New user? Register as member

Critical Thinking with Question Thinking® - Asking the Right Questions for Better Decisions, Collaboration & Business Results

In today’s corporate environment, officers face increasing complexity, cross-agency collaboration, policy ambiguity, and high stakeholder expectations. While technical expertise is strong, many workplace challenges arise not from lack of knowledge, but from how we think, how we react, and the questions we ask ourselves and others. These challenges are not simply communication problems — they are thinking and mindset challenges.

Common Workplace Pain Points
Many staff experience situations such as:

• Meetings that go in circles without clear decisions
• Difficulty handling challenging stakeholders or difficult conversations
• Tendency to jump to conclusions or make assumptions under pressure
• Blame, defensiveness, or “silo thinking” across teams and agencies
• Struggles to analyse complex problems with limited information
• Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or reactive when facing ambiguity
• Teams rushing to solutions before fully understanding the problem
• Leaders wanting more initiative, ownership, and innovation from staff

How Question Thinking® Helps
Based on the work of Dr. Marilee Adams, Question Thinking® (QT) teaches that the quality of our thinking depends on the quality of the questions we ask. This practical one-day workshop equips participants with powerful tools to:

• Shift from reactive, blame-focused thinking to curiosity-driven thinking
• Ask better questions that improve clarity, collaboration and decisions
• Break out of unproductive thinking patterns and mental “autopilot”
• Navigate complexity and ambiguity with greater confidence
• Improve meetings, conversations and stakeholder engagement
• Strengthen critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Build a culture of learning, ownership and accountability

Participants will learn how to move from reactive, blame-focused thinking to curiosity-driven, solution-focused thinking using the powerful Learner vs Judger mindset, the Choice Map™, and Q-Storming® problem solving tools. They will also learn to use these techniques to think more clearly, collaborate more effectively, and make better decisions in their daily work. This programme provides practical skills that can be applied immediately in meetings, projects, policy work, and cross-agency collaboration.

Objective

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how questions shape thinking, behaviour, and workplace results
2. Recognise Judger vs Learner thinking patterns in themselves and others
3. Apply the Choice Map™ to shift from reactive to constructive thinking
4. Use Learner questions to improve collaboration and stakeholder engagement
5. Apply Q-Storming® to analyse complex problems and generate better solutions
6. Develop a personal action plan to embed Question Thinking® into daily work

Outline

MODULE 1 — The Power of Questions in Thinking & Decision Making
Key Focus: Why critical thinking begins with better questions

• Understand how thinking happens through internal questions and answers
• Recognise how questions influence emotions, behaviour and outcomes
• Identify hidden assumptions in workplace thinking
• Experience how changing questions changes perspective

Activity: Question Awareness Exercise – Participants transform negative workplace thoughts into constructive questions.

MODULE 2 — Learner vs Judger Mindsets
Key Focus: The foundation of Question Thinking®

• Distinguish between Judger and Learner questions
• Understand emotional and behavioural impact of each mindset
• Recognise Judger triggers in high-pressure work environments
• Reframe Judger statements into Learner questions

Activity: Judger → Learner Reframing Practice

MODULE 3 — The Choice Map™: A Tool for Self-Coaching
Key Focus: Choosing better thinking in the moment

• Understand the pathways of the Choice Map™
• Recognise the impact of the Judger Pit in organisations
• Use the Switching Lane to redirect thinking
• Apply the tool to real workplace scenarios

Activity: Choice Map Case Study Discussion

MODULE 4 — Switching to Learner in Challenging Situations
Key Focus: Managing stress, conflict and difficult conversations

• Identify personal triggers that lead to Judger thinking
• Use Switching Questions to regain clarity
• Apply QT to conflict and difficult conversations
• Build emotional resilience through self-coaching

Activity: Difficult Conversation Role-Play

MODULE 5 — Q-Storming® for Problem Solving & Innovation
Key Focus: Asking better questions before finding answers

• Understand Brainstorming vs Q-Storming®
• Generate high-quality strategic questions
• Use QT to analyse complex workplace problems
• Apply group Q-Storming techniques

Activity: Team Q-Storming Challenge

MODULE 6 — Embedding QT into Daily Public Service Work
Key Focus: Applying QT to real work situations

