Description
Critical Thinking Training is important for anyone interested in succeeding in business, especially in a challenging industry such as the service industry. Critical Thinking training is a tool used by business leaders to identify opportunities and threats, determine priorities, and plan for change. As with all tools, however, there are some key mistakes to avoid when developing critical thinking skills. This article identifies the top five critical thinking mistakes to avoid in critical thinking training.
o Lack of Understanding. Learning to understand the concepts, processes, and model workings of any activity requires not only learning the material, but also applying that learning in real-time. When developing critical thinking skills, do not make poor choices regarding how to apply your learning.
o Ignoring Others. In critical thinking training, you will learn how to listen to others, as well as to yourself. Developing effective listening skills is important in every endeavor, from selling a product to communicating with customers. When the results are not what you hoped for, listen carefully to find out why.
o Overanalyzing. Critical thinking skills involve a systematic way of thinking. When analyzing workplace performance, ask yourself: "What could I improve upon? ", rather than "How could I do poorly?" In every situation, there are situations which require you to examine whether a particular course of action could improve or hurt you, your environment, or someone else. Before proceeding, ask yourself first if this course of action would meet these goals.
o Inductive Reasoning. A critical thinking training program will introduce you to inductive reasoning, which consists of using your gut feelings, common sense, and personal experiences to guide your thinking. You will be introduced to a series of situations and ask yourself the following questions: "how likely is it that this thing will work out for me", "will I be helped by this thing", "what would happen if I did this"? Through inductive reasoning, you will learn how to think critically, which will make you an invaluable asset in the workplace.
o Using Logical Reasoning. According to the American Psychological Association, logic is the process of applying generalizations about specific sets of data to support your views. While most courses of logic do not focus specifically on critical thinking, the logical reasoning class will help you understand what distinguishes the logical argument from those that are more emotionally driven. You will learn how to apply logic to arguments, as well as how to reframe arguments to fit your audience's needs.
o Group Discussions. Critical thinking requires a group of people to work together to arrive at a solution or answer a question. When learning these skills, you will work with colleagues and experts in your field, as well as those who have not studied the same field as you. Learning group discussions about a variety of topics can increase your critical thinking skills and increase your communication skills with your peers. The benefit of group discussions is that you can solicit different opinions, which may not always be based on common knowledge, and you can use the answers to question your assumptions.
o Personal Interviews. Your assumptions about the nature of your work, your customers, your life as a whole, and your emotions are the core of your logic, your assumptions, and your decisions. In interviews, you will be asked a series of questions to test whether these assumptions are true. Through personal interviews, you will develop and refine your critical thinking skills to improve your argumentative skills, your listening skills, your ability to reason accurately and your logic.