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Top 10 Critical Thinking Skills to Develop for Success

Article 23 Nov 2024 144

Top Critical Thinking Skills Essential to Develop for Success

Have you ever faced a situation where you needed to make a tough decision or solve a challenging problem? We all have. And often, what sets successful people apart is their ability to think critically. Critical Thinking is not just about being innovative but thoughtful, analytical, and adaptable.

Why does this matter? Studies suggest that 73% of employers value critical Thinking as essential for workplace success. 

These skills help you navigate complexity and uncertainty, whether resolving conflicts, analyzing data, or making strategic decisions. 

In this article, we'll walk through the top 10 critical thinking skills you can develop to excel personally and professionally. Let's dive in.

Critical thinking skills can help you make informed decisions, solve problems effectively, and approach challenges confidently. Let's explore these skills and how you can develop them.

1. Analytical Thinking

Analytical Thinking is breaking down complex information into smaller, manageable parts and understanding how those parts interact. This skill allows you to analyze patterns, identify relationships, and uncover insights that might not be immediately obvious. 

For example, a business analyst might use analytical Thinking to identify inefficiencies in a workflow or trends in sales data.

Analytical Thinking goes beyond surface-level observation. It requires a curious mindset, critical questioning, and connecting seemingly unrelated dots. 

This skill is used in problem-solving, planning, and decision-making in all aspects of life. When mastered, it helps you approach problems confidently and find logical, evidence-based solutions.

Steps to Develop Analytical Thinking

Ask Questions: Cultivate curiosity by questioning the "why" and "how" behind everything. Deal with understanding the root causes of problems or events.

Visualize Relationships: Use diagrams, charts, or mind maps to clarify connections between ideas or data points.

Practice Logical Exercises: Engage with puzzles, riddles, or strategy games to train your brain to think critically and systematically.

Reflect on Outcomes: After solving a problem, reflect on what worked, didn't, and why.

Real-Life Example

Imagine leading a marketing team with underperforming ad campaigns. Analytical Thinking allows you to break down the campaign process—target audience, messaging, platforms—and identify the weak points. Maybe the issue lies in misaligned messaging. You revise the content, test the new approach, and analyze results to ensure effectiveness. By using structured Thinking, you turn challenges into opportunities for growth.

2. Interpretation

Interpretation is the process of understanding and describing the meaning of information, whether it's a text, graph, or situation. This ability helps you understand the facts and recognize their significance, allowing you to make well-informed decisions or effectively convey your ideas.

For instance, when reviewing financial reports, interpretation allows you to identify trends, such as increased expenses in a specific department, and understand their impact on the overall budget. Strong interpretation skills help you avoid miscommunication and misunderstandings, making them critical in personal and professional contexts.

How to Enhance Interpretation Skills

Summarize Key Points: After reading or hearing something, put the main ideas into your own words. This ensures you've captured the essence correctly.

Seek Feedback: Discuss your interpretation with colleagues or peers to identify blind spots or alternative perspectives.

Use Context Clues: To enrich your understanding, pay close attention to surrounding information, such as tone, historical data, or previous statements.

Practical Tip

When reading a dense article, pause after each section and summarize the key message in one or two sentences. For example, after reading a scientific report, jot down its main finding and why it matters. This active engagement sharpens your interpretive abilities and ensures you fully comprehend the material.

3. Inference

Inference involves forming logical conclusions by analyzing evidence and applying reasoning. It's about connecting the dots and making educated guesses when all the information isn't explicitly stated. For example, suppose you observe declining attendance at company events. In that case, you might infer that the timing or content isn't engaging employees.

Inference helps you think critically and predict outcomes. It's essential for problem-solving, strategic planning, and communication, allowing you to anticipate scenarios and act proactively.

Ways to Improve Inference

Study real-world examples like case studies to understand how others have concluded from evidence.

Ask "What If" Questions Hypothetical Thinking helps you explore possibilities and potential consequences.

Always focus on evidence and your inferences in facts, not assumptions or personal biases.

