01
Check what you read
A Fact, Assumption and Opinion Sorter, a Claim Check and a Number Traps card give you quick questions to ask about any claim.
Camderson Academy · CA-PC-015
Think clearly, solve problems well and share conclusions others can follow.
A practical, self-paced course for people in every role and department. Learn to sort facts from assumptions, check claims and numbers, notice thinking traps, define and break down problems and share your reasoning in a one-page note, with cards and templates you keep.
About 3 hours · 6 lessons · Beginner · For every role and level · Self-paced · Tools you keep
Your everyday thinking can be sharper, calmer and easier to share.
02
Define and break down
A Problem Statement, a Know and Need list and an Issue Tree help you say what the problem is and look at one part at a time.
03
Share your reasoning
A Thinking Traps cheat sheet and a Reasoning Note with a what-could-go-wrong check help you reach conclusions that colleagues can follow and check.
Learning outcomes
What you will be able to do
Practical outcomes, each practiced in an exercise and checked in the final assessment or the capstone.
- Sort workplace statements into fact, assumption and opinion and write the assumption behind a plan.
- Apply a five-question Claim Check, a three minute source check and a Number Traps card.
- Name six thinking traps in plain words and write a guarding habit for each.
- Turn a vague problem into a one-sentence statement and list what you know and need to find out.
- Break a problem into parts on an Issue Tree, name likely causes and plan a quick, safe check for each.
- Write a one-page Reasoning Note and run a what-could-go-wrong check before you share it.
Your toolkit
Simple tools for everyday thinking
Fact, Assumption and Opinion Sorter
Statement · Kind · Where to check · Checked
Sort statements into fact, assumption and opinion, note where to check each fact and write the assumption behind a plan.
Claim Check card
Who · Evidence · Missing · Other explanation · Change my mind
Ask who says it, what evidence is given, what is missing, what else could explain it and what would change my mind, with a three minute source check and four number traps.
Thinking Traps cheat sheet
Trap · In plain words · Guarding habit
Name six thinking traps in plain words and write one guarding habit for each.
Problem Statement and What I Know and Need list
Who · What · Where · How big · Since when
Write who, what, where, how big and since when in one sentence, then list what you know and what you need to find out.
Issue Tree and Quick Check planner
Problem · Parts · Likely cause · If true · If not · Quick check
Split a problem into three to five parts, name likely causes and plan a quick, safe check for each.
Reasoning Note and what-could-go-wrong check
Answer · Reasons · Evidence · Uncertain · Next step
Write the answer first with reasons, evidence, what is uncertain and the next step, and list what could go wrong before you share.
Sort it. Check it. Name the trap. Say the problem. Break it down. Share the steps.
Curriculum
Inside the course
2 modules, 6 lessons with worked examples
01
Think Clearly About What You Read and Hear
Sort facts from assumptions, check claims, sources and numbers, and notice thinking traps.
02
Solve Problems and Share Your Thinking
Say the problem in one sentence, break it down, find likely causes and share your reasoning.
What is included
Skills, tools and templates you keep and use in your work
- 6 lessons, each with a written lesson, worked examples and figures, at your own pace
- A short stand-alone example in every lesson, drawn from many kinds of workplaces
- A fillable Workbook with Try it and Reflect pages for every lesson
- Thinking Templates (Word) for every teaching tool
- A practice tracker with live formulas, a solutions version and a reusable template
- Quick Reference Cards and the Practice Examples
- An optional visual companion PDF with every lesson figure
- Knowledge checks for every module and a 20-question final assessment
- A capstone you can build for your own team or from practice scenarios, with a rubric you use to check your own work
- Access to the Camderson Academy community
- A Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion when you pass the final assessment and the capstone
Is this course right for you?
