Develop Critical Thinking

A 2014 survey of 400 employees showed that 91 individuals believe critical thinking is an important part of being successful in the workplace. On the flip side of this does this mean a lack of critical thinking could hinder your success in your job? Well, we're afraid. It is important to develop critical thinking skills, especially when it comes to hiring decisions. This means being able to recognize biases and stereotypes and challenge them.

Here Are Some Ways to Develop Critical Thinking.

·         Question Assumptions
·         Become Self-Aware
·         Adopt Ted Ed's Five-Step Process
·         Evaluate Your Mental Process
·         Ask Questions
·         Learn to Investigate
·         Identify Patterns
·         Be a Daydreamer
·         Feed Your Mind
·         Be Open to Other Points of View
·         Learn to Form Your Own Opinions
·         Identify The Problem

Critical Thinking: Question Assumptions

There's no denying it we assume quite a several things as humans. We assume things about our workplace, our relationships, and most importantly about ourselves. A cheeky quote says, “When you assume you make an ass out of you and me”. While this might be quite a funny way to put it. It does ring true. Making assumptions reduces the chances of innovation but when you question these assumptions it spirals into an extensive critical thinking process which often tends to lead to innovative ideas. Questioning your assumptions helps you to critically assess everything you think you know which is a great tool for developing your critical thinking.

 

Become Self-Aware to Develop Critical Thinking

When you become more self-aware it simply means you've become more aware of your values. Your thought processes your personality and your morals. Did you also know that in becoming self-aware you're simultaneously developing your critical thinking skills? That's right, as you objectively think about what defines your personality your likes and dislikes strengths and weaknesses, goals, and dreams you're honing your critical thinking skills. Becoming self-aware will also help you to see the need to develop those critical thinking skills.

 

Adopt Ted Ed's Five-Step Process

Ted Ed outlined five steps that can help you develop critical thinking and solve different kinds of problems. The first step is to understand and formulate your question. This simply means that you must understand the reason why you're making a certain decision. Why behind your critical thinking at this point? It's equally as important to understand the biases and facts surrounding this decision. Next, you must gather your information this is basically an extension of the first process but way more intensive. At this stage based on your understanding of your question, you gather relevant information that could affect your decision. The next and most important step is an application here you've got to act and apply everything you've discovered. At this point, you must start thinking critically by asking important questions, what values and Concepts have you now adopted? Are you being logical here? Have you made assumptions at any point? Your answers to these questions will help you find the underlying meaning behind your decision which can in a way affect or reinforce your conclusions. Moving forward the fourth step involves understanding the implications of your decisions, so, take for instance you've decided to pay a thousand dollars for a business class. What are the implications of this action if things don't go according to plan aside from losing one thousand dollars what are the chances that this class will help you land a well-paying job? In deciding always to strive to consider the long-term and short-term implications as it'll help you to see things more clearly. Finally, you must explore another point of view before acting. Your POV is simply one of many so widen that view up.

 

Evaluate Your Mental Process

The human mind works just like a computer it collects and processes information. It can store this information for later use that we've got a formula for how your mind works don’t this suggest that we can better understand the inner workings of our minds? Of course, we can you can study how your mind receives and processes information that is how you react to certain situations. This understanding is a great way to become mentally efficient and as you perhaps already guessed. Mental efficiency is a necessary factor for critical thinking evaluation. Your mental processes also give you the ability to properly analyze situations before making important decisions.

 

Ask Questions

When you're not too sure about something? When you don't particularly understand something. Ask questions, asking questions is no doubt one of the best ways to get information. It could be from a person or a search engine but what matters most is the fact you tried to learn what is necessary for critical thinking. However, it's not completely about asking questions but what you do with the answer is equally as important. Do you take the answer at face value and question nothing or do you accept the answer and investigate every bit of it? If you go with the second option well congratulations, you're on the path to developing strong critical thinking skills.

Learn to Investigate

To identify and evaluate every existing evidence you can find. Have you been in this type of situation or challenge in the past how did you react what did the experience teach you? Collect and analyze data; this is where you outline the facts of the situation and what each fact means for you. Finally, act based on the conclusions from your investigations. Investigating situations rather than acting on impulse reduces your chances of making a poor choice. It sharpens your critical thinking skills while also helping you to make better decisions.

 

Identify Patterns

Patterns are everywhere you just must be willing to see them. You can get started by trying to notice patterns around you, around your home, around your workplace even out with your friends. You can also identify patterns in your thought processes. Trying to identify these patterns is sort of a brain exercise and since you must look beyond the obvious to see these patterns it naturally develops your critical thinking abilities. Next time you feel the need to exercise your mind Focus your attention on something specific and try to find interesting patterns and remember you don't always have to find patterns the thought process is just as important.

 

 

Be a Daydreamer

According to a 2009 study at the University of British Columbia. The Executive Network the region of the brain associated with focused problem solving is also the area of the brain that lights up during daydreaming. When you Daydream you create new and complex worlds and interesting ideas and usually when we Daydream it's to imaginatively solve a difficult problem that reality has put before us. You are stuck in traffic of course you daydream about having the ability to fly or being the fastest person alive. To constantly activate the executive network of your brain that improves critical thinking. This study suggests that you Daydream as much as you can so, go ahead spend some time creating fanciful situations and just see what that does for your critical thinking in the long term.

 

Feed Your Mind to Develop Critical Thinking

The human mind, like the body in which it lives, requires food to remain sharp. It's important we develop our imaginative abilities but how do we do that? For starters, reading stretches the boundaries of the mind, it kind of forces you to be imaginative.  Have you ever read a fictional book without some sort of picture in your mind? That is your imagination at work. One other great way to feed your mind is through meditation. This incredibly powerful and age-old practice is an interesting way to clear your mind and help you to manage your anxiety and stress. If your mind is constantly noisy , it naturally becomes very difficult to think critically; this is where meditation can help silence the noise.

 

Be Open to Other Points of View

Most times arguments happen because we're not willing to accept a person's point of view. Sometimes, we also suffer from internal conflict simply because we refuse to consider more than our own POV. If you stick to just one point of view you are robbing yourself of the chance to explore situations from other angles and that's not all. You're also refusing a chance to learn more about a situation or a challenge. When you accept and analyze diverse points of view, you're embarking on a critical thinking Journey that places these POVs side by side and helps you to see the pros and cons of each one. By becoming open to diverse points of view you are simultaneously improving your critical thinking skills.

 

Learn to Form Your Own Opinions

One of the most important points of critical thinking is to teach you how to think on your own. Critical thinking aims at helping us to form our own opinions based on the information that we've been able to collect. Form your own opinion, question your biases and assumptions constantly, feed your mind, think deeply and objectively about your values strengths, and weaknesses, and write important things down as this will help you to properly articulate your thoughts.

 

Identify The Problem To Develop Critical Thinking

You can solve any problem you have to take the time to properly identify it. Identifying a problem isn't just about knowing the exact problem you must solve. It's also about looking at the problem from diverse perspectives and asking important questions. You can ask yourself stuff like, what is the cause of this problem? Why is it happening at this time? Am I making any assumptions? What are the different ways I can solve this problem? By answering these questions you're bound to have a better understanding of the problem and how you can build a perfect solution.