Work-based learning
Training and workshops delivered onsite or virtually to teams or organisations, with the option to include follow-up coaching and mentoring
Let our stimulating and engaging workshops sharpen and strengthen the most important resource you possess: the collective intelligence of your workforce.
INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED CRITICAL AND ANALYTICAL THINKING
SHARING THINKING: WITH PEOPLE AND MACHINES
Available Workshops
APPLIED CRITICAL AND ANALYTICAL THINKING (ADVANCED)
COMBINING CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING
NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY
LINKING THINKING TO ACTION
See below for details about each of the above workshops.
All our workshops can be delivered on-site, where travel permits, or virtually. Each workshop lasts approximately 2 hours and can be delivered to groups of any size or ability level.
Please if you would like to enquire about a KRITIKOS workshop please contact here.
Bespoke workshops
Designed to meet the training needs of your organisation.
We help you design the perfect programme that addresses the specific training requirements that you have, with the option of further coaching or mentoring.
I FOUND THE SESSION VERY POWERFUL. IT HAS LEFT ME A LOT TO GO AND REFLECT ON!
Nick, Senior Leadership Team, Waingels College
putting together your training
Diagnosing your needs
Whether you select an existing workshop or request something more bespoke, we always like to begin by finding out where, as an individual or an organisation, your main areas of strength are, and which areas where you would like further support. We can help you to diagnose these, with some simple interview or survey questions, which you can do in person or virtually. Often the issue is as much one of confidence as anything else, and this is something - with our focus on interpersonal/ sharing thinking - we are strong on.
Focus on desired area
Once we know which area or areas to target, we are able to personalise the training you need, with special focus on the desired area or areas.
To find out more about the ways we could support you and the training options available, please get in touch. Examples of activities and things you learn are often shared on LinkedIn so consider following us there
teaching approach and pedagogy
teaching background
avoid cognitive load
practical application
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Joe is an experienced teacher and teaching coach; he spent 17 years teaching 16-19 year olds so he knows how to keep lessons interactive and engaging!
Joe is careful to avoid the use of unnecessary technical terminology. The aim after all is to bring clarity to people's thinking, not further clutter. He only selects the ideas that have the most cognitive fluency, and that are the most directly effective in terms of developing the four skill areas above
The focus throughout is on real world application. Ideas are applied to real world situations and contexts; delegates learn by doing, and discussing - and solving - problems together.
WORKSHOP CONTENTS
Applied Critical and Analytical Thinking
what we cover
Joe draws from over 20 years experience teaching and assessing critical and analytical thinking to give you everything that is useful to know about critical thinking. Our critical thinking courses focus on every aspect of critical and analytical thinking that is of real world benefit. The difference between the two programmes is the depth and detail and also the opportunity for further practice, application and testing to assess your learning.
what you learn
You learn how to
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Quickly analyse information and assess its signifiance
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Test ideas, claims, arguments, theories and models
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Pressure-test thinking to reveal blindspots and assumptions
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Judge evidence: the difference between evidence and examples; the power and also limitations of evidence - the role of principles and values especally in decision-making
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Assess the role of analogies, stories and metaphors
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Identify potential strengths and weaknesses in arguments, claims, evidence and ideas; be able to test these more formally and effectively
practical application
Our whole approach is designed around making critical thinking skills real world compatible - both in terms of facts about people and how they think and operate, and also in terms of the context that they think in. (See here) The skills and strategies we teach people are chosen for having maximum reach and designed to work in real world situations, in real time. (See pedagogy)
'Emergency surgery' workshop (2 hours): protect and enhance your critical thinking skills. Why a lot of critical thinking advice is unhelpful. What you can really do to improve your thinking - simple principles made clear and accessible, applied to real world contexts.
NEW: EMERGENCY CRITICAL THINKING SURGERIES
There is a double crisis in critical thinking right now. Not only is there an urgent need to promote critical thinking, but much of the support and advice is unhelpful - and even misleading. Our emergency workshops look at the common misconceptions around critical thinking and how to correct for these. We show you why advice such as "don't jump to conclusions", "question your assumptions" or "analyse the information before making a decision" is at best unhelpful, and at worst actively misleading.
Drawn from 20 years experience writing and designing thinking skills tests, as well as having co-authored books on critical thinking, we replace the unhelpful advice and common misconceptions with strategies that are actually useful; such as:
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What actually IS good evidence? What's the difference between evidence and examples?
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How do you actually reveal assumptions in your thinking? Which are the ones I should question?
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What constitutes a jump to a conclusion?
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How to test claims and inferences
Our simple strategies, largely jargon-free, show you how you can incorporate critical thinking into your work and life, in ways that make sense and that are not confusing!
"Thanks again for your energy and openness — it made the experience really enjoyable!"
Joanna
Sharing thinking - with people and AI
For our thinking to be empowered, we need to be able to form and express our own judgments, thoughts and ideas - but also be able to connect our thinking with that of others. Joe draws on his experience in critical thinking alongside his work in other, more distinctly 'human' and emotionally rich or volatile areas, such as his work in conflict resolution, preventing violent extremism, and teaching literature and drama to provide specialist workshops that focus on the art of sharing thinking.
WHAT YOU LEARN:
- the emotional as well as the rational dimension to thinking and to sharing thinking; how to combine successfully so that ideas connect and resonate
- psychological and sociological issues and challenges around updating (why it's important to us to be seen to be right, why we don't like to admit when we are wrong) and how to mitigate these
- the importance of sharing thinking, the value of but also the problems with dealing with pushback
- issues and problems around agreement and disagreement: avoid groupthink and escalation into binary, "fight or flight" threat states
- how to be more sensitive to contextual factors, other perspectives, and the unknown
REAL WORLD THINKING REQUIRES MORE THAN JUST BEING ABLE TO THINK CLEARLY, CRITICALLY AND ANALYTICALLY - YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE YOUR THINKING, AND, WHERE NECESSARY, ACT ON IT!
Joe Chislett, Founder KRITIKOS
Combining critical and creative thinking
Being able to combine critical and creative thinking is the ultimate human superpower. However, it is not easy. Joe draws on his experience teaching critical and analytical thinking, the philosophy of science, alongside his experience teaching creative writing, as well as his passion for writing and performing poetry to look at the interplay between critical thought and creative output.
WHAT YOU LEARN:
This workshop takes a deeper dive into the relationship between critical and creative thinking. Why they both need each other and how to get them working in harmony.
We go deeper into the areas touched on in the Maximise Your Thinking workshops, sharing further strategies for how to:
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Exploit the natural human tendency to generate thoughts and ideas
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Enter 'play' mode; ways to encourage idea generation
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Switch the two sides on and off, when and how to move from more consciously effortful to more free-form instinctive thinking
Linking thinking to action
[CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT; EXPECTED AVAILABILITY SPRING 2026