Practical Example

Imagine you're working in sales, and a once-loyal client suddenly reduces their orders. Examining past communications, you notice a delay in your company's responses. You infer that the client is dissatisfied with service speed. Acting on this insight, you prioritize improving responsiveness, helping to restore the relationship. Inference allows you to uncover underlying issues and take proactive measures.

4. Evaluation

Evaluation is assessing the credibility, relevance, and significance of information. Whether reviewing a news article or analyzing a report, evaluation helps you determine what information to trust and how to use it effectively.

In a world overflowing with information, evaluation ensures you don't fall prey to misinformation or biases. It's a skill that sharpens your ability to separate valuable insights from noise, making it critical for decision-making and strategic Thinking.

Steps to Build Evaluative Skills

Verify Sources: Check the authenticity and authority of the information's source. Are they credible and well-regarded in their field?

Identify Biases: Be mindful of potential biases in the information or the source's perspective.

Compare Multiple Perspectives: Look at the same issue from different viewpoints to get a balanced understanding.

Imagine you're buying a laptop and come across conflicting reviews. Evaluative Thinking allows you to analyze the reviewers' credibility, identify whether their concerns align with your needs, and focus on consistent feedback. By weighing different perspectives, you ensure your final decision is well-informed and meets your requirements.

5. Explanation

Explanation is the ability to clearly and concisely convey your reasoning and conclusions. Strong explanation skills ensure others understand your thought process, whether presenting a business case, teaching a concept, or discussing ideas. This skill is vital for collaboration, leadership, and effective communication.

A good explanation bridges the gap between understanding and action. It's not just about sharing information; it's about ensuring others can relate to, engage with, and apply your words.

Strategies to Improve Explanation Skills

Use Clear Language: Avoid jargon or overly complex terms. Instead, simplify ideas without oversimplifying the core meaning.

Organize Your Thoughts: Structure your explanation logically, starting with the big picture before diving into details.

Incorporate Examples: Use relatable scenarios or analogies to illustrate your points, making abstract concepts easier to grasp.

Personal Experience

Once, I had to explain a technical report to a non-technical team. I recognized their need for familiarity with technical terms and used analogies and visuals to break down the information. For example, I compared server downtimes to traffic jams, which helped the team grasp the issue's impact. By focusing on clarity and relatability, I ensured everyone left the meeting informed and aligned.

6. Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is identifying issues, analyzing them, and developing practical solutions. It's a foundational skill in every aspect of life, from resolving workplace challenges to managing personal conflicts. Strong problem-solving skills allow you to tackle difficulties proactively, breaking down complex issues into manageable parts.

Effective problem-solvers don't just focus on finding immediate fixes—they aim to address the root cause of the problem. This approach ensures lasting solutions and prevents recurring issues. Problem-solving is indispensable whether you're troubleshooting technical errors, mediating disputes, or planning a project.

Tips to Strengthen Problem-Solving

Define the Problem Clearly: Take time to understand the issue. Ask questions like, "What is causing this problem?" and "What are the potential impacts?"

Generate Multiple Solutions: Brainstorm ideas without judging them to explore all possible options. Sometimes, unconventional ideas lead to the best outcomes.

Test and Reflect: First, implement solutions on a small scale. Analyze the results and make adjustments where necessary.

Imagine you're organizing an outdoor event, and an unexpected downpour threatens to ruin the day. Instead of panicking, a problem-solver would immediately consider alternatives, such as moving activities indoors or providing covered tents. Having contingency plans ensures the event continues smoothly despite the unexpected challenge. Problem-solving turns obstacles into opportunities to showcase creativity and resilience.

7. Decision-Making

Decision-making is evaluating options and selecting the best course of action. This skill involves analyzing risks, benefits, and potential outcomes, whether a small personal decision or a significant business move. Effective decision-making combines logical reasoning with intuition, balancing evidence with experience.

Good decision-making requires more than just picking an option. It involves understanding the long-term implications of your choices and being confident in your decisions, even when faced with uncertainty.

Best Practices

Gather Information: Ensure you have all the relevant facts before deciding. The more informed you are, the better your choice will be.

Seek Advice: Consulting others can provide fresh perspectives and reveal considerations you may have missed.

