Combining critical thinking skills with/ CT skills made to fit with the other human superpowers – creativity, imagination, empathy, intuition. Trainings and resources (created by a critical thinking teacher, author and examiner) designed for real world application.
Empowering human thinking
... critical thinking & beyond
High quality training programmes, workshops and consultancy for individuals and organisations in applied higher order thinking
DISCOVER WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO THINK CRITICALLY AND ANALYTICALLY and how to apply to complex, real-world contexts
DISCOVER WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO THINK CRITICALLY AND ANALYTICALLY and how to apply to complex, real-world contexts
Individuals
Individuals
Individuals
Individuals
Individuals
Individuals
Individuals
DISCOVER WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO THINK CRITICALLY AND ANALYTICALLY and how to apply to complex, real-world contexts
NAVIGATE UNCERTAINTY WITH ASSURANCE make better, more confident judgments and decisions in the face of uncertainty
LINK CRITICAL AND ANALYTICAL THINKING TO WIDER HUMAN THINKING SKILLS combine critical and creative thinking, share your thinking more effectively
THINK WELL ALONGSIDE AI ensure AI enhances and doesn't inhibit your thinking
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THINK MORE CLEARLY AND CONFIDENTLY IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY
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make better, more confident judgments and decisions despite knowledge being uncertain or incomplete
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pressure-test thinking
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reveal hidden assumptions
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draw more insightful conclusions
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What you learn
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SHARE THINKING MORE EFFECTIVELY - WITH PEOPLE AND AI
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build trust, negotiate differences, find common ground
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persuade and influence calmly, confidently and respectfully
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use AI judiciously: as a thinking partner, not as a replacement
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FULLY MAXIMISE YOUR THINKING
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combine critical and creative thinking
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present your thinking with confidence: anticipate and respond to objections
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link thinking to action: learn not just how but also when - and how much- to think
Who we help
Individuals
Tailored training and/ or coaching/ mentoring. Help individuals to maximise their thinking, giving them greater autonomy and agency. Develop strength and confidence in their judgment, the confidence to evaluate and propose ideas
Teams and organisations
Group training to improve team alignment; the sharing of ideas. Maximise the most important asset of any team or organisation: the collective intelligence of its workforce
Career progression and leadership
The need to make judgments and decisions is the hardest challenge of entering leadership or management roles. The skills we develop give you strength and confidence in your own judgment: the flexibility to act on your thinking but listen and adapt where necessary
What we provide
INDIVIDUALS
full course in applied critical and analytical thinking
Learn to tame uncertainty: See clearly amidst the confusion; Make confident judgments and decisions when information is imperfect or incomplete
Fully maximise your thinking and its impact on the world:
- think more critically and analytically
- share thinking more effectively
- combine critical and creative thinking
- link thinking to action
ORGANISATIONS
work-based training and consultancy
Focused workshops include:
- Introduction to critical and analytical thinking
- Critical and analytical thinking (Advanced)
- Sharing thinking - with people and machines
- Combining critical and creative thinking
- Linking thinking to action
Consultancy: centred on how to assess or strengthen the quality of thinking, decision-making and communication across organisations
I FOUND THE SESSION VERY POWERFUL. IT HAS LEFT ME A LOT TO GO AND REFLECT ON!
Nick, Senior Leadership Team, Waingels College
Welcome aboard!
I'm Joe, the KRITIKOS founder.
For over 20 years I've been writing and designing critical and analytical thinking tests. This has taught me the value of good, clear, logical thinking.
My work in volatile and emotionally charged areas such as PVE (preventing violent extremism) and conflict resolution has shown me what is needed alongside critical and analytical thinking for our thinking to really land.
With KRITIKOS I show people what it really means to think critically – clear, actionable advice that tells you what you need to do; moreover, to do so in real world contexts and situations.
I also show you why critical thinking alone is not enough. I show you what else you need, alongside critical thinking, for your thinking to be fully empowered.
Join me, on my mission to help people realise their full potential; to maximise their thinking and its impact on the world.
OUR APPROACH
Facing uncertainty: Good judgment - not luck!
We live in a world where we have no choice but to act, to make decisions, even though there is always information we do not have, always things that, however much information we do have, or have access to, we simply cannot know.
Our courses and trainings are specifically designed to address this problem. To act with confidence and assurance; to maximise the influence of good judgment, and minimise the role of luck.
Uncertainty is unavoidable.
No matter how much information we have at our fingertips, there are things we can never know for certain:
- whether a person is telling the truth
- whether information is reliable or complete
- what the consequences of our actions will be
- what the best way is to achieve our goals
KRITIKOS helps you to navigate uncertainty.
KRITIKOS trainings and workshops show you how to act confidently amidst this uncertainty - to proceed with the knowledge you have made the best decisions you can in the face of it.
How we do it.
