problem solving and decision making workshop

• Open training
• Team training

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving for Effective Decision-Making

Professional development and personal effectiveness.

An essential competency in today’s workplace

Mastering critical thinking and problem-solving skills can help you make better decisions or recommendations- an essential competency in today’s knowledge workplaces. Critical thinking helps you to examine and improve thought processes, ask the right questions, challenge assumptions and consider varying viewpoints. Effective problem-solving helps you to properly identify and systematically work through a problem in a comprehensive manner, ensuring clarity when it comes time to make decisions or recommendations.

This course will demonstrate how critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making work optimally together, and will provide hands-on practice with tools that you can apply to your everyday workday tasks, big or small.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this seminar, you will be able to:

• Define critical thinking and identify your critical thinking styles
• Work through the critical thinking process to build, analyze and evaluate varying viewpoints
• Improve key critical thinking skills, including active listening and questioning
• Analyze context and information to clearly understand and identify a problem
• Apply problem solving steps and tools
• Identify appropriate solutions using specific approaches
• Select the best technique for making decisions
• Avoid common decision-making mistakes

Workshop topics

Maximizing the Power of Your Brain

• Critical thinking and problem-solving the key to effective decision making
• The Iceberg Principle and the Understanding-Resolution Ration

Critical Thinking

• Definition of a Critical Thinker
• Critical thinking behaviours: active listening, probing, Empty Your Bucket
• Identify and evaluate issues and viewpoints
• The 3 C’s: context, credibility, and consistency
• Critical thinking worksheet- practice it!
• Problem Solving
• The problem-solving process- various models
• Obstacles and counterproductive approaches
• Problem-solving techniques for groups and individuals
• Applying a problem-solving model to a workplace scenario

Decision Making

• Individual and collective decision-making traps
• How to choose: criteria, goals and vision-based decision-making
• Individual and group decision-making tools and techniques
• Decision-making – practical application to a workplace scenario

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course

Who should attend this course?

Anyone who is required to problem solve on the job or make important project, department or organizational decisions or recommendations

Does this course address your competency development needs?

This workshop addresses:

• Achievement and Results Oriented
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Analytical Thinking
• Change Management and Leadership
• Creative Thinking
• Decision Making and Decisiveness
• Engagement and Motivation
• Impact and Influence
• Innovation and Initiative
• Self Confidence and Self Esteem
• Strategic Thinking
• Teamwork and Cooperation
• Working with Others

To learn more about core competencies, click here .

$ 595 plus tax

Choose my session

• Instructor: Barbara Odenwald

The advantages of team sessions

• Learn and grow together as a team
• Location and time of your choice
• Sessions can be customized to fit your objectives
• Surprisingly cost effective

Submit your interest

Questions? Let us help

Our clients, welcome to our new website.

We appreciate your patience as we add the finishing touches. In the meantime, go and explore!

Cookie Usage Disclaimer: This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please review our Privacy Policy .

Hello! We'd love to hear from you!

Complete the form below or reach us at: [email protected] , or 613-234-2020

Contact details

To help you.

• I wish to subscribe to PMC Training content.

Join our FREE training and learn the 5 things you can do to become a top 1% facilitator

The best workshop exercises for decision-making.

These 9 simple and effective exercises will help you make your decision-making process faster, less overwhelming, and more effective!

Team decision-making is one of the hardest skills to master.

A typical decision-making session scenario includes team members talking over each other, more introverted participants being overpowered by the loudest people in the room, andteam politics impeding real progress...Just talking about this makes our heads hurt! The worst thing about meetings like that is not they are a drag to be in, but that they don't achieve their main goal: that is, defining clear next steps, and aligning the team on a common goal and strategy.

But Working-style differences, politics , and asymmetrical knowledge are just parts of the overall problem. The underlying issue, however, is that conventional collaboration scenarios don’t address that!

So should you just accept that decision-making in teams won't be effective and enjoyable? Not on our watch! These exercises will help you come to a decision faster, with less overwhelm, and sans circular discussions!

Before we dive in, here's a little heads-up: arriving to a common decision with your team is just the tip of the iceberg. For your decision-making sessions to be truly effective, you need to make sure that you're trying to make headway on the right initiative to start with ( by defining just the right angle to tackle! ), and that the ideas you bring to the table are worthwhile .

It's also a good idea to check that your decision-making process is not disjointed from the rest of the problem-solving cycle and plugs right in to the next steps.

• 1. Do you want a Career in UX? 
•  Learn the Principles of UX Design
• Master a UX Design Tool ‍

1. Dot Voting

Dot Voting is a great way to narrow down the amount of ideas and possible solutions without digressing into circular discussions. You can weave it into all of the phases of your problem-solving session, whenever you need to quickly prioritize ideas. 

We recommend you go through the list of all exercises before your session and make note of how many dot voting sessions you’ll need. 

Dot Voting is super easy to run: you just set the timer to approximately 5 minutes, and let your team place their votes on ideas they think are the best.

Some important things to take into account here are:

• Like most of the workshop exercises, Dot Voting is run in together alone mode, so no discussions or opinion sharing are taking place!
• You’ll need to estimate the right amount of dots to distribute to each participant to make sure the voting sessions narrow down your choices. Estimating that number is more an art than a science. Generally speaking, the more sticky notes or ideas you have, the more dots you’ll need. For example, if you’re running a Dot Voting Session after a ow Might We exercise, where participants are encouraged to write as many notes as they can think of, you’ll end up with a mass of notes (especially of your team is around 6-8 people), so you’d want to give them 3-5 dots. On the other hand, if you’re running an exercise where there’s not so much output, you might want to keep the number of dots to 1-2.
• Do not worry too much about getting this exactly right. The idea is to give participants enough dots to get overlapping votes on a few ideas while not giving them too many that you end up with votes on almost every idea. The point of Dot Voting, after all, is to quickly narrow down the sticky notes to the top-voted ones.
• You’ll need to explain the importance of narrowing ideas down to your group. It  might be hard for some people to discard ideas and that might stall your entire session! To avoid that, tell your workshop participants that discarding some ideas– even the ones they might want to save for later –will help the whole team to focus on the highest priority ones. Dot Voting helps structure the decision making process and allows the group to choose quickly between multiple options without having to go into discussion. Explain that each person will get only a few dots and they have to be selective. This helps focus participants' attention on selecting the highest priority items. 
• Lastly, make sure to mention that it’s okay for participants to vote on their own ideas. Depending on your workshop, you may choose to allow participants to vote with multiple dots on the same sticky note if they feel strongly about it.

Pro tip: After the Dot Voting is done, you can visualize the priority of your top-voted items by rearranging them in order of decrease with the most number of votes on top, and fewer votes underneath.

Having the sticky notes tree helps consolidate the top-voted sticky notes in one area in which the participants can look at them and process them visually as one whole.

2. Heat Map

The Heat Map exercise is best used when you need each participant to make one vote on a big idea among many, and each idea has a lot of details (for example, if you need them to make a decision on a detailed concept!).

So rather than asking participants to make a difficult decision and try to hold all the information in their heads while they evaluate the different options, a Heat Map will serve as a great visual summary of where the best parts of each big idea are.

The Heat Map exercise is super easy to run:

• Set the timer to 15-20 minutes and tell your participants to go through every concept or big idea and use the voting dots to call out good parts that stuck out to them.
• Participants can use as many dots as they want in this exercise . Make sure to explain that this is a non-binding voting exercise and encourage them to spend all of their dots , and even use multiple dots in places that sparked their interest to create some heat.

3. Affinity Diagrams

This exercise is great if you need to structurize and organize loads of information and ideas after an ideation session. Affinity diagram structures ideas according to their relationships and correlations, helping the team make mental connections and arrive to decisions faster and with more ease. 

The core of the exercise is simple: you just need to group the ideas based on their affinity, or similarity! 

• Set the timer to 10 minutes and start sorting out the ideas according to their similarities or relationship. All team members should be sorting the notes simultaneously in together alone mode, so with no talking involved! It’s ok to have sticky notes and ideas that don’t seem to fit any category at this point. Make sure to tell your participants to not group the notes in any specific order just yet. 
• After you’ve completed the initial grouping, start defining and naming  categories for your idea clusters. Now’s the time to discuss with your group: you can talk over the reasons for moving the ideas to a specific category, and the relationship between the categories.

Join our FREE community and connect with other Facilitators and Workshoppers

4. storyboarding.

This exercise from the Design Sprint method is perfect if your solution is complex and involves several steps, as it allows to map out each step of your solutions and clarifies which part of your solution you need to concentrate on or test later. 

Here’s a video detailing how to run this exercise:

• Start by drawing 8 grids on your (digital) whiteboard. They will represent the steps in the process that you need to map out. While you could change the number of the grids, after running hundreds of Storyboarding sessions, we found that 8 is the magic number. Why? Because going down to 6 makes the storyboard feel a little bit too high-level, while expanding to 10 and above makes it too granular, often keeping teams stuck with discussing non-relevant details. 
• It’s useful to have the artefacts from the ideation session handy so that you can incorporate bits and pieces of what you’ve already came up with directly into your storyboard. Having these artefacts will also help keep your team focussed, instead of venturing out in the terrain of ideating new ideas. 
• Narrow in on the 8 key steps that will help illustrate the solution you’re trying to create and note them down as headings for the cell. Don’t try to come up with a sketch for every single use case–this will reduce the efficiency of the session! Focus on the aspects you need to sketch out to create a viable solution and accurate user feedback. 
• Ask the participants to take 5 minutes to look out for solution material from previous exercises that can be used, and put it on the whiteboard in the corresponding cell. Your storyboard will end up looking somewhat like this:

• Now it’s time to fill in the rest of the cells. The easiest way to do that is to fill in the first cell and the last cell first. Define with the whole group which elements the cells should contain. Because this is an open-discussion format, watch out for circular discussions or unrelated topics sparking up ( here are our best tips on how to nip them in the bud! )
• Fill in the missing pieces by drawing the rest of the cells. If the participants lose focus after a while and don’t follow the process any more, delegate small tasks (e.g. creating copy) and ask questions that will help with the storyboarding. It should look like this:

• Once you’re done with drawing, one person will do a final run-through and narrate the whole storyboard out to the group. If you spot any big gaps or problems, write them down on a sticky note and take 5-10 minutes after the run-through to fill the gaps.

Pro tip: One thing that happens often during storyboarding is that the group gets so enthusiastic about discussing details of the first three screens that time is focused on the beginning portion and the last sections are rushed. It’s a good idea to timebox for each cell and try to not extend the timeboxes for too long.

Continuously remind the group that this is not the final version, but a prototype aimed at helping you answer a few questions.

5. Breadboarding

Don’t have the time to sketch out your entire solution step-by-step? Breadboarding is the next best thing! This exercise will still allow you to commit to a course of action without your solution, but without sketching out the whole thing. 

It’s important you set expectations for this exercise and explain that this process might feel frustrating for people who want to get started drawing details, but that this method will create strong outcomes in a short amount of time. 