Consider Consequences: Evaluate the short-term and long-term effects of each option. Ask, "How will this impact me or others now and in the future?"

Imagine you're offered two job opportunities: one with a higher salary and the other with better growth potential. A thoughtful decision-maker would weigh the pros and cons, consider personal and professional goals, and seek input from mentors before making a final choice. Decision-making helps align actions with values and objectives, ensuring satisfaction and success.

8. Creativity

Creativity is the ability to think beyond traditional approaches and generate innovative ideas. It fuels problem-solving, enhances productivity, and drives innovation in various fields, from marketing to engineering. Creativity isn't just about artistic endeavors—it's a mindset that enables you to approach challenges with originality.

Creativity allows you to adapt to change, discover opportunities in adversity, and develop unique solutions. It's about connecting the dots in ways others may not see and bringing fresh perspectives.

How to Foster Creativity

Experiment Freely: Explore new ideas without worrying about failure. Creativity thrives in environments that encourage experimentation.

Collaborate: Brainstorming with others can ignite inspiration and spark innovative Thinking.

Take Breaks: Stepping away from a task can lead to creative breakthroughs. A relaxed mind often finds solutions that a stressed mind overlooks.

Imagine you're tasked with designing a marketing campaign for a product that seems dull at first glance. Instead of following conventional strategies, you take a creative approach by incorporating storytelling and humor. The result? A campaign that connects with the audience and encourages active participation. Creativity transforms ordinary tasks into extraordinary outcomes.

9. Open-Mindedness

Open-mindedness is the willingness to explore new ideas, perspectives, and experiences with an unbiased and thoughtful approach. It helps you adapt to changes, embrace diversity, and think critically about your assumptions. Open-minded individuals are better equipped to navigate complex problems and collaborate effectively with others.

Being open-minded doesn't mean agreeing with everything—it's about being willing to listen, understand, and evaluate different viewpoints before forming conclusions.

How to Cultivate Open-Minded Thinking

Listen Actively: Pay full attention to what others say. Ask thoughtful questions to gain a clearer understanding of their point of view.

Challenge Assumptions: Reflect on your beliefs and consider whether they are based on evidence or bias.

Explore New Perspectives: Read books, watch documentaries, or discuss with people from different backgrounds to broaden your worldview.

Someone proposes an unconventional idea that initially seems impractical in a team meeting. Instead of dismissing it outright, an open-minded leader would explore its potential and encourage discussion. This openness often leads to innovative solutions that would otherwise be overlooked.

10. Self-Regulation

Self-regulation involves overseeing and controlling your thoughts, emotions, and actions to work toward your goals effectively. It consists in staying focused, disciplined, and adaptable, even in challenging situations. Self-regulation keeps one on track when distractions or setbacks arise.

This skill is essential for maintaining consistency in your efforts and ensuring long-term success. It helps you avoid impulsive decisions, manage stress effectively, and stay committed to your priorities.

Steps to Develop Self-Regulation

Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to accomplish and create a plan to achieve it.

Track Progress: Regularly evaluate your efforts and adjust your approach if needed.

Learn from Feedback: Embrace constructive criticism as an opportunity for growth rather than a setback.

Consider a student preparing for exams while juggling part-time work. By practicing self-regulation, they set a study schedule, limit distractions, and prioritize tasks. Even when faced with stress, they remain disciplined, ensuring they achieve their goals. Self-regulation turns ambition into action and dreams into reality.

Critical Thinking is a skill set that empowers you to tackle challenges confidently and effectively. Developing these ten skills—Analytical Thinking, interpretation, inference, evaluation, explanation, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, open-mindedness, and self-regulation.

Start small: practice analyzing situations, question assumptions, and embrace diverse perspectives. Your critical thinking abilities will transform every area of your life with consistent effort.

FAQs: Critical Thinking Skills to Develop

Why are critical thinking skills essential?

Critical thinking skills are essential because they help individuals analyze situations, solve problems, and make informed decisions. Whether in personal life or professional settings, these skills enable logical reasoning, effective communication, and creative problem-solving. Studies show that 73% of employers prioritize critical Thinking as a core competency in hiring.