This course is for you if
- You want quick questions to ask about any claim, source or number you meet at work
- You want a clear way to say what a problem is, break it into parts and check likely causes
- You want to share conclusions in a way colleagues can follow and check
It is not the right fit if
- You need legal, financial or professional advice about a particular situation, or a course that states what any law or policy requires
- You want a course that rates news outlets, takes a side on public questions or judges people
- You want statistics training or a course about a single named product (this course is vendor-neutral)
Your instructor
Meet your instructor
Taught by Camderson Advisory
A consulting firm for practical workplace skills
Your instructor is Camderson Advisory, a consulting firm that helps organizations build practical skills for the people who do the work. In this course, your instructor helps you build everyday thinking skills and gives you plain words for checking claims, framing problems and sharing your reasoning.
About
About Camderson Academy
Camderson Academy is the education division of Camderson Advisory Services. Camderson helps leaders build organizations that work without them in the room. Everything we teach has been used in a real organization first.
Training a team?
We offer group enrollment for teams and whole organizations that want everyone, in every role and department, to build the same skills. Email connect@camderson.com to talk through your group.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any experience or a previous course?
No. There is no prerequisite. The examples cover a store floor, an online shop, a warehouse, an analytics desk and customer care, and every exercise works for any role.
Who is this course for?
Employees at any level and in every department, including new hires, analysts, coordinators, technicians, associates, schedulers, team members, team leads, managers and leaders. The examples come from many kinds of workplaces, and the skills fit every kind of organization.
How long do I have access?
Your access does not expire. We review the course on a regular cycle, and any updates are added for you at no extra cost.
How long does it take?
About 3 hours in total, including the written lessons, the Try it exercises, the knowledge checks, the final assessment and the capstone. Everything is self-paced.
Questions about your purchase?
Email support through academy.camderson.com.
What tools do I need?
A spreadsheet program that opens .xlsx files (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers or LibreOffice Calc), a word processor that opens .docx files and a PDF reader. All templates and practice files are included as downloads.
Do I have to use my own work for the capstone?
No. You can build your toolkit for the practice scenarios in the Capstone Practice Brief included in the course. If you use your own work, leave out names, confidential details and anything that could identify a person.
Does the course recommend products or give professional advice?
No. It recommends no products or vendors, and it is general education, not legal, tax, financial, medical or professional advice. These courses support good practice. They do not by themselves satisfy any legal or regulatory training requirement. It rates no news outlet or source, takes no side on public questions, judges no person and states no law or rule. Laws and rules vary by state and country and they change, so before you act on a real situation, talk with your own attorney or qualified professional. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any organization, tool or author named in the sources.
What does the certificate confirm?
You receive a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion after passing the final assessment and completing the capstone. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course.
How was this course written and checked?
This course was written and edited by Camderson Advisory. Sources are listed with the date each was read. Where a source could not be opened on that date, the Sources page says so. This course teaches skills for everyday work. It is not legal, tax, financial, medical or professional advice. Laws and rules vary by place and change over time, so talk with your own attorney or qualified professional about your situation. Last updated: November 2026. Next planned review: November 2027.
Think clearly, solve problems well and share conclusions others can follow.
Self-paced, about 3 hours, with a Workbook, templates, Quick Reference Cards and a practice tracker.
This course earns a Camderson Academy Certificate of Completion. This certificate confirms completion of a Camderson Academy course. This course is general education about everyday thinking skills for telling facts from assumptions and opinions, checking claims, sources and numbers, noticing thinking traps, defining and breaking down problems, and sharing conclusions others can follow and check. It is not legal, tax, financial, medical or professional advice for your particular situation, it does not promise any particular result, and it does not replace your own organization's policies or the people it names to answer questions about decisions. It rates no news outlet or source, takes no side on any political or public question, judges no person, and says nothing about what any law, rule or policy requires. Laws and rules vary by state and country and they change, and what is true for one employer or place may not be true for yours. Before you act on a real situation, talk with your own attorney or qualified professional, and use the Questions page at the end of each lesson. Where a lesson names a source, it says what the source said on the date we read it. These courses support good practice. They do not by themselves satisfy any legal or regulatory training requirement. Examples and numbers are illustrative, and all people and organizations in the examples are fictional. Camderson Academy is not affiliated with any organization, tool or author named in the sources and does not endorse any product.