• Start by drawing 8 grids on your (digital) whiteboard. Just like in the storyboarding exercise, 8 tends to be the sweet spot between going too high-level and too granular, but feel free to experiment and see what suits your challenge best. 
• Pull up the artefacts from the ideation session so that you can incorporate bits and pieces of what you’ve already came up with directly into the exercise. 
• Start by naming each grid according to the step it represents in your solution.
• After you’ve defined the steps, ask your team to look through the artefacts from your ideation session, and place them in the groids they correspond to. Your breadboard will look something like this:

• Now facilitate an open-discussion with your team and fill in the rest of the cells. It’s usually easier to start with the first cell, then move on to the last, and start filling in the rest only after you’ve defined those two. Fill the screens with places that users go to, the affordances they find to take actions and the sequence of actions they take - in words only. You can use arrows to visualize the flow and interactions between elements. For example, here’s how your breadboard could look like if you were working on increasing user base for a banking app:

Join the Facilitator Club community to connect with other facilitators and learn from their experiences

6. effort/impact scale.

The Impact-Effort Matrix is a simple yet powerful tool. It really allows to put all of the solutions in perspective and gauge them based..well, on the impact and effort they will have. It’s super easy to run and can be mastered even by novice facilitators. It’s especially useful if you’re trying to narrow down your choices and focus on a few impactful strategies rather than spreading yourself too thin!

To run an Effort/Impact Scale exercise, simply follow these steps: 

• Start by drawing an Effort/ Impact Scale on the whiteboard, and separating the graph into four quadrants by drawing dotted lines from the mid-point of each scale. Have all the ideas you want to prioritize nearby. For ease of running this exercise, all the ideas should be written out on separate sticky notes (1 idea per sticky note) 
• Take the first solution sticky note and read it out to the group. Then move over to the scale and hold the sticky note in the middle of the four quadrants, where the two dotted lines cross each other. 
• Start with the effort scale and ask the group directly: “Would you rate the effort of this idea as higher or lower?”. Encourage the group to start giving you feedback by saying “higher” or “lower”. Depending on the voice of the group, move the sticky note left and right along the effort scale and stop at a point where the group seems to agree. 
• Stay at this horizontal level of the scale and now ask the group how they would rate the impact of this idea. Move the sticky note up or down. When the group agrees on the impact, stick the note to the whiteboard at that spot and leave it there.
• Repeat the process until you’ve places all of your potential solutions on the board. Your Effort/Impact Scale will look something like this:

• Now it’s time to prioritize the ideas, based on where they landed on the scale:

The ideas in the top left quadrant are the ones with a big impact and low effort - implement these ideas first and prioritise them over others.

The ideas in the top right quadrant have a big impact and a high effort -  Use these as the foundation of a project. 

The ideas in the bottom left quadrant have a low impact and a low effort - These are good ideas to base small tasks on. 

The ideas on the bottom right quadrant have a low impact and a high effort - Set these at the bottom of your priority list. 

And just like that, you have now prioritized your potential solutions and have a clear action plan for every idea. Expect this exercise to get loud as it’s susceptible to high energy from the team. This can lead to more opinion based discussions to evolve such as “I personally think…” instead of a structured assignment process (“more left”, “more right”). Try to stick to the steps described above, always start out in the middle of the quadrants and keep the rating process of the both scales separate to make progress.

While there’s definitely no lack of good project management software out there, what these tools don’t offer is a quick and effective way to create realistic timeframes and assign responsibilities in a way that involves your team in the planning process (thereby making them more engaged and switched on for the project!) The Roadmap exercise is your perfect companion for planing out your project in a way that involves the team, increases the alignment, and the buy-in.

Here’s how this exercise is run:

• Start by gathering all your solutions, concepts, and ideas that you have already generated. 
• Ask your team to pull up their calendars so they can be realistic about their available time to deliver the actions and projects.
• You can either use a large whiteboard, digital whiteboard, or share a screen in the project management tool you’re using. Either way is fine, so pick whatever works best for you and your team. 
• Depending on the scope of your solution, determine an appropriate time frame. This could be week-by-week, month-by-month or quarter-by-quarter and draw this up along the top of the paper, working left to right. ( Pro tip: put these times on sticky-notes so you can move them around)

• Line the actions / projects / concepts down the left side. It helps if you have prioritised these in an earlier exercise as you will be able to organize them better.
• Present the first idea to the group and ask - “Who is best placed to take responsibility for delivering this action?” Once you have agreed upon who it is, decide an end date for the project deadline and any significant milestones.
• Once you have agreed upon the key tasks and a deadline, you can work back to determine a start date. Ask the responsible person to have their diary available so they can be realistic about their desired start date.
• Place the action on the start date - with reference to the timeline you have already created on the wall. From the right of the action, draw an arrow to the end date and make a note of this on a sticky note.
• Write the initials of the person responsible for this activity on a sticky note and stick it next to the activity.
• Repeat this activity for all of the actions.

And just like that, you have planned out your project and got your team on-board with the course of action. This exercise can work very well if you have the right people in the room because everyone is highly likely to be responsible for an activity.

Beware of trying to complete the action or project in the room. Find the right level of detail to go into in order to set specific times and deadlines but do not be tempted into tangents. Don’t set vague or unrealistic timescales - have a diary or calendar around, and make sure you are working in the real world, taking holidays and busy operational times into account.

8. Turn Ideas into Actions

This exercise is all about reframing the(vague)  ideas that you’ve gathered into tangible actions. It’s great if you’ve already prioritized the generated ideas but are struggling to make them tangible to the team, or define how they should be executed. 

• Start by gathering all of your ideas in the same place, and read out the first one. 
• Remind the group how the idea got prioritized (as a quick experiment, or a longer-term project)
• Write down the name of the idea as a headline on the rectangular sticky note. With input from the group, add three bullet points with tangible actions that need to be taken in order to implement this idea.
• Add a separate sticky note and - again with the input from the group - define success criteria. 

• Repeat this with all of the ideas.

9. Action Board Workshop

If you’re looking for a plug-and-play workshop that will allow you to quickly prioritize ideas and turn them into action, the Action Board is just what you need! It combines several exercises from this section and is a lightning fast way to make headway on projects. 

Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to run the Action Board workshop here.

Anastasia Ushakova

Brand Strategist, Digital Marketer, and a Workshopper.

When Do You Need a Facilitator?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus.

The Ultimate Facilitation Glossary: 50 Facilitation Terms You Should Know (From A-Z)

How To Improve Team Collaboration

• Shop Card Decks
• Video Libary

Engineering , Leadership , User experience , User experience , Product management

Problem-Solving Workshop

A collaborative learning environment designed to help participants develop skills to identify and solve problems. product glossary problem-solving workshop also called: problem-solving session and problem-solving exercise see also: how might we , hypothesis statement , premortem , problem statement , six thinking hats , swot analysis , affinity diagram , circles method , design thinking , jobs-to-be-done framework (jtbd) relevant metrics: attendance and engagement, pre- and post-workshop assessments, goal achievement, participant satisfaction, knowledge retention, application of skills, networking and collaboration, and commitment to continuous improvement in this article what is a problem-solving workshop.

A Problem-Solving Workshop is a collaborative event in which a group of people come together to identify and solve a problem. It is a structured process that involves brainstorming, analyzing, and developing solutions to a problem. A problem-solving workshop is a rapid session that helps you:

• Unlocking the Core of the Issue . A problem-solving workshop serves as an accelerated session designed to delve into the underlying cause of a dilemma, enabling participants to better comprehend its complexities.
• Generate ideas . With a deeper understanding of the problem at hand, participants rapidly brainstorm potential solutions. They then carefully assess these ideas, ensuring their feasibility and effectiveness in addressing the issue.
• Evaluating ideas . Participants scrutinize their proposed ideas, determining their robustness and ability to withstand potential challenges to ensure that only the most viable and reliable solutions are considered for implementation, enhancing the likelihood of successfully resolving the problem.
• Make a plan to test or implement . Equipped with a well-rounded perspective and carefully evaluated solutions, the workshop empowers attendees to devise a strategic plan for testing or implementing their chosen resolution, ultimately guiding them toward the ideal solution to their problem.

The workshop typically begins with a discussion of the problem and its context. Participants then brainstorm potential solutions and evaluate them based on their feasibility and potential impact. After the brainstorming session, the group works together to develop a plan of action to address the problem. This plan may include changes to existing processes, new procedures, or other solutions.

The Problem-Solving Workshop is an effective way to identify and solve problems in the context of Product Management and User Experience. It allows for a collaborative approach to problem-solving, which can lead to more creative and effective solutions. It also allows for a structured approach to problem-solving, which can help ensure that the problem is addressed in a timely and efficient manner.

Where did Problem-Solving Workshops come from?

The idea of coming together to solve problems can be traced back to ancient human societies that held gatherings to discuss issues and find solutions. In modern times, problem-solving workshops have been shaped by developments in various fields like psychology, education, management, design, and innovation.

Some significant influences on problem-solving workshops include:

• Brainstorming . Alex Osborn, an advertising executive, introduced brainstorming in the 1940s as a group creativity technique to generate ideas and solve problems. This method encouraged people to share their ideas freely, no matter how wild, and suspend judgment during the idea-generation process. Brainstorming has since been incorporated into many problem-solving workshops.
• Quality circles . In the 1960s, Japanese companies introduced quality circles, which are small groups of employees who meet regularly to discuss and solve work-related problems. These circles aimed to improve the quality of products and processes by involving employees in problem-solving and decision-making. The concept of quality circles has inspired many problem-solving workshops in various industries.
• Design thinking . The design thinking methodology, pioneered by companies like IDEO and Stanford University’s d.school, has played a crucial role in shaping modern problem-solving workshops. Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that encourages empathy, experimentation, and collaboration. It involves a series of steps, such as empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing, which can be adapted to various problem-solving workshop formats.
• Lean and Agile methodologies . Lean and Agile methodologies, which originated in the manufacturing and software development sectors, respectively, have also influenced problem-solving workshops. These approaches emphasize collaboration, continuous improvement, and rapid iteration to achieve better results.
• Facilitation techniques . The growth of professional facilitation has also impacted problem-solving workshops. Skilled facilitators use various tools and techniques to guide groups through problem-solving processes, ensuring that the workshop’s objectives are met and that participants stay engaged and focused.

Why should I conduct a problem-solving workshop?

Conducting a problem-solving exercise can be beneficial in several ways. It can help individuals or teams to:

• Identify the root cause of a problem . By engaging in a structured problem-solving exercise, participants can gain a deeper understanding of the issue and identify the underlying causes.
• Generate new ideas and solutions . By brainstorming and evaluating various solutions, individuals or teams can develop creative and effective solutions that they may not have thought of otherwise.
• Encourage collaboration and teamwork . Collaborative problem-solving exercises can foster a sense of teamwork and create a shared sense of ownership and responsibility for the problem and the solution.
• Improve decision-making . By evaluating various options and considering different perspectives, participants can make informed and effective decisions that take into account a wide range of factors.
• Enhance learning and development . Problem-solving exercises can provide opportunities for individuals or teams to learn new skills, practice critical thinking, and develop problem-solving abilities that can be applied to future challenges.

How to run a problem-solving workshop

Step 1: assemble a well-rounded team.

Gather individuals with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and perspectives who are relevant to the problem at hand. This may include team members, cross-functional collaborators, subject matter experts, or stakeholders. A diverse group will enhance the ideation process and facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the issue.

