Critical Thinking in Business is a business orientated training solution combining our two core workshops (Overcome your Cognitive Biases! & Business Applications or Argument Analysis).

The Critical Thinking in Business training solution is designed to improve your ability to reason and think critically using a step-by-step method. Completing this programme will result in improved decision making, problem solving, communication skills and your ability to think strategically. 

Day 1 Overcoming Your Cognitive Biases!

This workshop will introduce you the Critical Thinking tools and techniques and show you why we need these. In this workshop, you will learn about the various heuristics (shortcuts in reasoning) used in decision-making, and the cognitive biases that result. You will learn techniques to overcome the cognitive biases that are likely to affect your reasoning in the workplace. You will learn the Grove method of Argument Analysis and how to apply it to complex arguments. For a more detailed workshop outline and downloadable fact sheet go here.

Day 2 Business Applications of Argument Analysis

The Business Applications of Argument Analysis workshop builds on the foundations of the Overcome Your Cognitive Biases! workshop. In our first workshop you learn the Grove Method of Argument Analysis, and how this method generates the questions that you need to ask yourself when engaged in reasoning to ensure that you are not being affected by cognitive biases. In the Business Applications of Argument Analysis workshop, we expand on the method, and consider further applications relevant to business. For a more detailed workshop outline and downloadable fact sheet go here.

At the end of this programme you will have learned the techniques and tools that will improve your decision making, problem solving, communication skills and your ability to think strategically.

Let's get started down the path to better, more reasoned thinking.

Grow Smarter!

Who is this course for? 

Anyone who has a stake in the success of your business. In fact, the most successful implementations of Critical Thinking in Business occur at organizations where individuals from all key departments attend including executive leadership, management, marketing, product development, sales, etc.

How is it delivered?

At your location or at one of our downtown Toronto training locations

What is included?

Our corporate training solution includes a pre and post Critical Thinking assessment, a printed workbook, a followup session and ongoing support.

For more information and pricing options

Over the past 30 years, research in cognitive science and social psychology has shown how cognitive biases (psychological tendencies that cause people to draw incorrect conclusions) can lead us astray in a wide variety of ways. Simply put, most people are not good at reasoning. For this reason, one of the core Critical Thinking skills is thinking about how we think. However, merely being aware of cognitive biases is not enough. To ensure that your reasoning and decision-making will not be affected by cognitive biases, you need to uncover your hidden assumptions and consider your evidence. For this purpose, we have developed a clear step-by-step method for generating the questions you need to ask yourself when engaged in reasoning: The Grove Method of Argument Analysis. 
 

 The Overcome Your Cognitive Biases! workshop is designed to encourage the development and practice of this highly important skill. In this workshop, you will learn about the various heuristics (shortcuts in reasoning) used in decision-making, and the cognitive biases that result. You will learn techniques to overcome the cognitive biases that are likely to affect your reasoning in the workplace. The result will be improved decision making and problem solving with fewer costly mistakes.

Workshop overview
 

What is Critical thinking?

The benefits of Critical Thinking are widely promoted in schools, government and in industry. But rarely is it made clear precisely what Critical Thinking is. We begin by examining exactly what it means to think critically. In doing so, we look at some the various skills involved in Critical Thinking and also why these skills are so important to succeed in today’s competitive business environment.
 

why we need critical thinking: cognitive biases and heuristics

Thinking critically is tantamount to reasoning how one ought to reason, but numerous studies have shown that how human beings actually reason is different from how they ought to reason. Human beings tend to follow certain heuristics (shorts cuts in reasoning) and this leads us to be affected by certain cognitive biases that negatively impact our reasoning and decision-making. We teach you what cognitive biases and heuristics are and we examine examples that are likely to affect your reasoning and the decisions you make in business. Simply being made aware of these cognitive biases and heuristics is helpful, but we take you a step further introducing you to an effective initial strategy to mitigate the negative outcomes of these cognitive biases on your reasoning and decision-making ability.
 

Overcome Cognitive Biases: The Grove Method of Argument Analysis™ 

This initial strategy is very effective in dealing with the specific cognitive biases we examine. However, there are other tools that we can use to better deal with cognitive biases. The remainder of the workshop introduces you to the Grove Method of Argument Analysis.™ Using this method you will overcome cognitive biases and improve your reasoning and decision making. We teach you how to uncover hidden assumptions, force you to consider your evidence, consider whether you have sufficient evidence, to ensure that you draw the right conclusions based on your evidence.

The Business Applications of Argument Analysis workshop is the second day of our Critical Thinking in Business training solution. Building on what you learned in the Overcome Your Cognitive Biases! workshop, we expand on the Grove Method of Argument Analysis and show you how this method improves the most essential business tasks of decision making, problem solving, strategic planning, and sales. Real world examples are incorporated to demonstrate the effectiveness of applying Critical Thinking skills to common business challenges. In particular, we show how using argument analysis can help you: 

• make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes

• correctly identify causes and provide solutions to problems

• develop an effective strategy and communicate that strategy

• be more persuasive and influential

Workshop overview

deductive reasoning

Building on the content of the Overcome Your Cognitive Biases! workshop, we begin by exploring more ways that reasons can provide rational support for conclusions. We examine what it means for an argument to be valid and how to test an argument for validity. This valuable skill encourages the Critical Thinking mindset of considering a variety of possible situations.

detecting and avoiding fallacious reasoning

We also expand on the discussion of informal fallacies, learning how to detect and avoid further types of fallacious arguments one frequently encounters in business. In addition, we will explore the situations in which it is rational to accept a claim on the basis of testimony, normally considered a fallacy in reasoning. 

applications of argument analysis

The bulk of this workshop is spent on applying Argument Analysis to common business tasks. We show you how to use analogical reasoning to make better decisions, how to properly conduct a cost/benefit analysis and how to avoid the common mistakes associated with this mode of reasoning. We also show you how our method improves your problem solving abilities so that you can correctly identify the source of a problem to avoid the costly mistake of fixing what isn’t broken. We provide you with tools to improve your ability to develop an effective strategy and enable you to better communicate that strategy. Finally, we show you how using our method improves your ability to sell your ideas, clearly articulate your proposals and better understand your client’s needs, which will prepare you to deal with objections and build confidence in business.