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1. Please mute your microphone Please remain on mute for the duration of the call unless you have a question or would like to participate. • Computer: • Select your name from the Participants panel and click the mute button. • Phone: • Press *6 @technkl #CriticalThinkingInTheWorkplace

2. Critical Thinking In the workplace @technkl #CriticalThinkingInTheWorkplace

3. Course Objectives At the end of this course, you will be able to: • Apply critical thinking skills to tasks on the job. • Think independently and reflect on information. • Determine if a processed claim was correctly analyzed. • Critically analyze a customer’s statement from a claim.

4. Why is critical thinking important? • Employers demand it. 300% increase in 7 years! • Your job requires you to solve problems. • It’s vital to your everyday well being.

5. Being A Critical Thinker You Analyze information critically, allowing you to better achieve the truth. That you criticize others or are argumentative and negative. MEANS NOT

6. Is this critical thinking? “There's a woman down the block who cheats on welfare, so it's obvious that most welfare recipients cheat.” – Phil Rabinowitz “Anybody who is laying in a gutter is homeless and must need help.” – Richard Paul and Linda Elder “Smoking is hazardous to your health, therefor it must be hazardous to those around you breathing the smoke.”

7. Activity • Think of one assumption you’ve witnessed or that you hold yourself. • Challenge that assumption by thinking of at least one way it could be incorrect.

8. Be Aware Of Assumptions It’s not always easy to determine if something is an assumption, but now we know we need to be aware of assumptions. Assuming means miscommunication, and an unhappy client.

9. What is critical thinking? “Critical thinking is a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.” – AACU

10. What’s The Point? Critical Thinking Goals: Uncover truth Consider context Understand assumptions Create alternatives

11. Uncover Truth Separate what is true from false, biased, based on a false premise or assumed to be true.

12. Consider Context Always look at what the context and history of issues, problems, or situations is. Event What happened before? What’s the person’s background?

13. Understand Assumptions Understand the assumptions and purposes behind information or situations. Ask Questions

14. Create Alternatives Address the real, rather than the assumed, or imagined, factors that underlie or directly cause the problem.

15. How to Improve Critical Thinking • Recognize Assumptions – senses, experience, values, emotion, self interest, culture, history, religion, biases, prior knowledge, conventional wisdom, etc. • Examine information for accuracy, assumptions, biases, or specific interests – source of information, if someone benefits or loses from information, if it’s complete, consistent, clear, or true. • Consider the context of the information, problem, or issue – nature of the community, social situation, individuals, cultures, physical environment, history, interests involved.

16. Appropriateness • Should you share your conclusion? • Are there any possible consequences for your conclusion? • Could somebody be offended by what you have to say? David offended his coworkers with his conclusion and now his job is at risk.

17. Here’s a Scenario You’ve just been assigned a claim where the claimant says they were involved in a multiple car accident with a customer of yours. Here are a few details from the claim: • The claimant was at the front of a multiple car rear-end collision during rush hour. • The accident occurred during stop and go traffic. • The claimant was driving a 1992 Ford Focus and your customer was driving a 2013 Audi A7. • A neck injury was claimed during the accident from the claimant. What questions might we want to ask to determine if this is a valid claim?

18. What Can We Do? Here are a few details from the claim: The claimant was at the front of a multiple car rear-end collision during rush hour. The accident occurred during stop and go traffic. The claimant was driving a 1992 Ford Focus and your customer was driving a 2013 Audi A7. A neck injury was claimed during the accident from the claimant. How can we apply critical thinking to the scenario?

19. Recap • Critical thinking is about looking at information critically, not being critical of others. • Make it your goal in critical thinking to uncover the truth, consider the context, understand assumptions, and create alternatives. • Improve your critical thinking skills by recognizing assumptions, examine information fully, and consider the context of everything. • Be aware of consequences your critical thinking could present you.

20. Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills Here are a few apps that can help you improve your critical thinking skills: • Critical Thinking University ‘Think-O-Meter’ (App Store) • Critical Thinking Basic (App Store & Google Play) • Brain Trainer (App Store) • Memory Trainer (Google Play) • Brain Workout (Google Play)

21. Questions? Questions or comments? technkl@gmail.com @technkl

22. Work Samples Further work samples are available on technkl.com in the portfolio section: Media samples are available in the media section. Click

23. Sources http://www.indeed.com/jobtrends/critical+thinking.html http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/critical/ http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766 http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_main_1120.aspx http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/auto-insurance/10-ways-insurance-adjusters-spot-fraudulent-claims.htm