Creative and Critical Thinking
Course Outline
Critical Thinking: What Is It? Why Does It Matter?
Understanding the importance of critical thinking and how it differs
• Types of thinking (e.g. memorization) are the first steps to improving business decision making. In this introductory lesson, participants will be introduced to
• Six critical thinking skills: interpretation, analysis, inference, explanation, evaluation, and self-regulation.
Right Brain! Left Brain! Brain Sprain!: Understanding Your Preferred Approach
• Brief introduction to the physiology of the brain and its impact on thinking
• Difference between right-brain and left- brain thinking
Get out of the Box: Basic Creative Thinking Skills
• Multiple creative thinking techniques for better problem solving:
o Brainstorming, negative brainstorming, mind mapping, and random words.
• Real-world business problems using a variety of ideation methods.
Beyond Brainstorming: The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving Method
• A process of solving business problems using six specific steps:
o Objective finding, fact finding, problem finding, idea finding, solution finding, and acceptance finding.
We’ve Always Done It This Way: Getting Past Nay-Sayers and Other Negative People
• Overcoming the mentality of "that’s never going to work
• Creating new ideas and techniques
• Clear framework of decision making process
• Mild mapping
• Win-Win thinking
• Lateral thinking
• Six thinking hats
• Divergent convergent thinking
System Thinking model
Total Quality Management