NNoo
Drawing on his experience in high level thinking skills testing alongside his work in PVE and conflict resolution, Joe has developed a clear framework and methodology that shows you exactly what it means to think critically and analytically; how to apply this to real world situations; and how to link these ways of thinking up to other aspects of human thinking: to creativity, to ingenuity, to intuition and imagination, and to our social and interpersonal skills and intelligence – in other words our ability to share our thinking effectively with others
See here for more on Joe's background.
The aim of our training is to help you face uncertainty with greater assurance; to make better, stronger, more confident judgments and decisions in the face of the number one problem – that of not knowing.
Other reasons to empower human thinking
Facing uncertainty is not the only challenge we address.
Our thinking is under threat like never before. We have machines that can summarise, write, design and create for us. Even make decisions. If we want to retain any autonomy or agency, we need to take an active role in this. Besides, those who are still able or inclined to think critically and to exert independent judgment are those who are best able to benefit from the new technology. KRITIKOS trainings are expressly designed to help you retain your confidence in yourself as a thinker and hence your autonomy, agency - even your whole value and identity as a human being.
THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT LEARNING A SKILL. IT'S ABOUT RECLAIMING THE POWER OF HUMAN THINKING IN AN AGE WHEN MACHINES THREATEN TO DO IT FOR US. THE URGENCY IS CLEAR: IF WE DON'T EMPOWER OUR THINKING, WE RISK LOSING OUR ABILITY TO DO SO."
Joe Chislett, KRITIKOS Founder
Why 'Applied'?
There are several reasons why we use the word 'applied' when talking about the critical and analytical thinking skills we develop
in the obvious sense - not just theoretical, but practical application: all concepts, principles and strategies are demonstrated and applied to real world, real life scenarios
applied to the wider context we think and operate in: we don't think in a vacuum, but amongst other people, who may or may not think differently - our trainings don't just look at how to think well, but at how to share our thinking effectively with others
applied to real people - and to the different parts of our selves: we are not purely logical but are also intuitive, instinctive, emotional and creative; we show you how to combine logical thinking with other parts of ourselves
applied thinking means thinking applied to action: we don't just want to think for thinking's sake - the purpose of thinking better is that it results in better decisions and actions
Above all - applied to the problem situation we find ourselves in: the need to act and decide in the midst of uncertainty: KRITIKOS trainings help people face uncertainty with greater confidence, and the assurance that they have done what they can to minimise the role of luck or good fortune.
OUR SERVICES
Find out about the services we offer to support you as an individual or your organisation. See below for examples of how previous clients have benefited.
individual learning programmes
Our unique programme in applied critical and analytical thinking takes you through everything you need to know about high level thinking skills; how to apply to everyday contexts; and how to connect to other aspects of our thinking such as our ability to think creatively and to shaer our thinking effectively with others.
12 hour course delivered through virtual classrooms on MS Teams.
Teaching starts in Spring 2026. Click here to find out more about the programme and about Early Bird offers.
2-3 hour focused workshops delivered in person or virtually.
See work-based learning to find out more.
Please contact us to find out about ways we can support your organisation.
TESTIMONIALS
Our Clients Say
“The critical thinking course has made me more conscious of my thinking and equipped me with practical and easily applicable points for critical thinking. The refresher documents on the four principles provided after the course were particularly helpful, reinforcing my memory and awareness of these key points. It's heightened my awareness of biases in communication, enabling me to communicate more effectively. I feel more confident and empowered in my thinking and this course has truly helped me in my ways of communicating, both professionally and personally.”
Anne-Sofie, Graduate Training Programme, Stibo Systems, Aarhus, Denmark
BACKGROUND
KRITIKOS: the origin story
KRITIKOS evolved from my work in both logical, analytical thinking, but also in more 'human' areas, for example teaching Literature, Drama, Creative Writing, and on emotionally-charged projects and contexts, which involved actual behavioural change (projects to prevent violent extremism).
From out of this combination, I saw what was powerful about analytical, critical thinking; but I also saw its limitations. Increasingly, I became interested in how humans really think and operate – what goes on when we think, and what makes our thinking special.
From this, I developed an approach to empowering human thinking that was true to our nature, and to the context we think in.
My background
My background spans teaching and examining higher order thinking skills as well as teaching Philosophy, English Literature, Drama, and Creative Writing. I have worked with emotionally vulnerable people on initiatives to prevent violent extremism, and run poetry workshops in a local primary school. I have delivered workshops and training programmes to both schools and businesses (see testimonials.) A skilled teacher and teaching coach, I pride myself on delivering engaging trainings that fully engage all aspects of people's thinking,
In terms of my work in thinking skills, I have over 20 years experience designing and writing for high stakes aptitude tests, including questions that assess critical thinking, data analysis, logical thinking and problem-solving. I was a senior examiner for the UK A level in Critical Thinking, and am currently a senior examiner for the International A level Knowledge and Inquiry. I have co-authored textbooks and papers in Nature magazine on how to assess evidence across different academic fields, as well as acting as a consultant on programmes to help people assess claims in health and medicine. Prior to teaching I worked in radio.
