A 2014 survey of 400 employees showed that 91% of individuals believe critical thinking is an important part of being successful in the workplace. On the flip side, does this mean a lack of critical thinking could hinder success at the workplace? But not to worry, in today’s article, you will take a look at 15 ways to develop critical thinking! Let’s jump right in! Welcome to Alux. If you don’t feel like reading the article here’s the video version:
1
Question Assumptions
There’s no denying it; people assume quite a number of things as humans. You assume things about your workplace, about your relationships, and most importantly, about yourselves.
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 rings very true!
Making assumptions reduces the chances of Innovation, but when you put these assumptions up to question, it spirals into an extensive critical thinking process, which more often than not, leads to innovative ideas!
Questioning your assumptions helps you critically assess everything you think you know, which in itself is a great tool for developing your critical thinking.
2
Become Self-aware
When you become more self-aware, it simply means you have become more aware of your values, your thought process, your personality, and morals.
But did you also know that in becoming self-aware, you are 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 are honing your critical thinking skills. Becoming self-aware will also help you see the need to develop critical thinking skills.
3
Adopt TedEd’s 5-Step Process
In a 2016 video, TedEd outlined 5 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 are making a certain decision, the “why” behind your critical thinking!
At this point, it is equally important to understand the biases and the facts surrounding this decision.Next, you have to 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 application. Here, you’ve got to take action and apply everything you’ve discovered.
At this point, you have to start thinking critically by asking important questions:
- What values and concepts have you now adopted?
- Is your idea here logical?
- Do you have any sort of assumptions in your mind?
Your answers to these questions will help you the underlying meaning behind your decision, which can in way affect or reinforce your conclusions. Moving forward, the fourth step involves understanding the implications of your decisions.
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 losing $1,000, what are the chances of this class helping you land a well-paying job?
In making a decision, always strive to consider the long and short-term implications, as this will help you see things more clearly. Finally, you must explore other POVs before taking action. Your POV is simply one out of many, so why stick with it only?
4
Evaluate Your Mental Process
Fun fact: the human mind works just like a computer! It collects and processes information, and it can store this information for later use.
Now that you’ve got a formula for how the mind works, doesn’t this suggest that you can better understand the inner workings of our minds? Of course you 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! Evaluating your mental process also gives you the ability to properly analyse situations before making important decisions.
5
Ask Questions
When you aren’t too sure about something, ask questions. 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 a person or even a search engine, but what matters is the fact that you made an effort to learn, which in itself is necessary for critical thinking! However, it’s not completely about asking questions, but what you do with the answer is equally important!
Do you swallow the answer without questioning any bit of it? Or do you accept the answer yet investigate every bit of it? If you go with the second option, congratulations, you are on the path to developing your critical thinking skills!
6
Learn To Investigate
At number 5, it is mentioned that there is a need to investigate answers. Here, you will see how to properly investigate every information you find. The first step is to identify and evaluate every existing evidence.
Have you been in this type of situation or challenge in the past? How did you react? What did the experience teach you? Next, you collect and analyse data, and this is where you outline the facts of the situation, and what each fact means for you!
Finally, you take action, based on the conclusions from your investigations!Investigating situations, rather than acting on impulse, reduces your chances of making a bad decision.Instead, it sharpens your critical thinking skills, while also helping you make better decisions.
7
Identify Patterns
Patterns are everywhere, you just have to be willing to see them! You can get started by trying to notice patterns around you; around your home, your workplace, or even with friends. You can also identify patterns in your thought process!
Trying to identify patterns is sort of brain exercises, and since you have to look beyond the obvious to see patterns, it naturally develops your critical thinking abilities! So, next time you feel the need to exercise your mind, focus your attention on something, and try to find interesting patterns. And remember, you always don’t have to find patterns, the thought process is just as important!
8
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 you daydream, it is to imaginatively solve a difficult problem that reality puts before you.
You are stuck in traffic, of course you’d 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, the study suggests that you daydream as much as you can. So, go ahead and think up a unicorn, then think of ways to justify the existence of that unicorn in our world.
9
Feed Your Mind
The human mind, just like the body in which it lives, requires food to remain food. To remain sharp, it is important that we develop our imaginative abilities. But how do you do that?