How can I start improving my critical thinking skills?

Enhance your critical thinking skills by:

Asking more questions to understand the root causes of issues.

Practicing logical exercises like puzzles and case studies.

Engaging in reflective Thinking to evaluate your reasoning and assumptions.

Seeking diverse perspectives through reading, discussions, and collaboration.

What is the difference between analytical Thinking and problem-solving?

Analytical Thinking focuses on breaking down complex information to identify patterns and relationships.

Problem-solving involves identifying issues and creating actionable solutions. Analytical Thinking is often a part of the problem-solving process, as it helps you understand the problem better.

How does creativity enhance Critical Thinking?

Creativity enhances critical Thinking by introducing new perspectives and innovative ideas. It allows you to approach problems from different angles, making it easier to find unique solutions. For example, creativity can help you think outside traditional frameworks to tackle challenges effectively.

Can I develop critical thinking skills at any age?

Absolutely! You can cultivate critical thinking skills at any stage of life. Start by practicing mindfulness, asking thoughtful questions, engaging in lifelong learning, and applying these skills in everyday decision-making scenarios. The more you practice, the sharper your critical Thinking becomes.

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The 4 Types of Critical Thinking Skills – Explained!

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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Critical thinking skills are the mental process involved in processing information. They help us with problem solving, decision making, and thinking critically.

There are four types of “thinking skills”: convergent or analytical thinking , divergent thinking, critical thinking and creative thinking. We use these skills to help us understand the world around us, think critically, solve problems, make logical choices and develop our own values and beliefs.

The 4 Types of Thinking Skills

The 4 types of thinking skills are:

1. Convergent Analytical Thinking

Convergent thinking is the process of coming up with the best answer to a question using our memory, resources around us, or logic.

This thinking skill does not require significant creativity or lateral thinking strategies . It is not the best for solving problems that are complex or require thinking out of the box. Instead, it uses very straightforward thought processes. A convergent thinker simply needs to apply already established procedures and memory recall to reach the ‘correct’ answer.

Convergent thinking is very commonly used for standardized and multiple choice tests. These sorts of tests simply assess our knowledge and ability to apply knowledge to simple and logical situations.

The key elements required to be a skilled convergent thinker are: speed, accuracy and logic.

2. Divergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is the exact opposite of convergent thinking. It involves coming up to solutions, paths forward or new ideas when there is no single correct answer.

Questions like “should I study to become a doctor or a lawyer?” may not have a simple answer. You might be good at both, and both options might bring you happiness and a good life. So, which option should you choose?

To come up with solutions to questions without clear answers, you need to break down the possibilities and analyze each part. You might create a pros and cons list, a Venn diagram or a table to lay out your options and consider each one in turn.

We often encourage divergent thinking from a very young age. For example, we encourage children to play or simply ‘be playful’ in order to solve problems and discover how their world is complex and full of possibility.

3. Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking skills involve analyzing something in order to form a judgement about it.

A critical thinker does not take the assumptions of a topic for granted. Instead, the critical thinking involves ‘critiquing’ what your are viewing using your available intellectual knowledge.

People who think critically can use three processes to develop critical insights on a topic: deduction, induction and abduction.

Deduction includes the critical thinking skills that involve drawing conclusions based on the facts at hand. You have all the facts available to you to come to a clear and unambiguous conclusion about a topic. For example, a doctor does blood tests to determine if someone has a virus. The blood tests come back positive, so we can deduce that you definitely have that virus. Deduction is a great skill to use if you want to solve problems.

Induction includes the critical thinking skills that involve drawing conclusions based on a generalization . You don’t have all the exact information at hand. However, you think critically and realize are aware of patterns, clues and a methodology that can help you induce the answer. For example, you come to the doctor exhibiting a fever, sneezing and coughing. The doctor doesn’t do tests, but they induce that you probably have influenza because your symptoms are characteristic of someone with the flu.

Abduction includes the critical thinking skills that involve coming to a conclusion that is the most likely or logical based on the small amount of knowledge that you have. You can’t be sure of the answer, but you can think critically and make an educated guess. For example, you may see that a cat is on the roof. The most logical answer is that the cat got up there by climbing a nearby tree and jumping from it to the roof, but you can’t be sure.

