“Don't fall in love with your hypothesis” is one of the most important quotes that I believe in, and that makes us always come out of the realm of personal assumptions, into the realm of facts, facts and information only, so there is no room for abstract opinions, but always supported by appropriate evidence.

This is the essence of critical thinking, which means thinking about things and understanding the logical relationships between them. Thus, you can make logical decisions based on analysis and research. For this, it came in second place in future skills behind the problem-solving skill, because it helps you improve efficiency. Persistent, which is something recruiters are looking for.

Photo by Ivan Bertolazzi from Pexels

For example, if you are a member of the Human Resources Department, and you are tasked with resolving a conflict between two employees, you will use the skill of critical thinking in analyzing the situation, understanding the nature of the conflict, and trying to arrive at a solution that fits the situation with a list of logical actions.

How can you develop critical thinking skills?

Learning to ask questions:

A critical thinker is someone who has the ability to ask the appropriate questions in different situations, and therefore the more you can learn to ask questions, the more your ability to dismiss assumptions and search for facts will increase. You could take Newton's question, for example, about the secret of dropping an apple instead of eating it directly.

In each situation, you can start asking questions before forming any convictions. Always ask: who, when, why, how, why, where. Even if you find it obvious to you, start with questions because they reveal other aspects of your thinking.

Use the observation:

you can always link the questions with the note because it helps you understand what is happening. For example, you can determine whether what is happening now is compatible with the usual situation, or the problem stage has begun, and a solution should be reached quickly.

You can improve your ability to observe by not rushing to make decisions or process information that reaches you but focus on following the course of things and writing down what comes to you, emphasizing listening carefully to everything that is said around you.

Develop the information-seeking method:

What happens after asking questions and using effective observation of the situation? You will need to develop your ability to search for information, contributing to reaching the correct answers to questions.

You can use Internet search, for example, in these attempts or by following up on work performance reports. This will make it easier for you to access good knowing that you can employ later, but the important thing is to take advantage of all the notes and research accordingly.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Focus on inference:

In the end, all of the last three steps are personal steps that no one may benefit from. You can share the final result based on these steps, so it needs to focus on inference and to conclude the information you have gathered.

All the conclusions don't need to be correct, so you must have the ability to analyze and examine well before coming out with the final inference, evaluating the information and understanding the relationships between its parts well, and then finally providing the final inference.

Use critical thinking to solve problems:

What is the use of coming up with any inference other than the possibility of employing it in a specific situation around you? So whether you are practicing critical thinking for yourself or part of your business, it is important to relate your final inferences to problems or facts that occur at work.

How can you benefit from critical thinking at work?

*Photo by fauxels from Pexels*

By sticking to the last five steps of trying to develop critical thinking skills, you will open the door to your excellence at work, as this can always help you with the following details:

1- The speed of identifying problems and crises at work and taking quick action before their impact worsens, as many crises are similar to some diseases. If the doctor identifies them early, they can treat them quickly, but treatment becomes more difficult if they increase.

2- The ability to examine facts and information contained in work and separate them from the personal feelings of individuals, and this happens to a lot of some people. You find them confusing the truth with their vision of it, so they define a certain situation as a problem, while it is not a problem but rather their false assumption.

3- Dealing with problems systematically and practically, so you do not become stressed when any crisis occurs, and you take hasty decisions. Still, you begin to apply the appropriate methodology to solve problems and start with the correct steps by defining the problem and reaching an appropriate solution.

4- Analyzing opinions and understanding the different links between the ideas put forward to solve any problem, and then the possibility of collecting them together in one framework suitable for the problem, and based on the methodology followed for that.

Always remember that the skill of critical thinking is your way to build facts at work, so it must have been in the list of the most in-demand skills in the labor market, as it gives you an advantage over others, and you can employ it in the various situations that occur with you in the work environment.

Thanks for reading

Header photo from Pexels

-—————————————————————————————————

Be sure to subscribe to the coil platform in order to support us!

Coil is building towards a future where anyone who is willing to pay for content can get one subscription from any provider that works everywhere. Supporting creators becomes automatic and no longer depends on an oligopoly of huge content platforms. Users would no longer need a dozen subscriptions just because the content they enjoy is stuck on a multitude of different sites.

Learn more about coil platform on the COIL BLOG :

https://coil.com/u/coil

Continue reading with a Coil membership.