Consider the following factors:

• Diversity . Assemble a team with a mix of expertise, backgrounds, perspectives, and roles relevant to the problem. Diversity encourages creative thinking and helps avoid groupthink or blind spots.
• Relevant stakeholders . Ensure that key stakeholders, including decision-makers, subject matter experts, and those directly affected by the problem, are included in the workshop. Their insights and buy-in are crucial for the success of the proposed solutions.
• Size of the group . Aim for a group size that allows for effective collaboration and communication. Ideally, the group should be large enough to generate a variety of ideas but small enough to facilitate productive discussions. Typically, a group of 6-10 participants is considered optimal for a problem-solving workshop.
• Team dynamics . Select participants who are open-minded, willing to collaborate, and capable of engaging in constructive discussions. The right balance of personalities is essential for fostering a positive atmosphere and effective teamwork.
• Establish clear roles . Assign roles and responsibilities to participants, such as a facilitator to guide the workshop, a timekeeper to monitor progress, and a note-taker to document key points and decisions. Clearly defined roles help ensure the smooth flow of the workshop.
• Preparation . Communicate the workshop’s purpose, goals, and expectations to participants beforehand. Encourage them to familiarize themselves with the problem and come prepared with any relevant data or insights. This will enable a more focused and productive discussion during the workshop.

Step 2: Establish the Objective and Scope

Clearly define the purpose and goals of the workshop. Ensure that all participants understand the problem to be addressed, its context, and any constraints or limitations. Set a time limit for the workshop to maintain focus and efficiency.

Consider the following:

• Preparation and research . A facilitator should be well-prepared with a thorough understanding of the problem, its context, and the workshop’s objectives. This may involve conducting research, reviewing relevant materials, and consulting with key stakeholders or subject matter experts beforehand.
• Active listening . Practice active listening during the workshop to ensure participants feel heard and understood. Encourage questions and clarifications to address any misunderstandings or ambiguities regarding the problem, scope, or objectives.
• Flexibility and adaptability . Be prepared to adjust the workshop’s objectives or scope if new information or insights emerge during the discussion. Maintain an open-minded approach and adapt to the needs of the group while ensuring that the workshop remains focused and productive.
• Time management . Monitor the workshop’s progress and allocate time appropriately for each stage. If necessary, intervene to refocus the discussion, maintain momentum, or transition to the next step in the problem-solving process.

Each of the following workshop exercises can contribute to the success of establishing a clear objective and scope by helping participants gain a deeper understanding of the problem, its context, and the needs of those affected, leading to a clearer definition of the objective and scope:

• Six Thinking Hats . This exercise, developed by Edward de Bono, encourages participants to approach the problem from six different perspectives, represented by metaphorical “hats.” These perspectives are: facts and information (white hat), emotions and feelings (red hat), cautious and critical thinking (black hat), optimistic and positive thinking (yellow hat), creative and alternative thinking (green hat), and process and organization (blue hat). This technique can help the group establish a more comprehensive understanding of the problem, its context, and potential constraints, leading to a clearer definition of the objective and scope.
• Stakeholder Mapping . In this exercise, participants identify and analyze the key stakeholders involved in or affected by the problem. This helps the group understand the different perspectives, priorities, and needs of these stakeholders, providing valuable context for the problem-solving process. By considering stakeholder needs and concerns, the workshop can better define the objective and scope while ensuring that potential solutions address relevant issues.
• Empathy Mapping . This exercise helps participants gain insight into the needs, motivations, and challenges of the individuals affected by the problem, such as customers, users, or team members. By creating an empathy map, the group can better understand the problem from the perspective of those who are directly impacted. This understanding can help the group establish a clearer and more focused objective and scope for the workshop, ensuring that potential solutions address the most critical concerns of the affected individuals.

Step 3: Identify the Right Problem and Root Cause

Begin the workshop by collectively discussing the problem to gain a deeper understanding of its nuances. Use techniques like the 5 Whys or Fishbone Diagram to identify the root cause of the problem, ensuring that the team’s efforts are directed towards solving the underlying issue rather than merely addressing symptoms.

Approach this step with a well-defined strategy that guides participants through the process of understanding the problem and its underlying factors. The facilitator plays a pivotal role in creating an environment that encourages open and honest dialogue, allowing participants to share their insights and collectively work towards identifying the root cause.

Strike a balance between allowing sufficient time for discussions and ensuring that the workshop maintains momentum and stays on track. The facilitator may need to intervene occasionally to refocus the conversation or steer the group towards the desired outcome.

Be prepared to adapt to the evolving dynamics of the workshop. They must be flexible and responsive to new insights or challenges that emerge during the discussions. If necessary, the facilitator may need to adjust the workshop’s objectives, scope, or methodology to ensure that the group remains focused on addressing the problem’s root cause.

Consider using one of these workshop exercises to identify the right problem:

• Five Whys . This technique involves asking “Why?” repeatedly to dig deeper into the problem and uncover the root cause. By using this approach in the workshop, participants can move beyond surface-level symptoms to identify the true source of the issue. The facilitator can guide the group through the Five Whys exercise, ensuring that the discussion stays focused and productive.
• Fishbone Diagram . Also known as the Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, this tool visually represents the relationship between a problem and its potential causes. Participants brainstorm and categorize potential causes into distinct branches, which can help the group identify the root cause. The facilitator can lead the group through the Fishbone Diagram exercise, encouraging them to consider various aspects of the problem and promoting a comprehensive understanding.
• Round Robin . This brainstorming technique involves giving each participant a chance to contribute an idea or perspective on the problem in a structured and organized manner. This ensures equal participation and helps to gather diverse insights. Using the Round Robin method, the facilitator can facilitate discussions on the problem’s root cause by encouraging participants to share their thoughts and perspectives without interruption.
• Force Field Analysis . This exercise helps participants identify the driving and restraining forces that influence a problem. By analyzing these forces, the group can gain a deeper understanding of the underlying factors contributing to the issue. The facilitator can guide participants through the Force Field Analysis, helping them to identify and assess the various forces at play and facilitating discussions on how these forces might relate to the root cause of the problem.

Step 4: Generate Ideas to Solve the Problem

Encourage participants to brainstorm solutions, emphasizing the importance of open-mindedness and creativity. Utilize techniques like mind mapping, round-robin, or the six thinking hats to foster an environment conducive to idea generation. Ensure that all participants have an opportunity to share their thoughts, and discourage judgment or criticism during this stage.

Make sure that all participants feel comfortable sharing their ideas, no matter how unconventional they may seem. This requires the facilitator to create a non-judgmental and supportive atmosphere that promotes inclusivity and equal participation.

One critical aspect for the facilitator is the use of various brainstorming techniques and ideation exercises that can stimulate creative thinking and encourage diverse perspectives. By employing a mix of individual and group activities, the facilitator can cater to different thinking styles and preferences, ensuring that everyone contributes to the ideation process.

These workshop exercises are great for generating ideas to solve the problem you identified:

• Mind Mapping . This technique helps to visually organize information around a central concept, allowing participants to generate ideas in a structured manner. It encourages them to think about the problem from different perspectives and make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, which can lead to creative solutions.
• Crazy Eights . In this exercise, participants are given eight minutes to sketch out eight different ideas on a piece of paper. The time constraint forces them to think quickly and encourages them to generate a wide variety of ideas. By sharing and discussing their sketches afterward, the group can build upon each other’s ideas and develop more innovative solutions.
• Reverse Brainstorming . This technique prompts participants to think about the problem from an opposite perspective, by asking them to come up with ways to make the situation worse. By challenging conventional thinking, reverse brainstorming helps uncover new insights and approaches that may not have been considered otherwise.
• How Might We . This exercise frames the problem as an open-ended question, starting with the phrase “How might we…?”. This positive and optimistic framing encourages participants to think creatively and generate ideas without constraints. The open-ended nature of the question also promotes collaboration, as participants can build on each other’s ideas to find innovative solutions.
• Forced Analogy . In this exercise, participants are asked to draw analogies between the problem at hand and unrelated objects or scenarios. This encourages them to think about the problem from a new perspective and come up with creative ideas that they may not have considered otherwise. The forced analogy technique can reveal hidden connections and inspire innovative solutions.
• SCAMPER . This is an acronym for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. Participants are prompted to think about the problem and generate ideas using each of these seven approaches. The SCAMPER technique encourages participants to look at the problem from different angles and find unique solutions.

Step 5: Evaluate and Refine Ideas

Once a range of potential solutions has been generated, evaluate their robustness and viability. Encourage participants to consider potential challenges, drawbacks, and risks associated with each idea. Use a decision matrix, SWOT analysis, or other evaluation tools to help compare and prioritize the proposed solutions.

Seek to create an environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas while also being open to constructive feedback. The facilitator must balance encouragement and critical thinking, promoting an atmosphere where ideas are assessed objectively, and their merits and drawbacks are examined thoroughly.

Be aware of any biases, power imbalances, or dominant personalities that may influence the evaluation process. By skillfully navigating these dynamics, the facilitator can ensure that all voices are heard and that the evaluation process remains objective and fair.

These workshop exercises are great for evaluating and refining ideas.

• SWOT Analysis . This exercise requires participants to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with each proposed solution. By conducting a SWOT Analysis, the group can thoroughly evaluate the viability and potential impact of each idea, identifying potential challenges and opportunities.
• Pros and Cons . In this exercise, participants list the advantages and disadvantages of each proposed solution. This method encourages participants to think critically about the potential outcomes of each idea, enabling the group to make a more informed decision.
• Poster Session . In this exercise, each proposed solution is presented on a poster, and participants are given time to review and provide feedback on each idea. The Poster Session promotes thoughtful consideration of each solution and allows for open discussion and collaborative evaluation.
• Plus/Delta . This exercise involves participants identifying the positive and negative aspects of an idea or solution. It can help to refine ideas by focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
• Affinity Mapping . This exercise involves grouping similar ideas together and can help to identify common themes and patterns. It can help to refine ideas by clarifying the relationships between different solutions.
• Assumptions Collection . This exercise involves identifying assumptions that have been made about the problem or solution and testing them to see if they are valid. It can help to refine ideas by identifying any flawed assumptions and correcting them.
• Force Field Analysis . This exercise involves identifying the forces that are supporting and opposing a proposed solution. It can help to refine ideas by addressing the barriers and challenges that need to be overcome for the solution to be successful.

By incorporating these workshop exercises, participants can thoroughly evaluate the proposed ideas to ensure they are robust and viable. These

Step 6: Select the Best Solution

As a group, decide on the most promising solution(s) based on the evaluation process. Discuss the reasoning behind the selection and ensure that all participants are on board with the decision.

To promote objectivity, encourage the use of predefined criteria or frameworks for evaluating the proposed solutions. By providing a structured approach to decision-making, participants will be better equipped to weigh the pros and cons of each idea, ultimately leading to a more informed choice.

This will also help you maintain a neutral stance throughout the selection process, allowing the group to discuss and debate the merits of each solution without bias. As a facilitator, your goal is to ensure that the group focuses on the problem at hand and avoids getting sidetracked by personal preferences or interpersonal conflicts.

If you see that the group is struggling to reach a consensus, you might need to guide them toward a decision. By summarizing the key points of the discussion and highlighting the most promising solutions, the facilitator can help the group make a well-informed decision that best addresses the problem.

