethinking the Status Quo

Format: Full-Day Training Course , Multi-Day Training Course

Get Juiced!: Creative Thinking from the Inside Out

Critical Thinking

Critical considerations: three hours to better thinking.

Format: Half-Day Training Course

Design Thinking

Design thinking 101: an introduction to user-centric problem solving.

Format: Full-Day Training Course

Collaboration Skills

Collaborative thinking skills: driving teams toward better results.

Innovative Thinking: Team Creativity and Problem Solving

Decision-Making

This, that, what is it: defining problems and making decisions.

Strategic Planning

The better business workshop: strategic planning for organizational success.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Customer Service

Smarter service: leveraging critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving for a better customer experience.

“Greg Jones was a DYNAMITE presenter! He was fun, knowledgeable, and engaging and had our large group of 50+ people laughing and participating right up until the 5:00 PM end time. I am always impressed when a facilitator can keep a group engaged and involved WITHOUT using PPT and Greg did just that with his handouts, flip charting, storytelling and mixing up activities at table groups, teams, and with partners. We would love to have him back!”

“Shawn was an excellent facilitator. After our class he took the time to look over the questions we use during our interview and provided positive feedback. I highly recommend Shawn and this course, ‘How to Interview and Hire Well’.”

“Our customer service manager of 21 years stated that this training was the best and the most relevant class she attended in her career.”

“Laurie McIntosh brings her personal experience into the training which was invaluable.”

“It was a positive experience to have this training, very useful to understanding myself as a provider and patients. Laurie was engaging as a speaker. I learned to approach patient care differently seeing patients as different and not “difficult.” I took away key points and different strategies to use in my interactions with patients, just a matter of finding the time to make adjustments and implement these changes.”

“I would like to say that yesterday was simply amazing. Our team is very happy with the training and the content that was presented. Thomas was exactly who we needed to address our etiquette training needs. Our team was receptive and the activities were fun and engaging. I would definitely recommend Thomas to anyone looking to enhance their team with etiquette training.”

“Great performance by Shawn! Shawn Doyle is a great presenter, and teaches you just by presenting himself.”

“Phillip was engaging and professional. I had many people who were in the session tell me that they enjoyed it.”

“We did enjoy the class and yes, I am excited to work with you to bring in more. Charles is a great teacher, I would like to have him teach them.”

“Eduardo was an excellent facilitator. I took so much with me to apply to my job responsibilities that will enhance my thinking as I resolve difficult callers and issues. Eduardo was very interactive with the group and had excellent ideas to promote thinking and participation. He is the greatest facilitator I have ever worked with!”

“Kate rhymes with great, and that’s what she was.  This was a great class and Kate was the best. We recommend her every time. I took this class years ago with her and she makes the information stick.”

“We cannot thank Stefanie enough for the fabulous presentation she delivered to our reception staff and directors of housing. We had plenty of great feedback from fellow colleagues regarding the presentation, and we’ve already had individuals implementing information they learned from the presentation. We sincerely appreciated all of Stefanie’s hard work delivering a quality presentation to a diverse group of individuals.”

“Both sessions went great. They were informative and very interactive and Myla was able to engage the participants throughout the entire presentation. She is a wonderful instructor!”

“I just wanted to send out an email to express our appreciation for the service that Greg provided. He was a very motivated and inspirational speaker. We really, and I seriously mean this, enjoyed him. We are going to adapt some of our training procedures to fit his suggestions.”

“The workshop was appreciated very much, and you (Stefanie) were indeed a big hit. Thank you for all your support and value you brought this team. I look forward to another opportunity to work with you, you were an absolute delight.”

“Pamela and Business Training Works put together a wonderful training program for ACERTUS. Pamela was able to create a curriculum that completely met our needs on such a short timeline. I am looking forward to working with them again!”

“Business Training Works made this project extremely easy for me. Not only did they customize content for us, but they delivered it well and provided a great train-the-trainer session. It was truly an effortless experience for us!”

