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Course Outline

The Art of Problem Solvingfor Leaders and Executives

Lead Trainer

Dr L. Michael Hall

Dates

17, 18, 20 & 21 July 2026 · 9am – 6pm (30 hours)

Venue

Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Balaclava, Mauritius

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this 4-day workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. 1

    Distinguish between roles as Manager and Problem Solver

  2. 2

    Define the real problem and craft a Well-Formed Problem Statement

  3. 3

    Identify the different types of conversations

  4. 4

    Use WFO and Meta-questions to distill the problem as a single sentence

  5. 5

    Use the Meta-Model to identify cognitive distortions and biases

  6. 6

    Navigate through the Meta-Place of the person's mind using Meta-questions

  7. 7

    Develop Critical and Torpedo questions that go to the heart of things

  8. 8

    Use the 7 problem-solving questions to become a Well-Trained Problem Solver

Day 1

The Well-Formed Problem Experience

A problem well-defined is already half-solved

The 5-Minute Conversation

  • Rapport — entering the person's frame of reference
  • Acknowledgements — validating without agreeing
  • Clarity — grounding the conversation
  • ExerciseChallenge — the facilitative move

Entering the Person's State

  • Heart of Experience — what it feels like from inside
  • ExerciseState Induction — how to enter productively

Manager vs Facilitator

  • The Manager's Hat: agenda-driven, task-focused, KPI-oriented
  • The Facilitator's Hat: person-focused, no agenda, curious
  • ExercisePractise switching hats in a live scenario

Formulating the Problem

  • Real vs Pseudo problems — how to tell the difference
  • Well-Formed Problem Conversation — the diagnostic questions
  • ExerciseWell-Crafted Problem Statement — 25 words or fewer
  • ExerciseTurning the statement into a question: the problem as a question

Day 2

The Different Kinds of Conversations

14 types. Which one are you actually in?

Kinds of Conversations

  • The 14 most basic conversation types
  • Clarity · Decision · Planning · Information · Feedback
  • Responsibility · Accountability · Attitude · Confrontation
  • ExerciseChange · Mediation · Experiential · Motivation

Dealing with the Noise

  • "How is it a problem?" — the grounding question
  • Separating noise (symptoms) from the real issue
  • ExerciseThe Sneaky P: naming the problem as a separate entity

Questioning to Cut Through

  • WFO Questions — well-formed outcome framing
  • Meta-Questions — up questions into the person's frames
  • ExercisePractise WFO + Meta-Questions on real scenarios

Exploring a Problem Pattern

  • Inferential thinking — what the pattern implies
  • Distilling the problem to one sentence
  • ExerciseFull problem exploration exercise

Day 3

The Language of Problem-Solving

What people say and what they mean are different problems

The Language Window

  • Meaning-Performance axis — where problems live
  • The Self-Actualized Manager — leading from meaning, not reaction

The Mirroring Skills

  • Giving sensory-based feedback — what you actually observe
  • Receiving sensory-based feedback without defensive reaction
  • ExerciseMirroring exercise — feedback in pairs

Precision Questioning

  • The Meta-Model: distinctions & questions
  • Generalisations ("always", "never", "everyone")
  • Distortions (mind-reading, cause-effect assumptions)
  • Deletions (missing information)
  • ExercisePractise detecting and responding to each pattern

Detecting Uncritical Thinking

  • Cognitive Distortions — the common thinking errors
  • Cognitive Biases — the hidden filters
  • ExerciseIdentifying distortions in real conversation samples

Day 4

Thinking as a Well-Trained Problem Solver

The Critical Question. The Torpedo. The full 7-question process.

The Thinking Behind the Conversation

  • Meta-programs — unconscious thinking filters that govern behaviour
  • Meta Place landmarks — navigating the person's internal world
  • ExerciseMapping a Meta-program pattern

Critical Question

  • Identifying the hidden limiting meaning driving the problem
  • Stating it in a sentence
  • Crafting a question that exposes or challenges it
  • ExerciseDevelop and test your Critical Question

Torpedo Question

  • Takes the Critical Question further — blasts through narrative and ego defences
  • Torpedo formats: "If this was a question that would empower you…"
  • "If a miracle happened and the problem was gone, what would be different?"
  • ExerciseTransform Critical Question into Torpedo

The 7 Problem-Solving Questions

  • 1. What is the problem? (real vs pseudo, how bad, when/where/who)
  • 2. What do you want? (goal — is it within their control?)
  • 3. What is the subject? (what kind of conversation is this?)
  • 4. What is the actual problem? (how have they contributed?)
  • 5. What question do you want answered?
  • 6. What is implied about the problem? (assumptions, frames)
  • 7. What critical question will shift the limited meaning?
  • ExerciseFull 7-question process in live scenario

Ready to reserve your seat?

17, 18, 20 & 21 July 2026 · Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Mauritius

Rs 32,300 Individual · Rs 65,575 Corporate · Limited seats

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