• Apply QT in meetings and decision-making
• Use Learner questions to strengthen collaboration
• Build a culture of inquiry within teams
• Create a personal action plan for habit change

CAPSTONE ACTIVITY — Real Workplace Application Lab
Participants will work in teams to:

• Analyse a realistic public sector scenario
• Apply the Choice Map™ and Q-Storming®
• Generate Learner questions and action strategies
• Present their solutions and learning reflections

Who should attend

Anyone who wants to strengthen critical thinking and collaboration skills

Methodology

uses an experiential adult-learning approach combining:
• Short concept briefings and real public-sector examples
• Individual reflection and self-coaching exercises
• Pair and group discussions
• Scenario-based role play and case studies
• Guided practice using QT tools (Choice Map™, Q-Storming®)
• Capstone application activity

Testimonials

Profile of Eric Cheong

BSc(Hons) MSc (HRM)
Accredited ACTA Trainer, Developer & Assessor (SG)
Master Trainer, Buzan iMindMap & AYOA (ThinkBuzan UK)
Certified Trainer, Guerrilla Marketing® (USA)
Certified Trainer & Coach, Identi3® Personality Profiling (SG)
Master Trainer, Click Colours International (AU)
Certified Trainer, Inquiry Institute (US)
Design Thinking Certificate – MITx and DesignThinkers Academy (SG)
Adult Educator Network and Institute for Adult Learning (SG)

Eric Cheong is a corporate trainer and thinking-skills specialist who helps organisations improve critical thinking, decision-making, and collaborative problem solving. With 25+ years across telecommunications, technology, and education, he equips leaders with questioning and mindset tools to navigate complexity and ambiguity.

Previously with SingTel, Pacific Internet, and the National Library Board, Eric understands matrix organisations, public sector systems, and corporate transformation. His experience spans governance, entrepreneurship, and executive education, linking thinking frameworks to real workplace challenges.

As former Managing Director of Buzan Asia, he expanded creative thinking and Mind Mapping programmes across Asia. An Accredited Master Trainer in Click! Colours® EQ Profiling (Click! Colours International), he has trained over 10,000 professionals from organisations including Intel, HP, HSBC, Sony, Far East Organization, Singapore Airlines, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Eric holds a Master’s in Human Resource Management and is pursuing a DBA focused on leadership influence and cognition in complex organisations. Having lived and worked in Hong Kong, Belgium, and the United States, he brings strong cross-cultural leadership insight.

Global Training & Thought Leadership Credentials

Eric’s expertise in critical and creative thinking is shaped by training with leading global pioneers:

• Certified Master Trainer in Mind Mapping, trained under Tony Buzan and co-trained with him.
• Master Trainer, Click! Colours® International, trained by founders Greg Barnes and David Koutsoukis (emotional intelligence and behavioural profiling).
• Trained by Michael Gelb, author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci (creativity and whole-brain thinking).
• Graduate of the Chief Questions Officer Programme by Marilee Adams, creator of Question Thinking (Learner mindset and decision-making).

Speaking Engagements & Media

• Guest speaker, Smart Nation 2021 — Prime Minister's Office webinar on Applied Creativity
• Featured expert, BrainTalk 2021 — MM2 Studios parenting series
• Guest speaker, SPH MONEY FM 89.3 — Thinking & Innovation at Work
• Corporate talks for Sony Singapore, UPS, Singtel, Hewlett Packard, and others
• International speaker, 14th International Conference on Thinking (Malaysia)

Testimonials

“I have not come across a Trainer like Eric who takes great lengths to engage his participants, address their inner motivations and going the extensive way to build up his trainees. He is not just a Trainer, but a unique educator who cares for his Learners and stays true to his purpose of educating minds.”
Christie Khoo, Manager, SG Professionals' and Executives' Co-operatives

“Eric makes me understand the importance of being open, flexible and adaptable. If the trainer is rigid and unimaginative, then so will the learners, and they will participate in the training in a dull and unmotivated manner.”
Vinay Rai, Business Owner, Writer and Editor

“Eric has diligently put together this all-in-one programme, making it simple and easy for anyone - even for a beginner to be equipped as a Corporate Trainer very quickly.”
Lui Ng, Senior Vice-President in a technology firm