Critical thinking for better decisions
Executives and managers face complex decisions daily — vendor selection, strategic planning, performance evaluation, crisis response. My workshops equip teams with frameworks and skills to make better decisions and avoid common reasoning traps.
Why problem-solving and decision-making go wrong
Most failures aren't caused by bad intentions or lack of effort. They happen for two reasons:
Incomplete processes
We don't examine issues from all angles. We miss assumptions, overlook implications, ignore alternative perspectives, and jump to conclusions without sufficient evidence.
Gaps in holistic critical thinking
We're never taught how to think critically. Our reasoning is derailed by cognitive biases we don't notice, logical fallacies we can't spot, and persuasive rhetoric we can't see through.
A holistic approach
Most programs focus on one piece of the puzzle. Some teach biases. Some teach frameworks. Some focus on communication. This training brings them all together into one integrated system.
The Critical Thinking Framework
Structured approaches to problem-solving and decision-making. Step-by-step processes that ensure nothing important gets missed — from problem definition through to implementation risks.
Includes: Problem-solving framework, decision-making framework, AISI (Assumptions, Implications, Stakeholders, Implementation Risks)
The Skills That Make It Work
The underlying capabilities that ensure quality of thinking at every step. Without these, even the best framework produces flawed results.
Includes: Logical reasoning, evaluating credibility, cognitive biases, logical fallacies, rhetorical devices, persuasive communication
The frameworks give you the process. The skills ensure quality of thinking at every step. Together, they form a complete system for problem-solving and decision-making.
Workshop formats
Training is customized based on your objectives, audience, and time available.
Half-day session
Introduction to frameworks and selected concepts. Best for awareness building.
Full-day workshop
Frameworks plus core skills with exercises. Most common format.
Two-day program
Comprehensive coverage with multiple case studies and practice sessions.
Modular program
Multiple sessions over weeks. Deeper learning with application between sessions.
Delivery is in-person or virtual. Content is adapted for your industry context — the examples, cases, and exercises reflect the kinds of problems and decisions your teams actually face.
The organizational benefit
Beyond individual skill-building, the framework becomes a shared language across teams.
When someone brings a recommendation, the thinking is visible — assumptions stated, implications considered, stakeholder views mapped, risks identified. The conversation shifts from interrogation to evaluation. Less back-and-forth. Faster, better decisions.
The framework isn't just a thinking tool. It's a communication protocol.
Organizations I've worked with
Corporate
Amazon • McCormick (USA) • HCL • GE Healthcare • EPAM India • Zinnov Consulting • Molex India • Bharat Electronics • Saankhya Labs • Radisys • YUJ Designs
Educational Institutions
IIM Indore • IIM Nagpur • IIM Rohtak • IMT Ghaziabad • NIFT Bangalore • IBS Hyderabad • JAGSOM Bangalore • Naval War College, Goa
About
I'm A.S. Prasad, a management graduate from IIM Ahmedabad (1981-83). After three decades in marketing and senior management — Disney character franchising, FMCG, software distribution, IT services — I developed this holistic critical thinking system and have been teaching it since 2013.
Over 4,000 executives and students have gone through my training. My approach is practical, not academic — every concept is grounded in real situations, illustrated with cases from my own experience and from the Harvard case library.
I'm also the author of Critical and Analytical Thinking (Cengage, 2024), a textbook that presents this holistic framework in full.