Improve your critical thinking skills with these tips

  • Be an active listener. Focus on trying to understand what the other person of a conversation, or the speaker who is giving a lecture, is really saying. Maybe what is being said has a double meaning, and depending on its context, it’s up to you to decide which meaning is relevant

  • Don’t consider a statement to be true, only because someone told you that it is. Sometimes it requires further investigation to background check that the information you’re given is correct. On the other hand, you should also avoid to consider a statement to be false unless you have a rational explanation for believing so. Do your necessary research to have solid support before you optionally make a conclusion of something being false

  • Ask questions whenever you feel like the information you’re being presented, isn’t clear enough. Remember to keep these questions open, and avoiding typical approaches that only require a “Yes” or “No” answer

  • Put your prejudices aside when working with new persons. Remember that we’re all individuals, and even though a person might have the same way of dressing or the same university degree as someone you’ve experienced cooperating with earlier, this person is a different individual. Be open and take time to get to know each other properly. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” might be a worn out cliché, but we still use it for a reason

  • Don’t occupy yourself with gossip, especially not regarding your co-workers, staff or leaders. Gossiping about private matters in the workplace, often creates negative vibes, wrong impressions, and takes the focus away from the actual work. Don’t approach gossiping co-workers with enthusiasm, and don’t spread any rumors yourself, that interfere with other’s privacy

  • Be brave enough to not turn down an unpopular idea or solution, even though your co-workers don’t appreciate it, especially if you consider the solution as relevant. Remember to prepare solid arguments to fight your battle

  • Focus on delivering a message as precisely as possible in order to minimize the chance of the receiver misunderstanding you. If the receiver comes from a different background than you, it could be a good idea to prepare yourself about the potential different ways he could possibly misunderstand your message. Maybe you can formulate yourself in another way, to make sure you’re at the same page?