For starters, reading stretches the boundaries of the mind, and it kinda forces you to be imaginative. Have you ever read a fictional book without some sort of picture in your head?
That’s your imagination at work! One other great way to feed your mind is meditation! This incredibly powerful and age-old practice is an interesting way to clear your mind, and help you manage anxiety and stress. If your mind is constantly unavailable, then it is really difficult to think about the work.
10
Be Open To Other Point of Views
Earlier in this article, it is mentioned exploring other POVs, how about to give that a closer look?Most times, arguments happen because you aren’t willing to accept a person’s point of view.
Sometimes, you also suffer internal conflict simply because you refuse to consider more than one point of view! Now, if you stick to just one point of view, you are robbing yourself of the chance to explore one situation from only one angle!
But that isn’t all; you are also refusing a chance to learn more about the situation or challenge.
However, when you accept and analyse diverse points of view, you are embarking on a critical thinking journey, which places these POVs side by side, and helps you see the pros and cons of each one.
So, by becoming open to diverse POVs, you are simultaneously improving your critical thinking skills.
11
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 you form your own opinions, based on the information you have been able to collect.
To 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 properly articulate your thoughts.
12
Identify The Problem
Off the top of our heads, you can list the benefits of critical thinking, and one of the core functions of critical thinking is problem solving. But before you can solve any problem, you must take out the time to properly identify the problem.
And identifying a problem isn’t just about knowing the exact problem you need to solve, it is also about looking at the problem from diverse perspectives and asking important questions.
You can ask yourself questions like:
- What is the cause of this problem?
- Why is it happening at this time?
- Am I making assumptions?
- What are the different ways I can solve this problem?
By answering these questions, you are bound to have a better understanding of this problem, and how you can also build a perfect solution.
13
Learn To Accept Criticism
Some would argue that criticism sucks, and strangely enough, they would have some points. They can argue that criticism is an attack of your creative effort, and it tends to demotivate a person.
But come on, you know that criticism isn’t a bad thing! In fact, accepting criticism is a quick way to get better at what you do! Instead of seeing constructive criticism as an attack on your work or your personality, learn to see it as an opportunity to identify loopholes in your work.
If a loophole or mistake is discovered by a critic, would this mistake happen again? Definitely not! But accepting criticism is not all there is to it; it is just as important to reflect and understand the facts of the criticism, and this can only be achieved through critical thinking.
Now, it is safe to say that constructive criticism is a learning opportunity, right?
14
Always Self-Evaluate
Self-evaluation, a tested and trusted way to find out if you’ve been biased in forming your opinions, or making a decision.
Self-evaluation is the process of holding yourself up for investigation.
This helps you identify your thought process, current values, and most importantly it assesses your strengths, plus areas where you need to make improvements.
The self-evaluation process requires a heavy dose of critical thinking and consistency, but at the end of it all, you’ll be glad you did!
15
Try Creative Writing
There is a thin line between creative writing and critical thinking! And if you are super pumped about developing your critical thinking, then trying creative writing is one more thing you should try!
You know what you are thinking; “you’re not so good with writing stories or poems.”
Well, that’s kind of the point. You don’t have to be the most talented creative writer, you just have to write!
This is because creative writing develops your creative thinking, and yes, it’s a great exercise to sharpen your critical thinking! So, next time you need to sharpen your mind, try your hands at creative writing.
Who knows? You just might be the next Nobel prize winner for literature!
And with that, it’s time for the curtain call!
We hope this article catered for questions you might have on how to be a critical thinker.
Great news is that these tips work for everyone, you just have to be resilient and dedicated towards becoming a critical thinker!
You stuck till the end? Wow! Thank you! As a reward for your patience, and a gesture of appreciation from our end, here is one extra tip just for you!
16
Remember That Critical Thinking Takes Practice
Becoming a critical thinker takes time, and it’s important that you always keep that at the back of your mind. Why? Sometimes, your decisions might not eventually lead to success, despite your critical thinking skills.
You would love you to hold this quote to heart, “Good things take time, but great things take a little longer.” Hey, give yourself some time to get used to the process, and the results will be mind-blowing!
And there you have it! Thanks for spending some time with us today! glad you did it!
