Creating a training program to help groups of employees improve their skills to support effective job performance can be an important step in employee development programs.

If you wish to create your own business critical thinking training content, here’s a sample outline of a training lesson that employs case discussion, employee assessment, and debrief.  Since evaluating the success of a pilot training requires objective evaluation of results, we have included a link to INSIGHT assessment suite that might provide valuable tools.

Sample Outline of a Training Lesson (estimated 60-90 minute program):

1. Conduct your usual program covering the main content, using at least one representative case to teach the desired information about problem identification and the criteria for reporting more serious problems to supervisors. This part should be limited to 25-45 minutes to avoid cognitive fatigue being a factor for trainees’ learning.  After introducing the case, allow employees to talk together until they have each decided how the case should be handled (by speaking aloud in the group, or talking with a teammate in small groups).
2. Administer an in-program assessment using an INSIGHT Mindset test instrument (15-20 minutes). Each employee can complete the assessment while in the training session, and then receive an individual report using a computer, tablet or smart device.
3. Complete the training by clearly identifying the key elements of the case and the mindset characteristics that are demonstrated when employees can see the key elements and anticipate the need for risk management (for example, recall when an employee in the group discussion appraised the case honestly and systematically, when an employee was intolerant of opinions that were not consistent with their own, when someone reconsidered in light of new information, and when there was a call to clarify the facts of the case.
4. Conclude by asking each employee to look at their personal assessment individual report to see where they might work to improve their critical thinking mindset.
5. Follow up this mindset training module with one that focuses on decision skills such as analysis, inference, evaluation and numeracy. Providing personal assessment reports of these skills can encourage better understanding of their specific strengths and weaknesses in these core skills.   Metrics on the group reports as well as individual reports can help determine whether there are any individuals in the group that require more intensive training to be reliable decision makers.,

If you are interested in integrating a specialized employee thinking training program into your human resource programs, Insight Assessment offers INSIGHT Development Program, a proven suite of online training modules and assessment that are designed to help employers build critical thinking in teams as well as in individuals.  Contact us to learn more.

Looking for additional training strategies? Check out our complimentary teaching and training resources.

More about launching a pilot program of training to improve employee thinking skills.