Strategic Thinking concerns looking ahead, anticipating events, exploring options and then making robust choices. Strategic Thinking is about deciding what you want and how to get it given the developing situation.

But as human beings, we have certain in-built thinking habits or cognitive biases that silently operate in the background and influence what we notice, think, feel and do. These cognitive biases affect our ability to think strategically, both individually and collectively.

Thus we need to move beyond our in-built thinking habits in order to generate more strategic options. This is the thinking that needs to occur before everyone gets "busy" with analyses, plans and implementation.

In this workshop participants will learn:

1. to recognise the cognitive biases which affect people's thinking;
2. how to define and explore essential factors of a situation;
3. how to clarify the desired outcome;
4. methods to discover and develop options that are possible & feasible.

Some comments from participants:

• "Very thought-provoking & interesting workshop."
• "It helped to clarify my needs & objectives and provided new approaches."
• "This course pointed out which faults I tend to make in my thought patterns and showed me how to develop this into a positive way of thinking & problem solving."
• "Thanks! Very stimulating and interesting (& fun too!)"
• "I had thought at first that my problems were too general/abstract for the workshop, but the skills are actually very relevant."
• "I thoroughly enjoyed this course & hope that Dr. VanderNoot will be coming back - I shall certainly sign up!"
• "Good coverage of good/bad aspects. Practical advice and exercises."
• "Made me realise I need to think much more widely to develop a strategy."
• "I enjoyed the course immensely and learnt or reinforced a number of approaches to Strategic Thinking."