Course Objectives

Effective analytical skills are indispensable for professionals who strive to guide their organizations toward well-informed business decisions rooted in robust evidence. While the complexity of problems may vary, a structured approach can be applied to nearly all situations, bolstering the prospects of long-term organizational success. In this training course from Gulf Training and Consultation Center, participants will learn about various analytical thinking techniques that can mitigate the influence of cognitive biases in decision-making. They will also develop the ability to evaluate different types of data to maximize the reliability of evidence. In addition, this course will equip participants with the ability to synthesize data and construct compelling arguments anchored in logical analysis. By providing the participants with the following skills and knowledge:
- Describe the principles of analytical thinking and evidence-based decision making
- Apply logical reasoning and critical thinking strategies to solve business problems
- Evaluate different types of data and evidence in terms of their relevance and reliability
- Synthesize information from various sources to create a comprehensive understanding of a problem
- Develop logical and structured presentations based on analytical evidence
Content
- Introduction to Analytical Thinking
- Understanding how we think and reason
- Confirmation bias
- Analytical versus intuitive thinking
- The role of creativity in analytical thinking
- Enhancing the analytical thinking process
- Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
- Introduction to critical thinking
- Dividing issues into manageable sections
- The use of logic trees in problem-solving
- Logical fallacies
- Critical thinking in a professional context
- Understanding and Evaluating Evidence
- Types of evidence
- Evaluating evidence
- Validity, reliability, and bias
- The role of statistical literacy
- Tools for evidence gathering
- Synthesizing Information and Evidence
- Techniques for synthesizing information
- Comparative analysis
- Thematic analysis
- Making sense of contradictory evidence
- The role of perspective in synthesizing information
- Communicating Evidence-Based Findings
- Understanding stakeholders
- Data visualization
- Building effective arguments
- Communicating findings by telling a story
- Storytelling elements
Course Target
Analysts, managers, and professionals who are looking to build their analytical skills, as well as those who are interested in improving their decision-making capabilities based on analytical evidence.
Target Competencies:
- Analytical thinking.
- Critical thinking.
- Problem solving.
- Evaluating data.
- Structuring data.
- Synthesizing information.
- Communicating analytical findings.
Course Methodology:
Various techniques are used in this course, including analyzing business data sets, critiquing several organizational decisions, case study analysis, group discussions, and group presentations.
Management, Leadership and Development