Applying Advanced Critical Thinking Skills

Established analysts, team leaders, and project managers who want to write more compelling research papers and develop more effective projects.  Preference would be given to teams of analysts who work similar issues and see the workshop as an opportunity to launch their new project or to refine/refocus work already underway.  Each workshop would be organized around three to five predetermined topics.  When signing up for the course, students would be required to indicate specific projects or topics of interest.

Length:

3 days

Who should take this course?

By applying the analytic tools and techniques taught in this workshop  before they begin major drafting of a research paper or project, senior analysts, team leaders, and project managers can greatly reduce time spent in coordination and editing, identify any gaps or potential vulnerabilities in their lines of argument, and significantly increase the rigor and persuasiveness of their final products.

Cost:

Description:

This workshop helps analysts, team leaders, and project managers apply critical thinking skills to key tasks including program management and the drafting of research papers.  Using numerous interactive, hands-on exercises, teams are presented with various situations and case studies to help them frame their research papers and projects, avoid analytic traps, inject creativity into the process, make their arguments more compelling, and enhance their presentations.  The workshop also provides a forum for the students to share their experiences and agency perspectives in applying what they have learned.

Concepts introduced in this workshop are:

• What is critical thinking and how can I leverage the key concepts to improve the quality of my work?
• What are the Six Steps to Producing a Quality Product?
• What are the most effective structured brainstorming techniques for generating multiple hypotheses?
• How can Analysis of Competing Hypotheses be used in a virtual environment? 
• How can team leaders or senior analysts make small group processes more effective?  How can one avoid key traps?
• How can use data visualization techniques more effectively to organize my thinking and present my data?
• How do I employ The Pre-Mortem Assessment to help “bullet proof” my research paper, project, or briefing?
• How do I best apply these techniques to my current paper or project?
• How best can I integrate these techniques into my regular work?

Agenda:

Day 1
Goals, Objectives, and Introductions
The Key Elements of Critical Thinking
The Six Steps to Generating a Research Product
Developing Hypotheses and Multiple Hypotheses Generator exercise
Avoiding Analytic Traps and Mindsets
Simple and Complex Techniques for Overcoming Mindsets
Collaborative Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (C-ACH)

Day 2
Small Group Facilitation
Using Data Visualization Techniques in Analysis
Introduction to The Pre-Mortem Assessment: A Technique for Bullet Proofing Your Paper
Pre-Mortem exercise

Day 3
The Research Process
Getting the Topic in Focus
Collecting and Organizing Your Information
Exploring Your Hypotheses
Organizing Your Ideas and Preparing a Visual Map of Your Project
Incorporating These Techniques into Your Daily Routine
Wrap-Up: Key Insights Gleaned

If you're interested in future runnings of a course,
please send an email to courseregistration@pherson.org
to request information or call 703-390-9903.