Read about more examples of critical thinking on our full write-up.

4. Creative Thinking

Creative thinking involves thinking about a topic in unusual, unconventional and alternative ways to generate new ideas about an established topic. A creative thinker will try to address an issue from a perspective that hasn’t been used before.

While creative thinking may appear illogical, it is in fact a great driver of human development. Creative thinkers identify gaps in marketplaces or new, easier, faster and better ways of doing things. When a creative thinker comes up with a great new way of approaching an issue, their new method can become the new orthodoxy.

See Also: Creative Thinking Examples

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How to Maintain your Thinking when School is Over

You need to keep your mind active in order to maintain improve your critical thinking skills.

When I finished high school, I stopped thinking mathematically . I stopped using calculus, trigonometry, geometry, etc. in my daily life. Ten years on, my critical thinking skills that involve mathematics are very poor.

By contrast, I kept reading and writing in the ten years since graduating high school. I am much better at these creative and critical thinking skills than I was when I was at high school. That’s because I continued to exercise those creative and critical thinking skills aspects of my mind on a regular basis.

Some ways to maintain your mind’s neural pathways and keep up strong critical thinking skills include:

• Doing Sudoku quizzes daily
• Doing Crosswords daily
• Reading a book per month
• Completing mathematical quizzes regularly
• Taking courses in community college
• Doing brain exercise apps focused on critical thinking

How to Improve your Critical Thinking Skills

To improve your critical thinking skills, you need to go beyond just maintaining your mind.

You cannot just keep doing the same thing day-in, day-out and expect to get better. Critical thinkers are always working on self-improvement.

Instead, you need to exercise new parts of your brain by studying regularly and keep creating new neural pathways in your mind. This emphasizes the importance of education for critical thinking.

You always need to be thinking about things that are new and difficult for you to understand.

The things that you learn need to be difficult. It’s through the difficulty and discomfort in thinking that you are improving your critical thinking and problem solving skills. It’s just like going to the gym: no pain, no gain.

Some ways to improve your critical thinking skills include:

• Taking college courses (or one of these alternatives ) in topics that you find very difficult
• Taking classes in an online school
• Learning using new learning strategies that make you uncomfortable
• Taking up new and diverse hobbies

The more you think, the better you will get at being a critical thinkers. You’ll become faster, more creative and overall better at thinking if you practice and try out new strategies.

Tools to Help you Think Better

There are also some tools that we call cognitive tools that help you with your critical thinking skills. These tools don’t do the thinking for you, but they help you to become a good critical thinker.

Thinking tools can help critical thinkers include:

• Helping you structure your thoughts
• Giving you a blueprint or scaffold for finding new angles to approach a topic
• Providing prompts to move your thinking forward

Some tools that can help your thinking skills include:

1. A Brainstorming Mind Map

A brainstorming mind map can be made with a simple piece of paper. Simply write the topic at the top of the piece of paper and scrawl any and all key things you can think about down onto the paper. During the brainstorming process , no ideas are bad ideas. You can use critical thinking to critique and dismiss some of your ideas later on; but the brainstorming session can help get your mind moving and exercise those critical thinking skills.

2. A Radar Chart

A radar (or spider) chart is very similar to a brainstorming mind map, but it also shows the links between concepts.

To create a spider chart , write the topic you’re thinking about in the middle of the piece of paper.

When you come up with a new idea, write it near the middle of the paper and draw a line from the topic in the center to the idea. If you come up with new ideas or sub-ideas based on that first key idea, you can write them down and draw a line from one idea to the other. Whenever you come up with related ideas, you should draw a line between them to show their relationship.

3. A Process Chart

A process chart shows the sequence of steps from a question to its logical answer. Often in science and mathematics classes, you need to provide your process chart to your teacher to show how you came to your conclusions . You may hear your teacher tell you to “show your critical thinking skills”!

4. A Spreadsheet

Even a simple spreadsheet using Excel or Google Sheets can help with your critical thinking. It will help you lay out ideas into an easy-to-read table to help you keep track of your thoughts, your processes and your different categories. Categorizing ideas into columns and rows can help you to identify new patterns in data.