The following workshop exercises are great for facilitating the selection process:

• Dot Voting . This method helps participants prioritize solutions by giving them a limited number of dots or stickers that they can distribute among the proposed ideas. The solutions with the most votes are considered the most promising and can be further discussed or refined.
• Fist to Five . This technique allows the group to quickly gauge the level of support for each solution. Participants indicate their level of agreement by raising a certain number of fingers (1 to 5), with five fingers signifying strong support. The solutions with the highest average scores are deemed the most favorable.
• Stack Ranking . In this exercise, participants rank the proposed solutions in order of preference, assigning a unique position to each idea. The facilitator then tallies the rankings and determines the overall order of preference for the group. This helps identify the top solutions based on collective input.
• Trade-off Sliders . This method encourages participants to consider the pros and cons of each solution by using sliders to represent various criteria, such as cost, time, or quality. Participants adjust the sliders to visually represent the trade-offs they are willing to make, and the facilitator synthesizes the results to identify the most viable solutions.
• SWOT Analysis . By evaluating each solution’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, participants can gain a comprehensive understanding of the potential outcomes and risks associated with each idea. This structured analysis helps the group make a more informed decision about which solution is best suited to address the problem.
• Decision Matrix . The facilitator creates a matrix with the proposed solutions as rows and the evaluation criteria as columns. Participants then score each solution based on how well it meets the criteria. The solution with the highest total score is considered the best option. This method promotes objective decision-making and allows for a clear comparison of the proposed solutions.
• Priority Mapping . This technique involves visually mapping ideas based on their importance and urgency. By using Priority Mapping, the group can quickly identify the most critical and time-sensitive ideas, ensuring that the most pressing solutions are prioritized for implementation.

Step 7: Develop a Plan for Implementation or Testing

With the chosen solution(s) in hand, create a detailed plan outlining the steps required for implementation or testing. Assign responsibilities, establish deadlines, and set milestones to ensure accountability and progress. Consider creating a pilot project or running tests to validate the effectiveness of the solution before a full-scale implementation.

Seek to guide the group in setting realistic timelines and defining clear roles and responsibilities. This involves promoting open communication, ensuring that everyone’s input is valued, and addressing any concerns that may emerge.

You might also consider to spend time establishing key metrics for monitoring success and setting up checkpoints to evaluate the success of the implementation, enabling the team to learn from their experiences and iterate on the solution as necessary.

The following workshop exercises work great for exploring an creating an implementation plan.

• Project timeline . A project timeline is an effective way to help the team map out the key milestones, tasks, and deadlines involved in implementing the chosen solution. It allows the team to visualize the project’s overall progress and identify potential issues that may arise during the implementation process.
• Future-Back Planning . Future-Back Planning is a technique that helps the team envision what success will look like in the future and work backward to identify the necessary steps to achieve that success. This approach can help the team develop a clear vision and strategy for implementing the solution.
• RACI Matrix . A RACI Matrix is a tool that can be used to clarify roles and responsibilities during the implementation process. It helps ensure that each team member understands their role in the project and can help prevent confusion or misunderstandings.
• Dependency Map . A Dependency Map is a visual tool that helps the team identify the interdependencies between different tasks or components of the project. This can help the team develop a more realistic and feasible plan for implementing the solution.
• Sailboat . The Sailboat exercise can be used to help the team identify potential obstacles or challenges that may arise during the implementation process. It involves visualizing the solution as a sailboat and identifying the factors that may help or hinder its progress towards the desired destination. This exercise can help the team proactively address any potential roadblocks and develop a plan to overcome them.

Step 8: Follow Up and Iterate

After the workshop, monitor the progress of the solution’s implementation or testing. Gather feedback, evaluate results, and make any necessary adjustments or refinements. Encourage open communication among participants, and consider scheduling follow-up meetings to review progress and address any emerging challenges.

The solution that was chosen may need to be adjusted or refined based on feedback or unexpected challenges that arise. As a facilitator, you should encourage team members to share their thoughts and ideas and foster an environment where experimentation and iteration are encouraged.

Find ways celebrate successes and acknowledge the efforts of the team throughout the process. This can help maintain morale and motivation for continued improvement and innovation.

Typical pitfalls when running a Problem-Solving Workshop

• Finding the Right Facilitator . Finding a facilitator who is knowledgeable and experienced in problem-solving techniques can be a challenge. It is important to find someone who can effectively lead the workshop and ensure that all participants are engaged and productive.
• Establishing Clear Goals . Establishing clear goals for the workshop is essential for its success. Without a clear understanding of the objectives, it can be difficult to ensure that the workshop is productive and successful.
• Creating an Engaging Environment . Creating an engaging environment for the workshop is key to its success. Participants need to feel comfortable and be able to focus on the task at hand.
• Managing Time . Time management is essential for a successful workshop. It is important to ensure that the workshop is structured in a way that allows for productive discussion and problem-solving.
• Ensuring Participation . Ensuring that all participants are actively engaged in the workshop is essential. It is important to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable to contribute and share their ideas.

Google is known for its commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. The company regularly conducts workshops, hackathons, and brainstorming sessions to encourage creative problem-solving among employees. Google’s “20% time” policy, which allowed employees to dedicate 20% of their time to side projects, has led to the development of successful products like Gmail and Google Maps.

IDEO, a global design consultancy, is renowned for its human-centered, collaborative approach to problem-solving called “design thinking.” The company conducts workshops, both internally and for clients, to tackle complex challenges and create innovative solutions. This approach has helped IDEO to develop breakthrough products, such as the Apple mouse and the Palm V PDA.

Procter & Gamble (P&G)

P&G is a consumer goods company that has leveraged problem-solving workshops and open innovation programs to drive growth. They have held workshops and innovation sessions, such as the “Clay Street Project,” where cross-functional teams come together to tackle complex challenges and create new products. The company’s innovation initiatives have resulted in successful products like Swiffer, Febreze, and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

LEGO, the toy company known for its iconic plastic bricks, has used problem-solving workshops to foster innovation and drive business growth. The company has employed design thinking workshops to explore new product ideas and refine existing ones. LEGO’s commitment to problem-solving and innovation has led to the creation of successful product lines such as LEGO Mindstorms, LEGO Architecture, and LEGO Ideas.

• What is the purpose of the workshop?
• What are the objectives of the workshop?
• Who will be attending the workshop?
• What topics will be covered in the workshop?
• What methods will be used to facilitate problem-solving?
• What is the expected outcome of the workshop?
• How will the success of the workshop be measured?
• What is the timeline for the workshop?
• What is the budget for the workshop?

You might also be interested in reading up on:

• How Might We
• Hypothesis Statement
• Problem Statement
• Six Thinking Hats
• SWOT Analysis
• Affinity Diagram
• CIRCLES Method
• Design Thinking
• Jobs-To-Be-Done Framework (JTBD)
• Tim Brown @tceb62
• Tom Kelley @TomKelley74
• Jeanne Liedtka @jeanneliedtka
• Tendayi Viki @tendayiviki
• Dave Gray @davegray
• Lateral Thinking : Creativity Step by Step by Edward de Bono (1970)
• Thinkertoys : A Handbook of CreativeThinking Techniques by Michael Michalko (1991)
• Problem Solving and Decision Making : A Guide for Managers by Barry K. Baines (2000)
• The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird (2012)
• Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono (1985)
• Innovation Games : Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play by Luke Hohmann (2006)
• Gamestorming by Dave Gray (2010)

Want to learn more?

Receive a hand picked list of the best reads on building products that matter every week. Curated by Anders Toxboe. Published every Tuesday.

No spam! Unsubscribe with a single click at any time.

Community events Product Loop

Product Loop provides an opportunity for Product professionals and their peers to exchange ideas and experiences about Product Design, Development and Management, Business Modelling, Metrics, User Experience and all the other things that get us excited.

• Become a mentee
• Become a mentor
• Product Management glossary
• User Experience glossary
• Product playbooks
• Product & UX video library
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Code of Ethics

Made with in Copenhagen, Denmark

Want to learn more about about good product development, then browse our product playbooks .

British Council Singapore Singapore

• Show search Search Search Close search
• Professional skills
• Spoken Communication Skills workshops

Problem-solving and Decision-making Skills

The ability to identify, analyse and solve problems is a key workplace skill. Expert problem-solvers are an essential part of any high-performing team and are often first in line when it comes to promotion.

This workshop introduces you to a range of tools to solve problems more effectively and make better decisions. You will discover your problem-solving style and how to work more successfully with colleagues who have a different style to you.

Throughout the workshop you will work on a case study from your workplace where you can immediately put your new skills into practice.

After taking this workshop, you should be able to:

• anticipate and identify problems more effectively
• use a range of tools to help solve problems
• make the right decisions and take responsibility for them.

Workshop outline

Problem solving fundamentals.

• Problem solving and decision-making styles
• Identifying your style
• Working with the different styles
• The PSI framework

P – The problem

• Recognising the problem
• Defining the problem
• Identifying root causes

S – The solution

• Generating creative solutions to a problem
• Using decision-making tools
• Identifying the best solution
• Assessing and managing risk

I – Implementing decisions

• Building consensus 
• Managing conflict
• Planning your implementation approach
• Communicating your decision 
• Reviewing the success of your solution

Who should attend?

This workshop is for you if ….

You want to improve the way you identify problems, generate solutions and make decisions.

Why choose us?

Find out  why you should choose us  and how we deliver our workshops  face-to-face or online . 

Full-day workshop schedule

• Length:  14 hours
• Workshop fee:  S$900.00 (subject to prevailing GST)
• Venue:  Toa Payoh Centre

• Coaching Skills Training
• Coaching TIPS²™
• Continuous Improvement Coaching
• Courageous Conversations Workshop
• Executive Coaching Program
• Feedback 360
• Safety Coaching
• Sales Coaching Training Program
• Free Consultation
• Applied Strategic Thinking®
• Strategic Leadership Course
• Strategic Teaming
• Strategy Development Processes and Services
• Communication Training for Managers
• Conflict and Collaboration

Confronting Racism Workshop

• Delegation & Accountability

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop

• Flexible Leadership
• Leading Change
• Leading Groups to Solutions
• Leading Innovation
• Mid-Level Management Training
• Qualities of Leadership
• Bottom Line Leadership
• Customized Leadership Development Programs
• Leadership Development Program Design
• Mini-MBA & Operational Finance

Problem Solving and Decision Making in the Workplace

• Transition to Leadership
• Virtual Leadership
• High-Performance Teamwork
• Leadership Team Alignment Workshop
• Orienteering
• Corporate Outdoor Training and Team Building
• Retreats for Teams
• Innovation Skills Training
• Personal Impact Workshop
• Supervisor Training Programs
• Customization of CMOE’s Learning Library
• Full Curriculum Development and Design
• Learning & Development Advisory Services
• Bottom Line Leadership Training
• Consulting Services
• Leadership Retreats
• Learning and Development Consulting Services
• Needs Analysis and Organization Assessments
• Transformation & Change Solutions
• Facilitator Training Workshop
• Empathic Leadership
• Supervisor Development Series
• All Courses
• Digital Learning
• Books and Publications
• Assessments and Surveys
• Clients Served
• History and Experience
• Meet the CMOE Team
• Testimonials
• Articles & Tools
• Scenario Templates
• Certified Partners
• Event Resources
• Industry Insights
• Resource Library
• Video Library
• News and Events
• Professional Accreditation and Continuing Education Units
• Surveys & Assessments

Why is problem solving and decision making important in the workplace?

