Critical Thinking for Innovation in Enterprises - incorporating the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method

Course Provider

Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE@NTU)

Certification

Continuing Education and Training Certificate

Enquire here

Introduction

Today’s businesses are driven by a knowledge-based society, and the more critical you think the better your knowledge will be. Critical thinking provides you with the skills to analyse and evaluate information so that you can obtain the greatest amount of knowledge from it. It provides the best chance of making the correct decision and minimizes damage if a mistake does occur. Critical thinking also assists you in undertaking a situational analysis to verify the nature of the situation and to see whether there is a problem indeed and to address the possible implications and consequences of an action or non-action taken.

This high-impact workshop will provide you the skills to evaluate, identify and distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information. You will learn to identify and overcome deceptive reasoning and handle emotional manipulations in conversations and this will make you become a better problem solver and an effective decision maker. The workshop will introduce you to a powerful and easy to apply five stage process that will stimulate your critical thinking.

Course Availability

  • Date(s): 10 to 11 Apr 2025

    Time: 09:00am to 5:00pm

    Venue: NTU@one-north campus, Executive Centre (Buona Vista)

    Registration Closing Date: 20 Mar 2025

    Apply now

  • Date(s): 26 to 27 Jun 2025

    Time: 09:00am to 5:00pm

    Venue: NTU@one-north campus, Executive Centre (Buona Vista)

    Registration Closing Date: 05 Jun 2025

    Apply now

Objectives
At the end of this programme, participants will be able to:

1. Demonstrate and identify with different styles of thinking and determine their personal preferences.
2. Identify how to challenge assumptions and expand perceptions about situations.
3. Identify and overcome biases and prejudice that affects your thinking.
4. Identify barriers to innovation and explain ways to overcome these barriers with critical thinking.
5. Develop a framework to apply critical thinking for innovation – the five-stage process.
6. Define problems and break down into its constituent components.
7. Arrive at better conclusions and decisions by learning to overcome groupthink mentality.
8. Apply critical thinking skills to narrow/close performance gap in problem solving process.
9. Influence and persuade others with clear thinking and Meta-cognitive language.
10. Evaluate arguments and outcome of decisions made for peak performance.
11. Apply what has been learnt to the day-to-day operation of the organization.

Outline

1. Introduction to Critical Thinking: demonstrate and identify with distinctive styles of thinking and determine their personal preferences

2. How do you know that? Challenging Assumptions: Identify how to challenge assumptions and expand perceptions about the situations

3. Factors that Determine Effective Innovation:
- Identify and overcome biases and prejudice that affects your thinking.
- Identify barriers to effective thinking and explain ways to overcome these barriers.

4. What to do now? Thinking situations: Developing a framework to apply critical thinking for peak performance using the five-stage process.

5. Solving ill-defined problem with critical thinking:
- define problems and break down into its constituent components.
- apply critical thinking skills to narrow/close performance gap in problem solving process

6. Dynamic decision making using critical thinking: Arrive at better conclusions and decisions by learning to overcome groupthink mentality.

7. Critical thinking for persuading and influencing others and evaluating arguments.

8. Four strategies to become a critical thinker.

Methodology

Competent-based approach incorporating participants engagement in role play activities, group discussion, hands-on practices and case study analysis. This workshop uses an activity-based approach using gamification and lego® serious play concept. Participants will be actively encouraged to engage in building models to demonstrate pain points in critical thinking and innovation and come up with solutions that can be applicable.

Who should attend
This program is suitable for:

Entrepreneurs, business owners, executives, senior executives, managers, and department managers

Fees and Funding

Standard Course Fee: S$1,308.00

SSG Funding Support

 Course fee

Course fee payable after SSG funding, if eligible under various schemes
 

BEFORE funding & GST

AFTER funding & 9% GST

Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) (Up to 70% funding)

S$1,200.00

S$392.40

Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS)

S$152.40

SCs aged ≥ 40 years old
SkillsFuture Mid-career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES)
(Up to 90% funding)
  • Standard course fee is inclusive of GST.
  • NTU/NIE alumni may utilise their $1,600 Alumni Course Credits. Click here for more information.

 

Trainers
Daniel Theyagu

Theyagu, Daniel

Mr Daniel Theyagu is a training consultant and performance evaluator since 1989. He has designed and delivered customised training for many organisations ranging from small and medium enterprises, multi-national corporations and the public sector. His participants have come from various countries including: Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Mauritius, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Germany, Sweden, France, USA, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Daniel is well known in his field as a highly humourous and innovative trainer who engages his participants actively and assist them in realising the returns of investment for the course they attend. His participants include, doctors, lawyers, judges, senior government official, military personnel, students and job-seekers.

His area of specialty includes the following:

  • Leadership and Learning Organisation
  • Critical and Creative thinking
  • Emotional and Social Intelligence
  • Crisis and Conflict Management
  • Speed Reading and Memorisation Technique for Professionals
  • Negotiation Strategies
  • Personal and Organisational Competency-based Training

Daniel is the author of the following books:

  • Thinking Critically using the Sun Tzu Art of War Techniques
  • Extremely Busy People Guide to: Read Faster! Memorise Better! Think Clearer
  • Gravitating Towards Success
  • Making Memory Work For You
  • Guide to Success in Studies for Mature Students
  • Developing True Leadership Potential

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