Critical Thinking: The ability to think clearly and rationally. Critical thinkers will can identify, analyze and solve problems systematically, compared to using intuition of instinct.
Thinking critically is a necessary skill everyone needs to have, whether in school or work. It’s important to think fast and under pressure so you can efficiently solve problems.
Keep in mind that we are not critically thinking all the time. Sometimes we think in ways that are similar, like being controlled by emotions. Our ability to critically think depends on our mindset at the time, so, with practice you can improve your own critical thinking skills.
How to improve critical thinking skills
- Thinking out loud: This may seem silly; however, it will cause you to take time considering all possible implications and outcomes before making a decision.
- Reflective thinking: Involves the process of analyzing one’s thoughts, actions and outcomes to gain a deeper understanding and try to improve future decisions
- Active listening: It involves paying close attention to what someone is saying while having the intent to learn from it. This skill avoids urges of interruption or judging what you’re trying to learn.
- Question yourself: May seem like reflective thinking, but here you question your own assumptions and biases. Doing this can prevent the “urgency trap” which causes ones ability to critically think be limited.
- Ask questions: It’s good to ask questions to help get a clearer understanding of something or to help get your brain to being thinking critically.
Having the ability to critically think is a necessity to have in life. No matter where you end up career-wise it will be very beneficial to have under your belt. With practice you can improve your critical thinking skills.