Problems come in all sizes—from major problems to daily nuisances—and the ability to resolve them is the heart and soul of every job at every level of an organization. If problems can be solved with greater accuracy, creativity, and confidence, factors that might negatively impact the organization otherwise will be minimized—or even averted entirely. Problem solving and decision making in the workplace often go hand-in-hand, with decision-making being especially important for management and leadership. In fact, for many organizations, success depends on the ability of people in positions of leadership to effectively solve problems and make decisions.

How do you develop problem solving skills?

In the Problem Solving and Decision Making workshop, participants gain the knowledge and skills that improve critical thinking and decision-making skills to better solve problems. The techniques and tools introduced in this workshop are appropriate for everyday application and are particularly useful in cases where the level of performance is falling short of expectations and the reasons for the deficiency are unclear. In this workshop, participants are introduced to a process that allows them to methodically think through and diagnose a problem’s root cause and then determine an effective solution.

Need More Information?

Objectives and Outcomes

In the  Problem-Solving & Decision-Making  workshop, participants learn how to

• Identify the “right” problems to solve
• Avoid speculating and making premature assumptions
• Look for patterns, changes, and differences to analyze and diagnose problems and discover root causes
• Effectively describe the problem and develop an accurate problem profile
• Apply a framework to compare the relative worth of the available options and make appropriate and effective decisions
• Take action on solutions and decisions as well as analyze results
• Apply the skills and tools to a real-world problem and decision-making opportunity

Our Approach

The Problem-Solving & Decision-Making workshop engages the learners through self-inquiry, sharing of experiences and best practices, and numerous opportunities to practice and apply the skills learned to relevant case studies—as well as to their own situations at work. Some of the elements we incorporate into the workshop include

• Case-studies
• Research based models
• Skill practice opportunities
• Tools and quick reference guides
• Experiential exercises
• Surveys and assessments

“Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in public and private life, have been the consequences of action without thought.”

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions.”

“Stop looking for solutions to problems and start looking for the right path.”

by 40 Years of Research

Leadership & Development Partner

Customer Satisfaction

to your Organization’s Needs

Delivery Options

The Problem-Solving and Decision-Making  workshop is available as a 1.5-day learning event. If requested, CMOE also offers stand-alone programs.

• A 1-Day stand-alone Problem-Solving Workshop
• A Half-Day stand-alone Decision-Making Workshop

These topics may also be integrated as part of the larger leadership development curriculum.

Instructor-led training (delivered onsite by a CMOE subject matter expert/facilitator)

Digital learning program (self-paced or live)

Blended and layered solution (combining instructor-led training and digital learning)

Train the trainer services (certifying internal trainers in CMOE’s world-class programs)

Curriculum integration (deliver the topic in conjunction with another topic or event or build it into a development curriculum)

4-16 hours (8 hours preferred) for instructor-led variable for digital learning

Contact a CMOE Client Services Specialist to discuss a targeted solution that is right for your organization.

Learn More About Our Personalized eLearning Programs.

Contact form.

Need More Information? Please fill out the following form and we will be in contact with you with more information.

" * " indicates required fields

Recommended For You

Feedback 360 – giving and receiving feedback, mid-level management training: developing the skills to drive success, recent blog posts, it’s not about being tough, it’s about growth: giving useful feedback.

We’ve all heard the phrase “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will […]

Balancing Recognition and Accountability: Leadership in Action

Effective leadership is foundational to the continued success of any organization. At the heart of […]

How to Write a Team Vision Statement [Template Included]

A vision statement is a guide for your team’s goals, aspirations, and intentions. It provides […]

As Featured In:

The Better Business Bureau has determined that CMOE meets accreditation standards. These standards verify that CMOE’s product quality and competence enhance customer trust and confidence.

©2024 Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness. All rights reserved.

Onsite Training Courses

• Business Etiquette
• Business Writing
• Change Management
• Communication Skills
• Creativity, Critical Thinking, Decision Making, and Problem Solving
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Customer Service
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Facilitation Skills
• Human Resources
• Leadership and Management
• Negotiation and Conflict Management
• Presentation Skills
• Productivity
• Storytelling
• Team Building
• Train-the-Trainer

Virtual Classroom Training Courses

• Cross-Cultural Communication Skills
• Management and Leadership
• Negotiation

Online Training Courses

• Business Etiquette and Professionalism

Creative and Critical Thinking

• Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
• Nonprofit Management
• Project Management
• Time Management and Productivity

Leadership Development

Corporate college solutions, interactive keynotes, meeting and retreat facilitation, one-on-one coaching.

• Custom Solutions

Ask an Expert

• Training and Development
• Workplace Communication

Media Inquiries

• Business Etiquette, Civility, and Professionalism
• Communication
• Sales and Negotiation

Assessments

• Job Needs Assessment
• Management Styles Assessment
• Stefanie Coleman
• Myla DeLoatch
• Shawn Doyle
• Thomas Farley
• Elizabeth George
• Shanna Kabatznick
• Charlie Long
• Mariana Marko
• Laurie McIntosh
• Darren Murphy
• Avish Parashar
• Pamela Sumner
• Phillip Tanzilo
• Eduardo Villavicencio
• Sandy Wilson
• Kate Zabriskie

Our Clients

• Pricing and FAQs

• Fees and FAQs
• Join Our Mailing List

About Onsite Training What is onsite training?

The Full List See all onsite courses.

Locations Find out where we can deliver training.

Decision-making course, this, that, what is it: defining problems and making decisions, available formats: full-day training course, course outcomes.

This problem-solving and decision-making course will:

• Explore how problem solving and decision making interrelate.
• Introduce a range of problem-solving and decision-making tools.
• Offer techniques for methodically evaluating choices.
• Outline common decision-making traps and how to avoid them.

Course Overview

“I should have realized we were solving the wrong problem.”  “That was not a good choice.  We should have seen it coming.”  “We keep looking at the issues the same way, and we’re stagnant.  It’s so discouraging.”   Sound familiar?  In the workplace, solving problems and making decisions can be difficult, especially when one is faced with complex problems.  Luckily, navigating a challenging issue is considerably easier when you have some fundamental tools at your disposal.  This hands-on decision-making workshop covers essential skills needed to define problems, generate solutions, and evaluate alternatives.

Program Objectives

At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Define a problem.
• Distinguish root causes from symptoms.
• Explain a problem-solving model.
• Outline various ways decisions can be made.
• Use several problem-solving and decision-making tools.
• Methodically evaluate options.
• Avoid common decision-making pitfalls.

The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).

Workshop Outline

What’s your problem: defining decision making, what’s the path: a problem-solving model, who decides: available options, nice toolbox: a problem-solving kit, spin to win: the decision-making wheel, evaluating options: a methodical approach, sand traps and land mines: avoiding common mistakes.

This course concludes with an exploration of more than 25 common decision-making errors. Working in teams, participants will consider each mistake and craft an appropriate solution for addressing or avoiding the problem.  

At the program’s completion, participants will have an understanding of basic problem solving and the tools available to them for making better decisions.

Related Directories:

• Thinking, Planning, and Problem Solving

Didn't find what you were looking for?

The business training works difference.

When you team with us, you’ll get:

• A partner who will ask questions about your goals and objectives.
• An opportunity to have a tailoring call and to speak with the program facilitator prior to a workshop.
• Interactive facilitation conducted by someone who has a deep understanding of adult learning and the topic at hand.
• A post-training web-based skills check-in meeting if desired.
• People behind the scenes who will work to make our relationship a success.

You won’t get:

• A workshop leader who sells products during class time.
• A talking head with a PowerPoint presentation and not much else.
• Lecture-based training that’s too academic, not practical, and doesn’t connect to life in the workplace.
• The sense that you are a number, a transaction, or a cog in a machine.

Onsite Training Course Reminders

Our instructor-led training courses are available to private groups.  These workshops are not offered in a public seminar format.  Please  contact us  to speak with a facilitator about your needs and bringing training to your organization.

We also travel to Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Canada, Central America, Continental Europe, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom.

Please contact us about your location.

• For information about pricing, please see our fee schedule .
• For instructor-led webinars, take a look at our  virtual classroom programs .
• For information about self-paced courses available to anyone, visit our online courses catalog .
• For free resources, check out our resources pages .

Questions This Page Answers About Decision-Making Training

• Where can I find a course on decision-making?
• Who offers a workshop or seminar for improving decision-making skills?
• Where can I find a decision-making training program?

“Kate was a refreshing start to 2020! Very energetic and captivating the entire session. Moments of reflection, laughter, and engagement made this a great FLAG kickoff to the year!”

“Laurie McIntosh brings her personal experience into the training which was invaluable.”

“Great performance by Shawn! Shawn Doyle is a great presenter, and teaches you just by presenting himself.”

“We did enjoy the class and yes, I am excited to work with you to bring in more. Charles is a great teacher, I would like to have him teach them.”

“Thank you Kate, Chris, and Kathy! It was a pleasure working with you, and thank you for providing some valuable insights for our SES!”

“It was a pleasure to work with Charlie last week. He was fantastic, and I have received great responses from the participants about the training!”

“Laurie, as always, was AMAZING!”

“A pleasure doing business with Business Training Works on our seminar.”

“Business Training Works made this project extremely easy for me. Not only did they customize content for us, but they delivered it well and provided a great train-the-trainer session. It was truly an effortless experience for us!”

“I heard a lot of positive feedback and several people approached me about your contact info for following up. I know we had a short amount of time for the training but I know I found it valuable and I think the rest of the group did too.”

“Thank you for yet another great presentation. Myla was wonderful and our team really appreciated the opportunity to work with her.”

“I have been in several training sessions, and I have to say this has been the best one. We were all engaged in the topics. Regina’s materials were relevant to our jobs. She started on time, and the time flew by.”

“The training was amazing! Everyone was enthusiastic and we learned so much. They’re already asking when you’re coming back. You are a true gem!!”

“Stefanie was upbeat, engaging, and relatable. She even kept the momentum going through an unexpected room change towards the end of our session. My colleagues cannot stop commenting how amazing the training was, and we are energized to put our new skills to work. Rave reviews all around!”

“Myla was very professional and brought subject matter expertise to the training. My team really respected her and had nothing but positive things to say about her.”

“Pamela Sumner is professional, warm, and highly educated. Her style translates to small groups as well as large formal settings. She is definitely an asset to BTW.”

“It was a positive experience to have this training, very useful to understanding myself as a provider and patients. Laurie was engaging as a speaker. I learned to approach patient care differently seeing patients as different and not “difficult.” I took away key points and different strategies to use in my interactions with patients, just a matter of finding the time to make adjustments and implement these changes.”

“Pamela did a great job of engaging our participants in the training. They all had very positive feedback about the day and Pamela specifically. She was approachable and easy to relate to and was able to illustrate the points in a way that the team understood.”

“Pamela and Business Training Works put together a wonderful training program for ACERTUS. Pamela was able to create a curriculum that completely met our needs on such a short timeline. I am looking forward to working with them again!”

“Kate rhymes with great, and that’s what she was.  This was a great class and Kate was the best. We recommend her every time. I took this class years ago with her and she makes the information stick.”

