How to Begin Thinking Critically

Critical thinking is applied regularly by managers making decisions based on different people's opinions.

Critical thinking is a developed skill that many people first learn when they are in high school and college. If a student learns them correctly, he can then take the same methods and tools and apply them to the work world, first as an analyst and eventually as a manager. However, critical thinking isn't like riding a bike -- learn it once and you're off to the sunset. Critical thinking takes practice and increasingly harder challenges to be developed properly.

Things You'll Need

• Word processing program
• Television
• Dictionary

Instructions

1. Read voraciously; read every book and magazine you can find. Look in public areas for free news and social magazines as well as in used bookstores for used books to keep your costs down. After each reading, try to summarize the article in three succinct points. Then try to come up with a counterargument to what you read if it has a definite opinion in the writing. Keep practicing this method regularly.

2. Watch the evening world news on television. Use a notepad and pen to take notes on each major headline. After the episode, turn on a computer and go onto the Internet. Examine at least two foreign news sources in English and the main topics they are highlighting. Try to determine which foreign news topics were not mentioned on the evening domestic news broadcast.

3. Look up words in a dictionary. Carry a dictionary with you when traveling or commuting. As you find a complex word, either in discussion or in reading, look it up in the dictionary. Find the meaning of the word and how it is applied. Note whether the word can be used in multiple ways rather than with just one function.

4. Question others. When you are in a conversation with someone who has a strong opinion, politely ask the person where the opinion came from. If the answer is vague, continue to politely ask for details. Explain that you just want to know the origination of how the person arrived at the conclusion he did. Then ask if there were alternatives and why they were discounted. Do not try to take a counter-position; instead, continue to ask questions to understand how the person's thinking is developed. Say "thank you" when finished.

5. Find out if there are any other related perspectives or sides of the story. Avoid making decisions on the first statement you hear from a person.

6. Make a decision on how to act when you feel comfortable that as many of the facts or details have come to light as is reasonably possible. Base your decision on those facts and how you determine they support your direction.

Tips & Warnings

• Reading other essays and works on critical thinking can help you to understand different ways of mentally analyzing and writing about an issue. By reading opposing views on a topic, you can learn to see different perspectives at work as you analyze a subject.

References

• The Critical Thinking Community: Critical Thinking & Teaching Students How to Study and Learn (Part One)
• East Tennessee State University: Helping Students Learn Critical Thinking Skills
• University of Canberra: Critical Thinking