Critical Thinking: Outsmarting Your Own Mind
Your brain lies to you — and we're going to prove it.
In this course, you'll experience firsthand how easily the mind can be fooled — and how those blind spots quietly sabotage reasoning, analysis, and judgment, the very skills your work depends on every day.
Through live demonstrations, you'll watch your own brain misfire in real time — and learn to catch it before it costs you clarity, accuracy, or opportunity. From there, we'll unpack the groundbreaking work of Daniel Kahneman — the psychologist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics for proving just how predictably the human mind misleads us. You'll explore his two-system model of thinking, see how cognitive biases, assumptions, and mental shortcuts quietly distort judgment, and learn the practical tools that overcome them.
Then we'll put it to work. You'll approach problems like both a strategist and a scientist — breaking them apart, questioning assumptions, and spotting the hidden patterns and details that others miss. You'll learn to read a situation for what it actually is, not what your instincts insist it must be, and to think with a precision most people never develop.
For professionals whose work depends on getting it right — on contracts, programs, budgets, and people — clear thinking isn't a soft skill. It's the one that protects every other skill you have.
By the end, you'll think with greater precision, see what others overlook, and understand why even the smartest people make predictable mistakes — so you don't have to.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, an award-winning instructor, featured speaker, content creator, and podcast guest, as well as the author of the forthcoming book The Powder Keg: The Science & Strategy of Successful Negotiations. She draws on her law degree and MBA studies, along with government work spanning a contract portfolio exceeding $7.7 billion, where clear thinking under pressure wasn't optional. She brings the behavioral science, the strategy, and the hard-won experience of high-stakes decision-making into every class, translating the research into practical tools your team can use the moment they leave the room.
Best for: Everyone. Clear thinking isn't a niche skill. This course is built for any professional whose work depends on getting it right: leaders, analysts, managers, contracting and program staff, technical experts, and anyone who makes decisions, solves problems, or sizes up a situation under pressure. No prior background required.
Format: Available as a two-day course, delivered in person or virtually. Phoenix Canyon issues every attendee a certificate of completion documenting the training hours as well as CEUs and CLPs earned. Attendees earn 8 CLPs per day (roughly 0.8 CEU per full day). Some organizations apply these credits toward Continuous Learning or Professional Development requirements. Please check with your workplace to confirm their policy.
You might also consider (Critical Thinking page, bundle removed)
Skilled Decision Making: The Difference Between Being Good and Being Lucky — the natural next step: once you can think clearly, learn to turn that thinking into sound decisions under pressure.
Mind Games & Money Moves: The Psychology of Negotiation — the same behavioral science, applied at the negotiating table; learn to read the other side and shape the outcome.
Signals: Mastering the Skills of Powerful Communicators — once you can think clearly, learn to read others and communicate with the same precision.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.
Your brain lies to you — and we're going to prove it.
In this course, you'll experience firsthand how easily the mind can be fooled — and how those blind spots quietly sabotage reasoning, analysis, and judgment, the very skills your work depends on every day.
Through live demonstrations, you'll watch your own brain misfire in real time — and learn to catch it before it costs you clarity, accuracy, or opportunity. From there, we'll unpack the groundbreaking work of Daniel Kahneman — the psychologist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics for proving just how predictably the human mind misleads us. You'll explore his two-system model of thinking, see how cognitive biases, assumptions, and mental shortcuts quietly distort judgment, and learn the practical tools that overcome them.
Then we'll put it to work. You'll approach problems like both a strategist and a scientist — breaking them apart, questioning assumptions, and spotting the hidden patterns and details that others miss. You'll learn to read a situation for what it actually is, not what your instincts insist it must be, and to think with a precision most people never develop.
For professionals whose work depends on getting it right — on contracts, programs, budgets, and people — clear thinking isn't a soft skill. It's the one that protects every other skill you have.
By the end, you'll think with greater precision, see what others overlook, and understand why even the smartest people make predictable mistakes — so you don't have to.
This course is taught by Melinda Milheim, JD, an award-winning instructor, featured speaker, content creator, and podcast guest, as well as the author of the forthcoming book The Powder Keg: The Science & Strategy of Successful Negotiations. She draws on her law degree and MBA studies, along with government work spanning a contract portfolio exceeding $7.7 billion, where clear thinking under pressure wasn't optional. She brings the behavioral science, the strategy, and the hard-won experience of high-stakes decision-making into every class, translating the research into practical tools your team can use the moment they leave the room.
Best for: Everyone. Clear thinking isn't a niche skill. This course is built for any professional whose work depends on getting it right: leaders, analysts, managers, contracting and program staff, technical experts, and anyone who makes decisions, solves problems, or sizes up a situation under pressure. No prior background required.
Format: Available as a two-day course, delivered in person or virtually. Phoenix Canyon issues every attendee a certificate of completion documenting the training hours as well as CEUs and CLPs earned. Attendees earn 8 CLPs per day (roughly 0.8 CEU per full day). Some organizations apply these credits toward Continuous Learning or Professional Development requirements. Please check with your workplace to confirm their policy.
You might also consider (Critical Thinking page, bundle removed)
Skilled Decision Making: The Difference Between Being Good and Being Lucky — the natural next step: once you can think clearly, learn to turn that thinking into sound decisions under pressure.
Mind Games & Money Moves: The Psychology of Negotiation — the same behavioral science, applied at the negotiating table; learn to read the other side and shape the outcome.
Signals: Mastering the Skills of Powerful Communicators — once you can think clearly, learn to read others and communicate with the same precision.
Pricing is set per engagement. Contact Phoenix Canyon to request a quote.