“Both sessions went great. They were informative and very interactive and Myla was able to engage the participants throughout the entire presentation. She is a wonderful instructor!”

“We had an amazing day today! Everyone I spoke to during the day today said they were really enjoying the session (as did I). Charlie did a fantastic job. Thank you both for a great experience!”

“Eduardo was an excellent facilitator. I took so much with me to apply to my job responsibilities that will enhance my thinking as I resolve difficult callers and issues. Eduardo was very interactive with the group and had excellent ideas to promote thinking and participation. He is the greatest facilitator I have ever worked with!”

“Pamela is awesome. She has that perfect blend of knowledge, credibility, and personal skills to deliver very effective training across a wide variance of personalities.”

“Phillip was a great presenter. He kept the class moving forward and kept us all engaged and participating. We all got a lot out of the training and hope to have him back again for follow up.”

“I LOVED Kate. She was an incredible speaker and her ability to educate is a show stopper. Learning about my own communication style was invaluable and I truly believe that I am going to use this information for the rest of my professional career.”

“Thank you again for working with us last week. As always, the team loved the session, and I’ve been hearing great feedback. The change in the leadership team’s behavior, even since just last week, is noticeable. The executive team and I have literally had people coming up to us all week talking about how excited they are for the future, how they believe in where we are headed, and thanking us for what’s being done. As a business leader, this time period is truly a career highlight for me. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Pamela was amazing and extremely personable. She made the groups feel very comfortable during the training.”

“I wanted to reach out to you regarding Phillip and what wonderful experience it was for our teams to have him as our facilitator for the team building and cross-cultural communication course last Friday. He’s a very talented and engaging trainer, and he was able to get even our toughest employees to participate. Everyone really liked Phillip and enjoyed the course.”

“Board presentation went well. ”Excellent” according to our chairman. Thanks for your training.”

“In each of the sessions that ZMC has hired Business Training Works, I have learned something new — even with the same topic. This is the 10th session we have scheduled, and we always ask for Shawn.”

“Our customer service manager of 21 years stated that this training was the best and the most relevant class she attended in her career.”

“As I sit here listening to Laurie, I am thinking that we couldn’t have asked for a better facilitator!!! Wanted to say a quick thank you for your exceptional “customer service” in dealing with us.”

“We cannot thank Stefanie enough for the fabulous presentation she delivered to our reception staff and directors of housing. We had plenty of great feedback from fellow colleagues regarding the presentation, and we’ve already had individuals implementing information they learned from the presentation. We sincerely appreciated all of Stefanie’s hard work delivering a quality presentation to a diverse group of individuals.”

“Thomas Farley’s facilitation of the storytelling module was very engaging and effective. He started the session telling his own story. He asked participants to share their stories, and he respectfully critiqued them using this technique as a teaching tool.”

“I’m usually quiet in group discussions, but I enjoyed this course so much, I participated quite a bit.”

“Greg was awesome! Very informative and interactive. He got rave reviews from the participants.”

“Stefanie is knowledgeable, credible, fun and engaging as a facilitator.”

“Yesterday’s workshop was both thoroughly enjoyable and tremendously beneficial. From all accounts, it was a productive, engaging, and substantive experience from which participants were able to glean significant professional insights and lessons for best practices in their field.”

“We also appreciate how well prepared you (Phillip) are, and that the subject matter is addressed in substantive way that has real impact. Your style has that special something that really engages people.”

“I liked that fact that we were kept busy – it never got boring.”

“The course has been tremendously helpful to my staff, and I am very grateful for Regina’s knowledge and generosity. She really shared her talents and experience freely, and provided what was needed to reset our team dynamics.”

“I would like to say that yesterday was simply amazing. Our team is very happy with the training and the content that was presented. Thomas was exactly who we needed to address our etiquette training needs. Our team was receptive and the activities were fun and engaging. I would definitely recommend Thomas to anyone looking to enhance their team with etiquette training.”

“Pamela was very engaging. The training was well presented and held the group’s attention. The feedback I got from my staff was that it was useful not only in work but in their personal lives as well.”

“Phillip was engaging and professional. I had many people who were in the session tell me that they enjoyed it.”

“Phillip, you are the best! Loved every minute and the fun interactive aspect of our workshop exceeded my expectation. Looking forward to the LA workshop next month.”

“Shawn was an excellent facilitator. After our class he took the time to look over the questions we use during our interview and provided positive feedback. I highly recommend Shawn and this course, ‘How to Interview and Hire Well’.”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect and found it to be awesome. I am in business development and while I consider myself to be somewhat refined/savvy, I walked away with so many things to up my game while with clients and the number one lesson and tie back point is that it is 100% about making the client feel comfortable and special. What we do, how we act, how we present ourselves all feeds into that and our ultimate success as sales professionals.”

“Everyone really enjoyed it and came away with tools to help them be a stronger leader! Thank you, Greg!”

“I just wanted to send out an email to express our appreciation for the service that Greg provided. He was a very motivated and inspirational speaker. We really, and I seriously mean this, enjoyed him. We are going to adapt some of our training procedures to fit his suggestions.”

“Pamela was a gem! We really enjoyed it. The one main piece of feedback I got was they wanted more time.”

“The course was high-quality, first-class, first-rate, superior, fine, excellent and hence forth.  Charles’ way of teaching was pleasant, exceptional, superb, and commendable. My department will speak well about this course for a while. Thank you so much for the quality of training and attention to detail. We are excited to use the tools created by zombies. However, in all seriousness the course was facio delicias and nuntiisque (fun and informative in Latin). I look forward to using your company in the future.”

“WOW – where do I begin!? Working with you both has been an outstanding experience throughout the entire process. Your flexibility from first contact was very valuable – we appreciate your willingness to participate in multiple teleconferences to align with KMG.

Your ability to link KMG’s message and philosophies to the lessons is what set you apart from your competitors.

Kate’s energy and willingness to meet as many of the attendees as possible and her ability to quickly build a rapport with folks established credibility and a safe environment. Everyone valued the ‘informalness’ of the key note.

The Tuesday workshop was phenomenal! I saw people taking notes that I never would have imagined would be engaged.

Fantastic result overall – thank you so very much!”

“The team was quite impressed with your materials and more importantly delivery style. I feel like we all took something positive away from the course which is all I can ever ask for.”

“Greg Jones was a DYNAMITE presenter! He was fun, knowledgeable, and engaging and had our large group of 50+ people laughing and participating right up until the 5:00 PM end time. I am always impressed when a facilitator can keep a group engaged and involved WITHOUT using PPT and Greg did just that with his handouts, flip charting, storytelling and mixing up activities at table groups, teams, and with partners. We would love to have him back!”

“The workshop was appreciated very much, and you (Stefanie) were indeed a big hit. Thank you for all your support and value you brought this team. I look forward to another opportunity to work with you, you were an absolute delight.”

DECISION-MAKING TRAINING COURSE . CLASS . WORKSHOP . SEMINAR . PROGRAM

Related courses.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Customer Service

Design Thinking

Strategic Planning

Critical Thinking

Collaboration Skills

Workshop – Problem Solving & Decision Making

From: £ 129.00

Learn how to structure your processes to make accurate decisions and find high-quality solutions to workplace problems. In this three-hour virtual workshop, you will explore C28 of the Accipio C30: Problem-Solving and Decision-Making.  You will learn process-based methodologies for both problem-solving and decision-making. In the first half, you will cover problem-solving, including how to gather and analyse data to identify root causes and find creative solutions. In the second half, you will explore decision-making, the kind of decisions you must make as a leader, and how to ensure you do so effectively and ethically.

What does it include? Participants will be immersed into an experiential workshop on Problem Solving and Decision Making. Participants can expect to learn about problem solving and the mechanisms and models for tackling problems and making the right decisions based on evidence.

Where will the workshop be held? The session is hosted virtually on Microsoft Teams – you will receive an invite closer to the session.

When will it take place?  27-Feb-24 – 13:00 to 16:00

Time: 13:00 to 16:00

Who is this for? This session is primarily for middle, operational and departmental managers who are looking to gain a better understanding of Problem-Solving and Decision-Making. We will also be holding an alternative session at 9:00 for aspiring leaders or individuals without management experience – contact us for more information.

Who will lead the session? This workshop will led by Professor Claire Collins , executive coach and Professor Emerita of Leadership at Henley Business School. She has decades of experience with empowering leaders and managers to achieve their personal and professional goals.

What will I get? The session’s content is aligned with the Management Apprenticeship standard at Level 5 and the equivalent qualifications from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Please contact us for further information on these qualifications.

Times are in Europe/London

• Choose a date above to see available times.

Related products

Workshop: Finance

Workshop – Self-Management

Workshop: Communication

Decision Making & Goal Setting Workshop Activities

• Idea Generation
• Issue Resolution
• Issue Analysis

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)

It doesn’t matter where you work and what your job role is, if you work with other people together as a team, you will always encounter the same challenges:

• Unclear goals and miscommunication that cause busy work and overtime
• Unstructured meetings that leave attendants tired, confused and without clear outcomes.
• Frustration builds up because internal challenges to productivity are not addressed
• Sudden changes in priorities lead to a loss of focus and momentum
• Muddled compromise takes the place of clear decision- making, leaving everybody to come up with their own interpretation.
• In short, a lack of structure leads to a waste of time and effort, projects that drag on for too long and frustrated, burnt out teams.

Letter to Myself

Often done at the end of a workshop or program, the purpose of this exercise is to support participants in applying their insights and learnings, by writing a letter and sending it to their future selves. They can define key actions that they would like their future self to take, and express their reasons why change needs to happen.

Action Plan Workshop: The Arrow

This workshop aims to help participants define, decide and achieve their goals. By supporting participants to envision where they want to be in a number of years on a holistic level, and defining the steps that will take them there, participants get a clearer picture of the action they need to take.

Impact and Effort Matrix

In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

MoSCoW is a method that allows the team to prioritize the different features that they will work on. Features are then categorized into “Must have”, “Should have”, “Could have”, or “Would like but won‘t get”.

To be used at the beginning of a timeslot (for example during Sprint planning) and when planning is needed.

15% Solutions

You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference. 

15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change. 

With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

Save time and effort designing your workshops

Circle, Square, Triangle

At the end of a workshop, it's important to reflect on the things you've learnt, the things you still need to work on and how the things you've learnt in the workshop will help you improve. This activity encourages post-session reflection, and is suitable to be run remotely.

3 Action Steps

This is a small-scale strategic planning session that helps groups and individuals to take action toward a desired change. It is often used at the end of a workshop or programme. The group discusses and agrees on a vision, then creates some action steps that will lead them towards that vision. The scope of the challenge is also defined, through discussion of the helpful and harmful factors influencing the group.

Strength Envelopes

Social virus, project point of departure.

This is a method for individuals and teams to define the structure, direction and first steps of a project. The individual or team works through a set of questions and documents the answers in a sharable digital format. This can either be a “living” document that develops with the project it can be left as just a clear and concise record of the starting-point.

IDOARRT Meeting Design

IDOARRT is a simple tool to support you to lead an effective meeting or group process by setting out clear purpose, structure and goals at the very beginning. It aims to enable all participants to understand every aspect of the meeting or process, which creates the security of a common ground to start from. The acronym stands for Intention, Desired Outcome, Agenda, Rules, Roles and Responsibilities and Time.

