Characteristics of Critical Thinkers

in today's session we will be answering the guiding question what are some characteristics of critical thinkers and more importantly be thinking how can i apply these characteristics to become a more critical thinker for my business company or organization critical thinking refers to the higher order thinking of evaluating and analyzing to be able to make decisions determine solutions and problem solving situations four characteristics of critical thinking are active listening curiosity self-discipline and humility it's true the best communicators are active listeners what does it mean to practice active listening it means listening to understand taking non-verbal cues

slowing down and practicing silence training your mind not to be distracted withholding judgment avoiding interruptions and asking deeper questions now it's your turn what is one area in which you could improve your active listening skills jot it down on a sticky note and practice that skill throughout the remainder of this session curiosity is yet another skill in developing critical thinking when we are curious the brain is primed to learn and retain information a study published in the october 2014 issue of the journal neuron suggests that the brain's chemistry changes when we become curious helping us

better learn and retain information however we often resist curiosity because it takes courage to not know choosing to be curious is choosing to be vulnerable because it requires us to surrender to uncertainty it wasn't always a choice we were born curious but over time we learned that curiosity like vulnerability can lead to hurt as a result we turn to self-protecting choosing certainty over curiosity armor over vulnerability and knowing over learning brene brown speaks to this in her book dare to lead when she discusses why many of us are afraid to be curious as a form

of defensiveness having to be the knower or always being right is heavy armor that often leads to distrust bad decisions and unnecessary unproductive conflict when i feel myself reaching for my favorite armor perfectionism anger being the knower trying to control emotional intensity or getting critical i try to remember that the antidote to armoring up is staying curious which is a characteristic of critical thinking when you are curious one question leads to another question curiosity is about listening and asking the right questions because the right questions will lead to solutions the curiosity creativity cycle tell me

more is a great phrase to use in workplace conversations to practice curiosity in the context of solving problems failure to be curious often results in poor solutions curiosity means focusing on the nature of the problem before even considering a solution it often re-routes blame so that a solution can be met through a more positive approach with the power of the whole team curiosity and knowledge building grow together the more we know the more we want to know it's part of the growth mindset the approach outlined in carol dweck's groundbreaking book mindset the new psychology of

success how we can learn to fulfill our potential now it's your turn what is one way that you can adopt a more curious approach to a problem you are facing in your workplace pause the video and jot down what comes to mind reasoning and rationale are often associated with self-discipline critical thinking is a self-disciplined and self-guided action critical thinkers don't jump to conclusions an important step in problem solving as a critical thinker is taking the time to acquire the necessary information and know the facts critical thinking requires the individual to use their own reasoning skills

and have the ability to evaluate and reflect reflective thinking questions include what was easy what was hard how are you doing it what did i learn what are you working on and how will you use it in the future it takes discipline to stop and slow down to consider these things your turn pause the video and choose one of these questions to answer about a recent or current task and write it down take the time to invest in the process of being more disciplined right now the final characteristic of a critical thinker we will investigate

in today's session is humility humility is the opposite of arrogance humility relates to having an open mind to be receptive to new ideas or opinions the critical thinker would have to be modest of their own opinion it means admitting your mistakes it means practicing gratitude appreciating others and thanking others for their help it also means not letting success go to your head being humble allows you to accept and see information in a way that is not filtered through your ego humble people are open-minded open-mindedness is the virtue by which we learn in particular being open-minded

means taking into account relevant evidence or arguments to revise a current understanding it means being critically open to alternatives willing to think about other possibilities even after having formed an opinion and not allowing preconceived notions or bias to constrain or inhibit reflection on newly presented information sometimes open-mindedness means stepping out of your comfort zone which is a key component to critical thinking basically this concept involves seeing information or circumstances from a different perspective in critical thinking and problem solving we sometimes have to get out of the areas or zones that make us comfortable and stretch

our thinking this makes us more adaptable and more able to embrace change humility leads to adaptation being flexible and open-minded to change the question in today's culture is not will change occur in our organization but how well our employees are adapting to that change seth godin in his book linchpin are you indispensable articulates that employees protect themselves from becoming obsolete by changing adaptation is a survival skill of nature the species which survive in an environment are those that are capable of adapting well often an obstacle to change is fear fear can be addressed by being

ready for changes as they come and when you are a critical thinker you are ready for changes because you have been looking for them all along often critical thinkers are the change or the changers in an organization since they have been putting into practice the characteristics we've discussed in this session actively listening asking the right curious questions having been disciplined to reflect on what is going on and having the humility to see things from others perspectives the facilitator of change is readiness to improve the readiness level of employees sometimes it's helpful to initiate change gradually

and allow empathy to guide you connecting with others and addressing what people's fears may be in regards to the change shows them that you care with that being said now it's your turn what change or changes do you see in the present or near future that will affect you and or your employees how can you be more ready and be able to adapt to these changes the first step in adapting is to recognize that a change is necessary that's awareness pause the video and write down your thoughts in regards to potential changes you see in

the current or foreseeable future are you aware of them are you ready make a short list of some ways to better prepare for what may be to come the best practices of a critical thinker have been paired with the application questions that you've been answering throughout this session active listening what is the area you chose to improve your active listening skills curiosity what is one way that you will adopt a more curious approach to a problem you are facing in your workplace self-discipline what question did you ask yourself and answer about a specific task or

project you're working on to practice the self-discipline skill of reflection humility what is a list that you came up with of ways to better adapt and prepare for the current changes or ones that you can see coming in the future what did you learn what were your biggest takeaways from this session consider sharing what you've learned with a colleague or teammate to actuate the application of this session