I’ve recently been given an interesting (and challenging) task at work: create a training program that teaches people how to think critically about research, data, consumer insights and media strategy. The idea is that this program would be used as a kind of directional guide to help people evaluate the research they use at the core of their media strategy. Create a guide to act as a strategy litmus test, something like: “This smells like bullshit: a pocket guide.”
For some context, I work as a search media planning strategist. I draw on primary and secondary research sources to find demographic and psychographic insights about consumers, their media consumption and their online search behaviors. Between this and my penchant for critical theory, I’m somehow suited to lead the aforementioned task. Sarcasm aside, I’m trying to approach this task as thoughtfully as possible. Admittedly I’m enjoying the way the project is forcing me to think about how I think critically. But in true nerd fashion, I am struggling with how to articulate my approach into concrete practices, partially because I keep focusing on the implications of trying to universalize my own perspective into larger, general practices.
I’ve got some rough ideas about how to approach this powerpoint presentation but I’m throwing the question out to all of the you. How would you approach this task? How would you create a theory of critical thinking? What would you ask? Tips? Remember this is a guide that has actually be put into practice, so it has to have some kind of grounding. I’m tempted to begin the deck with a high level overview of epistemology, ontology, and Bourdieu’s “Habitus.” Too much?