Some features unfortunately do not work as intended on Internet Explorer. Please, use another browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) for best performance. Thank you!

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Our most comprehensive program is a two or three day workshop that blends team development with rational and creative thinking processes to create a comprehensive approach to problem solving, decision making and planning.

Available in English, Spanish, Japanese and Portuguese, PSDM provides the information process and people skills individuals need to separate and resolve issues, create and act on new opportunities, utilize excellent judgment in decision making and follow decisions with successful implementations. This dynamic workshop achieves an integrated approach in one hard-hitting, results oriented program. PSDM prepares people to engage problems and opportunities rapidly and with the right tool or technique.

How quickly can you expect to see a return on your investment in this program?

• Participants will begin working on and resolving their pressing work challenges by using the PSDM processes on those problems during the workshop.
• Using and working with the PSDM tools and techniques in class increases acceptance and a willingness to experiment with the processes in actual work settings.
• The workshop often pays for itself before it is complete through the solutions developed by participants during the workshop.

Target Audience

This two or three-day program is designed for anyone who is responsible for

• Resolving issues quickly and accurately.
• Developing innovative solutions to problems.
• Utilizing excellent judgment in decision making.
• Following through with successful implementation of solutions.

The adaptability of this program makes it applicable for a wide range of organizational levels from senior managers wanting to enhance their critical thinking skills to front-line staff who have had little experience with problem solving training. Organizations wanting to create a positive culture where complex problems are solved and difficult decisions are made will find this program provides a relevant, readily useable solution.

Description

Problem Solving & Decision Making is an interactive, outcome-focused workshop that blends team development with rational and creative critical thinking processes to create a comprehensive approach to problem solving, decision making, and planning. Over sixty percent of this program involves participants in learner-driven activities and on-the-job application. The course offers a dynamic blend of instructor presentation, on-the-job application, and skill practice in each of the PSDM processes using work-related concerns brought by participants. Principles of teamwork and effective meeting management are practiced by participants throughout the workshop.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this workshop, participants will have the skills and knowledge to:

• Identify the need for and successfully execute Cause Analysis (three types), Creative Problem Solving, Decision Making, and the Anticipating Problems and Planning processes.
• Demonstrate critically important Group Effectiveness and Teamwork skills.
• Increase creativity in problem solving by pushing through mental roadblocks and broadening existing thinking to create innovative ideas and solutions.
• Separate complex problems into prioritized, manageable concerns using the Situation Analysis process questions.
• Resolve fully, or partially one or more work-related concerns.
• Create an Action Plan to further develop Problem Solving & Decision Making skills in the context of work-related issues.

Included with this workshop are a comprehensive participant manual designed for easy reference including matrices, worksheets, checklists, and process flows; a Pocket Guide summarizing each process, Action Tools for the PC including electronic versions of all PSDM processes; Wall Charts for teams; email and toll-free telephone support; and a Success Story Award.

Application of Learning

AMAI’s Sustain the Impact process involves participants before the workshop in identification of specific issues, and through correspondence with the manager and participant, selecting work-related concerns to address in the workshop. During the workshop participants have the opportunity to use cause analysis, creative problem solving, decision-making, and anticipating problem methodologies on concerns/issues from their individual work environments.

Individuals also participate in teams similar to real-life situations, see demonstrations and discussions of numerous short-cuts, commit to apply at least two informal uses of the concepts within two weeks, and plan on the job use of the PSDM process. Throughout this workshop a constant focus is placed on showing how the PSDM concepts apply to the participant’s individual jobs.

Following the workshop, participants and managers are encouraged to meet to strategize on-going use of the concepts. Follow-up correspondence is sent to each participant and his/her manager to promote continued interaction about the new concepts and to help participants identify specific opportunities where the PSDM processes can be used. Attendees are also encouraged to participate in AMAI’s Success Story program where participants receive a framed certificate for making a bottom-line impact through use of the PSDM concepts.

• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Critical Thinking for Business Growth
• Applied Critical Thinking
• Rapid Troubleshooter
• Critical Thinking for Administrative Professionals

Download PSDM Flyer

Top 6 Things that Make THIS PROGRAM UNIQUE

Here are a few things that your key internal stakeholders will love about this training.

Top 6 Unique Things>

• Our Courses

Problem Solving Decision Making Workshop (Virtual)

Workshop overview.

When faced with a problem or decision, you need the right answer—and fast. For over 60 years, KT's Problem Solving & Decision Making workshops have been helping teams and individuals find the root cause of problems faster, make better decisions, manage risk, and prioritize what to work on first. KT's instructors will ensure you're ready use these skills back on the job to make an impact where you work.

Skills Developed

Skills developed during KT’s Problem Solving & Decision Making workshop enable you to:

• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) on complex problems.
• Make tough decisions aligned with operational priorities.
• Identify and plan for the resolution of high-priority issues.
• Understand and proactively manage risks and opportunities.
• Ask the right questions to find hidden insight.

Learning Tools   Included:  All workshop attendees will get access to online post-workshop learning support tools (coaching videos, tips, tricks, worksheets, and more) with a My KT membership.

Certification Credits:  2.1 CEUs

Added to your cart:

How it works

For Business

Join Mind Tools

Article • 0 min read

Team Building Exercises – Problem Solving and Decision Making

Fun ways to turn problems into opportunities.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Whether there's a complex project looming or your team members just want to get better at dealing with day-to-day issues, your people can achieve much more when they solve problems and make decisions together.

By developing their problem-solving skills, you can improve their ability to get to the bottom of complex situations. And by refining their decision-making skills, you can help them work together maturely, use different thinking styles, and commit collectively to decisions.

In this article, we'll look at three team-building exercises that you can use to improve problem solving and decision making in a new or established team.

Exercises to Build Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Skills

Use the following exercises to help your team members solve problems and make decisions together more effectively.

Exercise 1: Lost at Sea*

In this activity, participants must pretend that they've been shipwrecked and are stranded in a lifeboat. Each team has a box of matches, and a number of items that they've salvaged from the sinking ship. Members must agree which items are most important for their survival.

Download and print our team-building exercises worksheet to help you with this exercise.

This activity builds problem-solving skills as team members analyze information, negotiate and cooperate with one another. It also encourages them to listen and to think about the way they make decisions.

What You'll Need

• Up to five people in each group.
• A large, private room.
• A "lost at sea" ranking chart for each team member. This should comprise six columns. The first simply lists each item (see below). The second is empty so that each team member can rank the items. The third is for group rankings. The fourth is for the "correct" rankings, which are revealed at the end of the exercise. And the fifth and sixth are for the team to enter the difference between their individual and correct score, and the team and correct rankings, respectively.
• The items to be ranked are: a mosquito net, a can of petrol, a water container, a shaving mirror, a sextant, emergency rations, a sea chart, a floating seat or cushion, a rope, some chocolate bars, a waterproof sheet, a fishing rod, shark repellent, a bottle of rum, and a VHF radio. These can be listed in the ranking chart or displayed on a whiteboard, or both.
• The experience can be made more fun by having some lost-at-sea props in the room.

Flexible, but normally between 25 and 40 minutes.

Instructions

• Divide participants into their teams, and provide everyone with a ranking sheet.
• Ask team members to take 10 minutes on their own to rank the items in order of importance. They should do this in the second column of their sheet.
• Give the teams a further 10 minutes to confer and decide on their group rankings. Once agreed, they should list them in the third column of their sheets.
• Ask each group to compare their individual rankings with their collective ones, and consider why any scores differ. Did anyone change their mind about their own rankings during the team discussions? How much were people influenced by the group conversation?
• Now read out the "correct" order, collated by the experts at the US Coast Guard (from most to least important): - Shaving mirror. (One of your most powerful tools, because you can use it to signal your location by reflecting the sun.) - Can of petrol. (Again, potentially vital for signaling as petrol floats on water and can be lit by your matches.) - Water container. (Essential for collecting water to restore your lost fluids.) -Emergency rations. (Valuable for basic food intake.) - Plastic sheet. (Could be used for shelter, or to collect rainwater.) -Chocolate bars. (A handy food supply.) - Fishing rod. (Potentially useful, but there is no guarantee that you're able to catch fish. Could also feasibly double as a tent pole.) - Rope. (Handy for tying equipment together, but not necessarily vital for survival.) - Floating seat or cushion. (Useful as a life preserver.) - Shark repellent. (Potentially important when in the water.) - Bottle of rum. (Could be useful as an antiseptic for treating injuries, but will only dehydrate you if you drink it.) - Radio. (Chances are that you're out of range of any signal, anyway.) - Sea chart. (Worthless without navigational equipment.) - Mosquito net. (Assuming that you've been shipwrecked in the Atlantic, where there are no mosquitoes, this is pretty much useless.) - Sextant. (Impractical without relevant tables or a chronometer.)

Advice for the Facilitator

The ideal scenario is for teams to arrive at a consensus decision where everyone's opinion is heard. However, that doesn't always happen naturally: assertive people tend to get the most attention. Less forthright team members can often feel intimidated and don't always speak up, particularly when their ideas are different from the popular view. Where discussions are one-sided, draw quieter people in so that everyone is involved, but explain why you're doing this, so that people learn from it.

You can use the Stepladder Technique when team discussion is unbalanced. Here, ask each team member to think about the problem individually and, one at a time, introduce new ideas to an appointed group leader – without knowing what ideas have already been discussed. After the first two people present their ideas, they discuss them together. Then the leader adds a third person, who presents his or her ideas before hearing the previous input. This cycle of presentation and discussion continues until the whole team has had a chance to voice their opinions.

After everyone has finished the exercise, invite your teams to evaluate the process to draw out their experiences. For example, ask them what the main differences between individual, team and official rankings were, and why. This will provoke discussion about how teams arrive at decisions, which will make people think about the skills they must use in future team scenarios, such as listening , negotiating and decision-making skills, as well as creativity skills for thinking "outside the box."

A common issue that arises in team decision making is groupthink . This can happen when a group places a desire for mutual harmony above a desire to reach the right decision, which prevents people from fully exploring alternative solutions.

If there are frequent unanimous decisions in any of your exercises, groupthink may be an issue. Suggest that teams investigate new ways to encourage members to discuss their views, or to share them anonymously.

Exercise 2: The Great Egg Drop*

In this classic (though sometimes messy!) game, teams must work together to build a container to protect an egg, which is dropped from a height. Before the egg drop, groups must deliver presentations on their solutions, how they arrived at them, and why they believe they will succeed.

This fun game develops problem-solving and decision-making skills. Team members have to choose the best course of action through negotiation and creative thinking.

• Ideally at least six people in each team.
• Raw eggs – one for each group, plus some reserves in case of accidents!
• Materials for creating the packaging, such as cardboard, tape, elastic bands, plastic bottles, plastic bags, straws, and scissors.
• Aprons to protect clothes, paper towels for cleaning up, and paper table cloths, if necessary.
• Somewhere – ideally outside – that you can drop the eggs from. (If there is nowhere appropriate, you could use a step ladder or equivalent.)
• Around 15 to 30 minutes to create the packages.
• Approximately 15 minutes to prepare a one-minute presentation.
• Enough time for the presentations and feedback (this will depend on the number of teams).
• Time to demonstrate the egg "flight."
• Put people into teams, and ask each to build a package that can protect an egg dropped from a specified height (say, two-and-a-half meters) with the provided materials.
• Each team must agree on a nominated speaker, or speakers, for their presentation.
• Once all teams have presented, they must drop their eggs, assess whether the eggs have survived intact, and discuss what they have learned.

