Professional Problem-Solving and Decision-Making

Summary

In this workshop you will discover the natural problem-solving skills you already have, and investigate methods you can use to make decisions and persuade people that your solutions are applicable. You will also consider how you can apply these techniques in your own life and work and produce your own proposals to solve issues important to you.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of workshop participants will be able to:

1. Evaluate personal skills for problem solving.
2. Describe how problems exist in wider contexts.
3. Develop an idea to approach a real-life problem.
4. Explore methods to minimize risk and turn ideas into plans.
5. Explain the importance of wider impact when proposing solutions.
6. Produce a plan that persuades others that your solution will work.
7. Analyse the different options and select the “best fit” for a creative solution
8. Work through the creative problem solving & decision-making process

Topics Covered

1. Problem-Solving Skills
2. What is the last problem you solved?
3. What is your problem-solving strength?
4. Learning to solve problems at work
5. How can you improve your problem-solving skills?
6. Decision Making Basics
7. Fundamentals of Decision Making
8. Defining Decisions
9. Decision frames
10. Researching Decisions
11. Finding a Problem to Solve
12. A problem-solving approach
13. Defining problems
14. A problem-solving tool
15. Using “SWOT” to solve problems
16. A case study
17. Creative Problem Solving & Decision-Making Process
18. Step 1: Identify and Frame the Problem
19. Step 2: Develop a Creative Solution and Implement the Decision
20. Step 3: Implement the Decision
21. Step 4: Evaluate the Solution’s Success
22. Looking for Risks
23. How do businesses solve problems?
24. From inspired ideas to practical plans
25. Managing risks.
26. Are there other bigger risks?
27. Pitching your Ideas
28. How much time and money does your solution need?
29. How can you tell if your plan was a success?
30. Making your Plan
31. Planning to solve your own problem
32. Solving your problem
33. Review your plan

Duration: 12 hours