How to Improve Your Critical Thinking

Several type of positions at the company needs just work to be done. Several others aim to achieve certain target. Several others demand your thought; so whoever fill last position type must think critically.

I aim to document whole experience and thoughts about critical thinking throughout my career. This writing is based on my personal experience on improving critical thinking on professional work. I enhance the written experience with references also.

At the very basic, critical thinking shall improve decision making on business. However, business is about improving revenue and lowering cost, right? In short, for me, critical thinking consists of analysis — communication — problem solving processes. I elaborate further in the following:

1. Analysis. It means gathering, understanding, and interpreting data and information to find something insightful yet beneficial.
2. Communication. After analysis, it means sharing abovementioned insight in verbal and in writing manner.
3. Last but not least is problem solving. Having communicating the insights, then receiving feedbacks, for me, problem solving is identifying and troubleshooting solution at work.

Then, let’s enter the main course. How to improve critical thinking?

1. Self-aware. How do the circumstances (coworker, clients, business topics) around you response on your thought delivery? Does they receive it well, or too many feedbacks on small yet important details?
2. Better in communicating with others.
   - First of all is listening carefully. This is never been easy to empathize and focus on understanding their perspective. I learn it in a hard way.
   - Second is confirming/clarifying what you have heard and understand. Is it a real fact, opinion on something, or just an imaginative idea?
   - Third is replying with the expected answers.
3. Remember and learn all good, bad, and ugly things from past experience. Those insights shall enrich current perspective on the particular problem you face. You will be expected that the further you go the way/experience, the more you are expected to become wiser.

Here are the practical tips for improving critical thinking:

1. Observation. Slow down your pace of processing information and training yourself to pay closer attention to your surroundings
2. Analysis. Take on new experiences. Doing so can help you build the skills to interpret new information and make rational decisions based on analysis that make sense.
3. Inference.
   - Focus on making educated guesses rather than quickly drawing conclusions.
   - Slow down to carefully look for and consider as many clues as possible — such as images, data or reports — that might help you evaluate a situation.
4. Communication.
   - Engage in difficult discussions, for example, in situations when you and another participant may disagree about the topic.
   - Maintain good communication habits.
   - Understand other points of view and to be able to explain your ideas in a calm, rational manner. Doing so can help you evaluate solutions more effectively with your colleagues.
5. Problem solving.
   - Set goals to acquire more industry knowledge within your field.
   - Have a strong understanding of industry-specific information.
   - Observe how others around you solve problems at work.
   - Take note of their techniques and ask questions about their process.

References:

• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-improve-critical-thinking
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/critical-thinking-skills