“The course was high-quality, first-class, first-rate, superior, fine, excellent and hence forth.  Charles’ way of teaching was pleasant, exceptional, superb, and commendable. My department will speak well about this course for a while. Thank you so much for the quality of training and attention to detail. We are excited to use the tools created by zombies. However, in all seriousness the course was facio delicias and nuntiisque (fun and informative in Latin). I look forward to using your company in the future.”

“I have been in several training sessions, and I have to say this has been the best one. We were all engaged in the topics. Regina’s materials were relevant to our jobs. She started on time, and the time flew by.”

“Pamela was very engaging. The training was well presented and held the group’s attention. The feedback I got from my staff was that it was useful not only in work but in their personal lives as well.”

“Stefanie was upbeat, engaging, and relatable. She even kept the momentum going through an unexpected room change towards the end of our session. My colleagues cannot stop commenting how amazing the training was, and we are energized to put our new skills to work. Rave reviews all around!”

“I wanted to reach out to you regarding Phillip and what wonderful experience it was for our teams to have him as our facilitator for the team building and cross-cultural communication course last Friday. He’s a very talented and engaging trainer, and he was able to get even our toughest employees to participate. Everyone really liked Phillip and enjoyed the course.”

“Myla was very professional and brought subject matter expertise to the training. My team really respected her and had nothing but positive things to say about her.”

“The team was quite impressed with your materials and more importantly delivery style. I feel like we all took something positive away from the course which is all I can ever ask for.”

“A pleasure doing business with Business Training Works on our seminar.”

“In each of the sessions that ZMC has hired Business Training Works, I have learned something new — even with the same topic. This is the 10th session we have scheduled, and we always ask for Shawn.”

“Thank you Kate, Chris, and Kathy! It was a pleasure working with you, and thank you for providing some valuable insights for our SES!”

“Laurie, as always, was AMAZING!”

“Board presentation went well. ”Excellent” according to our chairman. Thanks for your training.”

“I liked that fact that we were kept busy – it never got boring.”

“I’m usually quiet in group discussions, but I enjoyed this course so much, I participated quite a bit.”

“Thank you again for working with us last week. As always, the team loved the session, and I’ve been hearing great feedback. The change in the leadership team’s behavior, even since just last week, is noticeable. The executive team and I have literally had people coming up to us all week talking about how excited they are for the future, how they believe in where we are headed, and thanking us for what’s being done. As a business leader, this time period is truly a career highlight for me. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Everyone really enjoyed it and came away with tools to help them be a stronger leader! Thank you, Greg!”

“Greg was awesome! Very informative and interactive. He got rave reviews from the participants.”

“We also appreciate how well prepared you (Phillip) are, and that the subject matter is addressed in substantive way that has real impact. Your style has that special something that really engages people.”

“Pamela Sumner is professional, warm, and highly educated. Her style translates to small groups as well as large formal settings. She is definitely an asset to BTW.”

“Stefanie is knowledgeable, credible, fun and engaging as a facilitator.”

“The course has been tremendously helpful to my staff, and I am very grateful for Regina’s knowledge and generosity. She really shared her talents and experience freely, and provided what was needed to reset our team dynamics.”

“WOW – where do I begin!? Working with you both has been an outstanding experience throughout the entire process. Your flexibility from first contact was very valuable – we appreciate your willingness to participate in multiple teleconferences to align with KMG.

Your ability to link KMG’s message and philosophies to the lessons is what set you apart from your competitors.

Kate’s energy and willingness to meet as many of the attendees as possible and her ability to quickly build a rapport with folks established credibility and a safe environment. Everyone valued the ‘informalness’ of the key note.

The Tuesday workshop was phenomenal! I saw people taking notes that I never would have imagined would be engaged.

Fantastic result overall – thank you so very much!”

“Pamela is awesome. She has that perfect blend of knowledge, credibility, and personal skills to deliver very effective training across a wide variance of personalities.”

“Thomas Farley’s facilitation of the storytelling module was very engaging and effective. He started the session telling his own story. He asked participants to share their stories, and he respectfully critiqued them using this technique as a teaching tool.”

“Phillip was a great presenter. He kept the class moving forward and kept us all engaged and participating. We all got a lot out of the training and hope to have him back again for follow up.”

