In a “try it now” format (see note 19), you tell people what to do.
In a scenario challenge, you ask them what they would do.
That difference matters.
One builds skill.
The other builds judgment.
You can’t force someone to suddenly become a critical thinker.
But you can design situations that pull that thinking out of them.
You can’t teach experience or good judgment.
But you can create opportunities to gain experience
and, just as importantly, to reflect on it.
That’s exactly what scenario challenges do.
The simplest form?
A scenario challenge often starts with one question:
“What would you do if…?”
Participants work in small groups.
Then you debrief together as a room.
Simple. Powerful.
Example: From chef to head chef
Scenario
Imagine you’re helping skilled chefs step into a head-chef role,
where decisions affect staff, customers, and profit.
Challenge 1
A crucial ingredient doesn’t arrive on time.
What do you do? Why?
How do you handle the team?
What do you tell customers, if anything?
Challenge 2
A server drops a tray of expensive steaks on the way out.
What’s your immediate response?
And what do you do after the crisis is handled?
There’s no single “correct” answer.
That’s the point.
Going deeper: multi-stage scenarios
More complex challenges can unfold in steps.
Scenario
Here’s a menu showing profit margins, prep time, and popularity.
The restaurant is losing money.
Challenge 1: Evaluation
What’s wrong with this menu?
What matters most?
Discuss in groups, then debrief together.
Challenge 2: Decision
Given that analysis, what would you change?
What trade-offs would you accept?
Again: groups first, then class discussion.
Why this works
Scenario challenges usually have two phases:
Evaluation
Understanding the situation.
Identifying what matters.
Making sense of complexity.
Decision & action
Choosing a path forward.
Weighing trade-offs.
Owning consequences.
Pausing for a group debrief between these phases is crucial.
It helps stuck groups recover,
surfaces strong insights,
and lets you add just enough guidance without taking over.
The real value
Scenario challenges don’t teach people what to think.
They train them how to think.
They build judgment.
They surface assumptions.
They make trade-offs visible.
And that’s how critical thinking actually develops.
Thank you.
And Free Palestine.