When teams are making their decisions, the more good options they consider, the more effective their final decision is likely to be. Encourage your groups to look at the situation from different angles, so that they make the best decision possible. If people are struggling, get them to brainstorm – this is probably the most popular method of generating ideas within a team.

Ask the teams to explore how they arrived at their decisions, to get them thinking about how to improve this process in the future. You can ask them questions such as:

• Did the groups take a vote, or were members swayed by one dominant individual?
• How did the teams decide to divide up responsibilities? Was it based on people's expertise or experience?
• Did everyone do the job they volunteered for?
• Was there a person who assumed the role of "leader"?
• How did team members create and deliver the presentation, and was this an individual or group effort?

Exercise 3: Create Your Own*

In this exercise, teams must create their own, brand new, problem-solving activity.

This game encourages participants to think about the problem-solving process. It builds skills such as creativity, negotiation and decision making, as well as communication and time management. After the activity, teams should be better equipped to work together, and to think on their feet.

• Ideally four or five people in each team.
• Paper, pens and flip charts.

Around one hour.

• As the participants arrive, you announce that, rather than spending an hour on a problem-solving team-building activity, they must design an original one of their own.
• Divide participants into teams and tell them that they have to create a new problem-solving team-building activity that will work well in their organization. The activity must not be one that they have already participated in or heard of.
• After an hour, each team must present their new activity to everyone else, and outline its key benefits.

There are four basic steps in problem solving : defining the problem, generating solutions, evaluating and selecting solutions, and implementing solutions. Help your team to think creatively at each stage by getting them to consider a wide range of options. If ideas run dry, introduce an alternative brainstorming technique, such as brainwriting . This allows your people to develop one others' ideas, while everyone has an equal chance to contribute.

After the presentations, encourage teams to discuss the different decision-making processes they followed. You might ask them how they communicated and managed their time . Another question could be about how they kept their discussion focused. And to round up, you might ask them whether they would have changed their approach after hearing the other teams' presentations.

Successful decision making and problem solving are at the heart of all effective teams. While teams are ultimately led by their managers, the most effective ones foster these skills at all levels.

The exercises in this article show how you can encourage teams to develop their creative thinking, leadership , and communication skills , while building group cooperation and consensus.

* Original source unknown. Please let us know if you know the original source.

You've accessed 1 of your 2 free resources.

Get unlimited access

Discover more content

Pdca (plan do check act).

Continually Improving, in a Methodical Way

The Plan-Do-Check-Act Process

How to Minimize Risk

Add comment

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment!

Gain essential management and leadership skills

Busy schedule? No problem. Learn anytime, anywhere. 

Subscribe to unlimited access to meticulously researched, evidence-based resources.

Join today and take advantage of our 30% offer, available until May 31st .

Sign-up to our newsletter

Subscribing to the Mind Tools newsletter will keep you up-to-date with our latest updates and newest resources.

Subscribe now

Business Skills

Personal Development

Leadership and Management

Member Extras

Most Popular

Latest Updates

Winning Body Language

Business Stripped Bare

Mind Tools Store

About Mind Tools Content

Discover something new today

Nine ways to get the best from x (twitter).

Growing Your Business Quickly and Safely on Social Media

Managing Your Emotions at Work

Controlling Your Feelings... Before They Control You

How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?

Boosting Your People Skills

Self-Assessment

What's Your Leadership Style?

Learn About the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Way You Like to Lead

Recommended for you

Pain points podcast - how do you thrive in a vuca world.

When Life Is Volatile, Unstable, Complex, Ambiguous

Business Operations and Process Management

Strategy Tools

Customer Service

Business Ethics and Values

Handling Information and Data

Project Management

Knowledge Management

Self-Development and Goal Setting

Time Management

Presentation Skills

Learning Skills

Career Skills

Communication Skills

Negotiation, Persuasion and Influence

Working With Others

Difficult Conversations

Creativity Tools

Self-Management

Work-Life Balance

Stress Management and Wellbeing

Coaching and Mentoring

Change Management

Team Management

Managing Conflict

Delegation and Empowerment

Performance Management

Leadership Skills

Developing Your Team

Talent Management

Problem Solving

Decision Making

Member Podcast

10 Tips for Facilitating Your Problem-Solving Workshop

A problem-solving workshop is a structured approach to address a particular challenge or issue that a team or organization is facing. The workshop is designed to bring together a diverse group of individuals with different perspectives, skills, and knowledge to collaborate on identifying and solving the problem at hand.

The workshop typically involves a series of activities and exercises designed to help participants understand the problem, generate ideas for potential solutions, and evaluate and prioritise those solutions based on a set of criteria or metrics . Depending on the nature of the problem and the desired outcomes of the workshop, the exercises may include brainstorming sessions, group discussions, role-playing exercises, prototyping, or other activities.

The goal of a problem-solving workshop is to create a collaborative, creative, and open environment where participants feel empowered to share their ideas, challenge assumptions, and work together towards a common goal. By bringing together a diverse group of individuals with different perspectives and expertise, the workshop can tap into a wide range of knowledge and experience, which can lead to more innovative and effective solutions.

The workshop may be facilitated by an internal or external facilitator, who can help to guide the participants through the process and keep them focused on the problem at hand. Depending on the complexity of the problem and the size of the group, the workshop may take anywhere from a few hours to several days to complete.

Our top tips for facilitating a problem solving workshop are:

• Clearly define the problem: Before starting the workshop, make sure the problem is clearly defined and understood by all participants.
• Establish ground rule s: Set clear guidelines for how the workshop will be conducted, including rules for respectful communication and decision-making.
• Encourage diverse perspectives: Encourage participants to share their diverse perspectives and experiences, and consider using techniques such as brainstorming to generate a wide range of ideas.
• Use a structured process: Utilize a structured problem-solving process, such as the six-step process outlined by the International Association of Facilitators, to guide the workshop.
• Promote active listening : Encourage participants to actively listen to each other and seek to understand different viewpoints.
• Encourage collaboration : Foster a collaborative atmosphere by encouraging teamwork and shared ownership of the problem-solving process.
• Facilitate decision making : Help participants make informed decisions by providing them with the necessary information and resources.
• Encourage creativity : Encourage participants to think creatively and outside the box to generate new ideas and solutions.
• Monitor and manage group dynamics : Pay attention to group dynamics and intervene as needed to keep the workshop on track and prevent conflicts.
• Follow up and review: Follow up on the outcomes of the workshop and review the results to continually improve the problem-solving process.

Here are some exercises that may be more fun and engaging for a problem-solving workshop:

• Escape room : Create an escape room-style challenge that requires participants to solve a series of problems to escape the room.
• Treasure hunt: Create a treasure hunt that requires participants to solve clues and riddles to find hidden objects or reach a goal.
• Charades: Have participants act out different scenarios related to the problem and have the rest of the group guess what they are trying to communicate.
• Jigsaw puzzles : Use jigsaw puzzles as a metaphor for solving problems and have participants work together to piece the puzzle together.
• Improv games: Use improv games, such as “Yes, And,” to encourage creativity and build teamwork skills.
• Scavenger hunt : Create a scavenger hunt that requires participants to solve clues and challenges to find hidden objects or complete tasks.
• Board games : Use board games that require problem-solving skills, such as escape room-style games or strategy games, to make problem-solving more interactive and fun.
• Puzzle-based challenges: Create puzzle-based challenges that require participants to solve a series of interconnected problems to reach a goal.
• Role-playing games : Use role-playing games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, to encourage creative problem solving and teamwork.
• Creativity challenges : Use creativity challenges, such as “the Marshmallow Challenge,” to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and teamwork.

In conclusion, a problem-solving workshop can be a powerful tool for teams and organisations looking to tackle complex challenges and drive innovation. By bringing together a diverse group of individuals with different perspectives and expertise, the workshop can create a collaborative, creative, and open environment where participants feel empowered to share their ideas, challenge assumptions, and work towards a common goal.

While the success of a problem-solving workshop depends on many factors, such as the facilitation, the quality of the problem statement, and the engagement of the participants, the potential benefits are significant. By tapping into the collective intelligence of the group, the workshop can generate new ideas, identify blind spots, and build consensus around potential solutions. Moreover, the workshop can help to foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and innovation that can have a lasting impact on the team or organization.

Related Posts

The 16th Annual State of Agile Report

How Do Web3 and Agile Combine To Enhance Development

Difference Between Agile and Explain Organic Agile

Why Spillover Happens and Why You Shouldn’t Worry

The Johari Window and Agile Methodologies – An Explosive Combo

“Dual Track” Agile

Main Differences Between Three Concepts – Agile, Scrum, And Kanban

Why Teams Outcome Is More Important Than Its Velocity or Even Output

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Copyright © 2023 Agile Heuristics. All rights reserved. Agile Heuristics Ltd is a private limited company, registered in the United Kingdom, with company number 14699131

Request a quote

Problem Solving & Decision Making [2 Days]

Why is it that some people find it easy to solve tough problems with simple solutions while others find this feat nearly impossible? You’ve no doubt looked at solutions to problems and said, “I should have thought of that.” But you didn’t. The answer is not just creativity, although that certainly helps. Rather, the power to find these creative solutions lies in our ability to search for and find facts that relate to the situation, and put them together in ways that work. As an individual, your facts and knowledge can only go so far. By tapping into the knowledge of others (staff, colleagues, family, or friends), you can expand the range of solutions available to you.

If you are tired of applying dead-end solutions to recurring problems in your company, this workshop should help you reconstruct your efforts and learn new ways to approach problem solving, and develop practical ways to solve some of your most pressing problems and reach win-win decisions.

The programme is designed to identify problems and to make responsible decisions. The main focus is on the workplace, although the same principles can be used elsewhere. Business teams and leaders are equipped with a range of skills and strategies which will help them to manage and resolve the inevitable challenges which are part of any business process.

• COURSE OBJECTIVES
• TARGET AUDIENCE
• COURSE CONTENT
• Increase awareness of problem solving steps and problem solving tools
• Distinguish root causes from symptoms to identify the right solution for the right problem
• Thinking outside the box – working towards creative solutions
• Understand the top ten rules of good decision-making
• Develop the confidence to tackle problems efficiently and effectively
• Identifying your own problem solving and decision making style
• Module 1: What is Problem Solving?
• Module 2: Problem Solving Styles
• Module 3: Practical Application
• Module 4: The Problem Solving Model
• Module 5: Six Ways to Approach a Problem
• Module 6: The Problem Solving Toolkit
• Module 7: Thinking Outside the Box
• Module 8: Team Decision Making Case Study
• Module 9: Personal Action Plan

Sign up now to receive the latest news & course information POPIA Disclosure: I acknowledge and consent to Kwelanga Training capturing and processing my personal information in accordance with the POPIA disclosure available at https://www.kwelangatraining.co.za/library/popia-disclosure

• Why Kwelanga as your training partner?
• What makes Kwelanga unique
• Virtual Public Courses
• On-Site Group Training
• Resource Library
• Newsletters
• Needs Analysis