“Pamela was amazing and extremely personable. She made the groups feel very comfortable during the training.”

“As I sit here listening to Laurie, I am thinking that we couldn’t have asked for a better facilitator!!! Wanted to say a quick thank you for your exceptional “customer service” in dealing with us.”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect and found it to be awesome. I am in business development and while I consider myself to be somewhat refined/savvy, I walked away with so many things to up my game while with clients and the number one lesson and tie back point is that it is 100% about making the client feel comfortable and special. What we do, how we act, how we present ourselves all feeds into that and our ultimate success as sales professionals.”

“I heard a lot of positive feedback and several people approached me about your contact info for following up. I know we had a short amount of time for the training but I know I found it valuable and I think the rest of the group did too.”

“I LOVED Kate. She was an incredible speaker and her ability to educate is a show stopper. Learning about my own communication style was invaluable and I truly believe that I am going to use this information for the rest of my professional career.”

“The training was amazing! Everyone was enthusiastic and we learned so much. They’re already asking when you’re coming back. You are a true gem!!”

“It was a pleasure to work with Charlie last week. He was fantastic, and I have received great responses from the participants about the training!”

“Pamela did a great job of engaging our participants in the training. They all had very positive feedback about the day and Pamela specifically. She was approachable and easy to relate to and was able to illustrate the points in a way that the team understood.”

“Yesterday’s workshop was both thoroughly enjoyable and tremendously beneficial. From all accounts, it was a productive, engaging, and substantive experience from which participants were able to glean significant professional insights and lessons for best practices in their field.”

“Thank you for yet another great presentation. Myla was wonderful and our team really appreciated the opportunity to work with her.”

“Phillip, you are the best! Loved every minute and the fun interactive aspect of our workshop exceeded my expectation. Looking forward to the LA workshop next month.”

“Pamela was a gem! We really enjoyed it. The one main piece of feedback I got was they wanted more time.”

“Kate was a refreshing start to 2020! Very energetic and captivating the entire session. Moments of reflection, laughter, and engagement made this a great FLAG kickoff to the year!”

“We had an amazing day today! Everyone I spoke to during the day today said they were really enjoying the session (as did I). Charlie did a fantastic job. Thank you both for a great experience!”

The Business Training Works Difference

When you team with us, you’ll get:

• A partner who will ask questions about your goals and objectives.
• An opportunity to have a tailoring call and to speak with the program facilitator prior to a workshop.
• Interactive facilitation conducted by someone who has a deep understanding of adult learning and the topic at hand.
• A post-training web-based skills check-in meeting if desired.
• People behind the scenes who will work to make our relationship a success.

You won’t get:

• A workshop leader who sells products during class time.
• A talking head with a PowerPoint presentation and not much else.
• Lecture-based training that’s too academic, not practical, and doesn’t connect to life in the workplace.
• The sense that you are a number, a transaction, or a cog in a machine.

Onsite Training Course Reminders

Our instructor-led training courses are available to private groups.  These workshops are not offered in a public seminar format.  Please  contact us  to speak with a facilitator about your needs and bringing training to your organization.

We also travel to Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Canada, Central America, Continental Europe, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom.

Please contact us about your location.

• For information about pricing, please see our fee schedule .
• For instructor-led webinars, take a look at our  virtual classroom programs .
• For information about self-paced courses available to anyone, visit our online courses catalog .
• For free resources, check out our resources pages .

ONSITE CREATIVITY, CRITICAL THINKING, INNOVATION, AND DECISION-MAKING TRAINING CATALOG COURSES . CLASSES . WORKSHOPS . SEMINARS . PROGRAMS

ENGL 2A: Critical Thinking & Writing (Krane)

• Welcome & Hello
• Find Articles
• Extra: Find eBooks
• Extra: Find Newspapers
• Library Workshop Day: 04/30

The Trust Project

https://thetrustproject.org/

Group Activity Part 2

Trust Indicator Worksheet - Complete one worksheet for the group

Warm up Activity (5 min)

Group Activity Part 1

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• Last Updated: Apr 30, 2024 1:39 PM
• URL: https://libguides.scu.edu/engl2a_krane