Clear Thinking

4-stage Clear Thinking Process

The 4-stage Clear Thinking Process	Clear Thinking … is a Process … a stage-wise Process Our Consultants aim to think clearly, or facilitate clients’ teams to do it, in every aspect of our services, by following a proven 4-stage Clear Thinking Process.
Guaranteed	This Process maximises results and minimises errors. Guaranteed to work.
	The four Essentials of Clear Thinking
A. Follow a 4-stage Clear Thinking Process	1. define the Business Thinking Process you are going to work through, eg Devising Strategy, Planning a Project, Creating new Ideas, Innovation, Problem Solving, Planning Change, Decision-Making, Writing a Communication … these are all stage-wise Business Thinking Processes (or should be). 2. identify the key stages in the Business Thinking Process you will work through. Example: Creative Problem Solving is a 7-stage Thinking Process. *3. identify how* your team should think** at each stage (which specific Thinking Styles to deliberately engage). Each stage needs different ways of thinking (Thinking Styles). Note: Contingency Thinking (“What could go wrong?”) should be a stage-wise Thinking Process that needs several different Thinking Styles (which partly explains why so many plans/projects go wrong). 4. work through the Business Thinking Process, stage by stage, ensuring that your team deliberately engages the appropriate Thinking Styles at each stage.
B. Check HOW your team thinks	Check each member’s Preferred Thinking Styles. Ideally, you should have a good ‘Balance’ of Preferred Thinking Styles that covers all 4 core Thinking Styles of Whole Brain Thinking. If not, you’ll need to make allowances for any missing Styles.
C. Use Thinking Prompts	Prompts are short mental ‘triggers’ to help the team engage (and switch quickly between) specific Thinking Styles. Prompts are invaluable when switching between polar-opposite Styles such as Creative---Analytical Thinking, Risk---Opportunity Thinking, or Business---Customer Thinking … totally opposite ways of thinking.
D. Don’t do a Ratner! Get an Objective Check	Absolutely essential. Get someone who has *no involvement* to check your team’s thinking. Poor Gerald Ratner planned that speech at the IOD that lost him a £500million business. He was sure his audience and the media would get the “total crap” jokes. He pre-tested his speech with his team, but not the jokes.
Clear Thinking Toolbox	The Business Experience has developed a unique set of thinking tools, techniques, and Business Thinking Processes, which we use in our training and other services, to help clients’ teams THINK CLEARLY and avoid costly Thinking Errors.
Thinking Prompts and Competencies	We have also developed a unique range of Thinking Prompts and Competencies to help clients develop Thinking Skills across the workforce and test staff’s thinking abilities in Recruitment Interviews and Assessment/Development Centres.
	Clear Thinking Training Clear Thinking Teams Clear Thinking Leadership Clear Thinking Competencies
Have a Demo	Email us for an introductory discussion and demonstration of our 4-stage Clear Thinking Process applied to any aspect of your business.