Learning to think critically does not mean to criticize others or to say “you did something wrong”. It means we think clearly, rationally, creatively and meaningfully about complex, ambiguous, changeable situations. It means we identify assumptions that others may be missing but which have big impact on outcomes.

Situations are often ambiguous; we have limited information or conflicting priorities from different people. We often experience multiple conflicting emotions. When our emotions are not acknowledged, even to ourselves, they affect our thought processes in random/negative ways. We may act poorly but remain unaware that we do so.

You do not need to be a subject matter expert to have value as a critical thinker: often, the most effective thinking comes from the outside.

Objective

• Learn the importance of paying attention, and why attention to the subtle, not the obvious is also important.
• Become aware of how your emotions transition to other emotions, every few seconds, in real time. See emotions as a critical, often misunderstood, dimension of human cognition. Be motivated to learn how to understand them better.
• Learn how our motives are affected by momentary emotions and that our motives may not be what we think they are. As a consequence, learn better how to focus on our own internal states and thus make better decisions.
• Learn a greater understanding of works of art – especially literature/poetry – and how it leads to deeper understanding of your own humanity. Learning can be applied to music, films, books and stories that you already love but have not thought much about.
• Develop, over time, greater influence and success in the world. Critical thinkers respond to a much larger context than others. Critical thinkers make sense when they speak and can reveal opportunities and flaws that often go unnoticed or hidden, within the shadows of thought.

Outline

I guide participants in classical English poetry analysis, focused on a well-known song by Taylor Swift called “The Man”.

1) Rhythm & rhyme Learn to pay attention to the sound of the words, rather than their meaning. Learn to feel sounds: how do they affect your psychological state?

2) Ambiguity, metaphor, multiple meanings Learn how meanings can’t be simply and precisely resolved via a dictionary definition. Sometimes it may never be clear what exactly the words mean.

3) Attendees experience how to articulate their current thoughts about the song’s language, and how their thoughts and conclusions can change in real time.

Who should attend

• Corporate knowledge workers, entry to senior. From any business domain. You do not require prior knowledge of critical thinking, literature or Taylor Swift. You want to learn to make better decisions in ambiguous situations, including difficult leadership choices. You want to understand what’s really being said, not what appears to be said.
• You want to be a leader who can respond to the many shades of grey in ordinary business dealings e.g. nuance, people’s unique personalities, competing priorities, changing moods in oneself and others
• You should understand English to a reasonable degree but you do not need to be a native speaker.

Methodology

• Practice hands-on literary criticism of a Taylor Swift song lyric as if it were a poem. Search for literary techniques such as rhythm, rhyme, metaphor, repeated word and ambiguity. Articulate what psychological and emotional effects these techniques create in your mind.
• Practice the power of paying attention, to the song and to each other’s responses.
• Class is engaged and participatory, more than it is about sharing information from the facilitator beyond the basics of poetic thinking. Participants learn from each other by listening to each other. We make differing assumptions about what words mean and they make us feel different things. By seeing differences clearly, we are brought together.
• Optional essay homework using other songs by Taylor Swift (up to 2000 words only, in your own time). Writing also helps participants learn critical thinking. Essay can be reviewed individually with faciliator on a future, 30 minutes call (at no extra cost).

Testimonial

"Active listening and developing the skill to listen or observe without analysis or injecting your own opinions was the most useful"

"Ravi is generally a good facilitator. He created a super safe and enjoyable space. Very present in the moment. Encouraging, with a spirit of really wanting you to benefit"

"Taking the time to focus and dive deeper into an unusual topic as a group, just to refine our critical thinking is a habit we should build"

"It's the first time using a song as part of learning, very innovative and interesting"

Ravi Agarwal's Profile

Business agility transformations in financial services; coach, facilitator and mentor for human centric leadership skills. Critical thinking, emotional intelligence, decision making, empathy, psychological safety

Ravi Agarwal, British born, raised and educated, has over 25 years’ experience in financial services and software engineering leadership roles around the world.
He believes the most powerful learnings happen when we touch the depth of our own humanity. When we do this authentically, it feels like magic. His facilitation style reflects this conviction. By engaging empathetically and individually with learners, whether one-on-one or in class settings, he allows people to uncover their depth, thereby bringing them into these precious learning zones for themselves.

Though intimate with information technology over several decades, he believes access to information can never allow you to flower to your greatest potential. So he focuses on the specifically human, character-centric skills. Emotional intelligence, critical thinking, paying attention, decision making in ambiguous contexts, empathy, psychological safety, mentoring & coaching are his life blood.

Not only does he create original content for such learning, he implicitly demonstrates the learning in real time via his facilitation techniques and who he is, so that attendees can absorb their learning from many dimensions. This is by far the best way to teach character skills.

So please join him. Learn how to blossom your humanity and your leadership journey in life, in the only way that really matters: your own.

1. Paying Attention and Critical Thinking with Emotional Intelligence: Taylor Swift – Lyrics as Poetry (for individuals & teams) (half day with writing homework)

2. Hands-on Introduction to Agile Product Development (for teams) (full day)

3. First Time Manager - the basics. One on ones; feedback, coaching & delegation (for individuals) (two full days)

4. Psychological Safety & Leader Vulnerability – a 21st century super skill (for individuals & teams) (half or full day)

5. Manage your Personal Finances & Spending - A Layman’s Guide (half day) (individuals)

Ravi, a natural polymath, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. He is extremely grateful to have studied Mathematics, French & English Literature under the guidance of some extraordinarily gifted teachers. Though many years apart, he is proud to call both Isaac Newton (English polymath, world pioneering mathematician) & Lee Hsien Loong (former Singapore Prime Minister) his college alumni.