Why does information that confirms our existing beliefs often seem more credible? How can we distinguish a well-founded argument from an assumption that is simply presented convincingly?

In an environment of information overload, our judgement is influenced not only by facts, but also by previous experience, emotions, cognitive biases, and the way information is framed and presented. Critical thinking helps us assess the information we receive while also recognising the habits and vulnerabilities in our own thinking that can lead to flawed conclusions.

This course provides participants with a structured understanding of critical thinking and its practical application in professional decision-making. Participants will learn practical methods for evaluating information sources and arguments, identifying unsupported assumptions, and recognising common errors in reasoning.

Particular attention is given to understanding manipulation, misinformation, and misleading communication. Participants will explore how to make reasoned decisions in situations where information is abundant, while its reliability, relevance, or significance may not be immediately clear.

Practical session: During the practical part of the course, participants will create their own critical-thinking vulnerability map, identifying personal perceptual blind spots and the circumstances in which they may be more likely to accept misleading or unreliable information.

Participants will also work on an exercise in which they create a fictional example of a false or misleading news story for a specific audience. The purpose is to understand how misleading narratives are constructed, which techniques make them persuasive, and why particular messages are more likely to influence certain audiences.

The exercise is followed by a group discussion examining these techniques and exploring how the insights gained can be applied when assessing information and making decisions in everyday professional situations.

Led by: Mārtiņš Daugulis (PhD, MAnth), Managing Partner at PowerHouse Latvia and Assistant Professor at Riga Stradiņš University.

Duration: 1 hour of lecture, followed by 45-60 minutes of practical exercises and discussion.

Audience: Professionals from the private, public, and non-governmental sectors whose work involves evaluating information, analysis, and decision-making, including managers, communication and public relations professionals, analysts, researchers, advisers, and policy and development-planning specialists.

Available in English and Latvian.