5. A Pros and Cons List

A simple pros and cons list can help you to get your ideas out of your brain and onto paper. Once it’s on paper, you can go through the list systematically and compare the pros and cons directly with one another. Once you’ve done this, you may have a better idea of what conclusions to come to.

6. De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

Another strategy for helping your thinking skills is to use De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. These are six metaphorical ‘hats’ that you can put on. Each hat represents a different way to look at a topic. When you ‘put the hat on’, you have to think from the perspective of the hat. These hats are great for your critical thinking.

The six hats are:

• Red Hat: Think about your feelings, emotions and hunches about a topic
• White Hat: Think about the information that’s available to you and what it can reveal about the topic
• Yellow Hat: Think about the benefits and value in the situation you’re thinking about.
• Black Hat: Think about the risks, difficulties and challenges that a situation you’re thinking about may cause.
• Green Hat: Think about the alternatives and creative approaches you can apply to a topic.
• Blue Hat: Think about the processes you can use and how to manage the situation logically.

Related: 5 Types of Skills

Final Thoughts

Thinking skills are necessary for problem solving, decision making, and thinking critically. They help you do your job better, make smart decisions, and improve your own life. You can classify your thinking skills into: convergent thinking, divergent thinking, critical thinking, and creative skills. You could also use strategies such as De Bono’s thinking hats, a pros and cons list or a process chart to help you think .

Make sure you keep your mind active, try new things and do quizzes to maintain your thinking skills throughout your life.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 20 Montessori Toddler Bedrooms (Design Inspiration)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

3 thoughts on “The 4 Types of Critical Thinking Skills – Explained!”

Professor Chris,    I have a question. As you outline, “There are four types of ‘thinking skills'”.

1. convergent or analytical thinking, 2. divergent thinking, 3. critical thinking and 4. creative thinking. 

   All four are processes of “thinking”.  This leads me to ask, “What is the description of the process of thinking?”

  W. Edwards Deming,  American engineer, statistician and professor observed:

   ”If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you are doing.”

   If we can’t describe thinking as a specific  process, we don’t know what we are doing.  

   Without knowing the  specific process of thinking, we don’t know how to perform: analytical thinking, divergent thinking, critical thinking or creative thinking. 

   I repeat my question. “What is the description of the process of thinking?” Thank you for your time, Ted

Definitions are such tricky things! It’s hard to find consensus in the scholarly community about a simple definition of anything, really. Although, I’d agree on the face of it that thinking is a process (and the knowledge or idea is the product). You might be interested in the concept of process thinking , which we often juxtapose to systems thinking (which, really, also involves ‘thinking as a process’), but as you have teased out this fact that thinking is inevitably a process, I wanted to give you a nudge to a resource that’ll help you go deeper on the topic.

All the best! Chris

This is interesting! Learning these four types of thinking skills would definitely help me with either school or work.

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How to build critical thinking skills for better decision-making

It’s simple in theory, but tougher in practice – here are five tips to get you started.

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Have you heard the riddle about two coins that equal thirty cents, but one of them is not a nickel? What about the one where a surgeon says they can’t operate on their own son?

Those brain teasers tap into your critical thinking skills. But your ability to think critically isn’t just helpful for solving those random puzzles – it plays a big role in your career. 

An impressive 81% of employers say critical thinking carries a lot of weight when they’re evaluating job candidates. It ranks as the top competency companies consider when hiring recent graduates (even ahead of communication ). Plus, once you’re hired, several studies show that critical thinking skills are highly correlated with better job performance.

So what exactly are critical thinking skills? And even more importantly, how do you build and improve them? 

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate facts and information, remain objective, and make a sound decision about how to move forward.

Does that sound like how you approach every decision or problem? Not so fast. Critical thinking seems simple in theory but is much tougher in practice, which helps explain why 65% of employers say their organization has a need for more critical thinking. 

In reality, critical thinking doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us. In order to do it well, you need to:

• Remain open-minded and inquisitive, rather than relying on assumptions or jumping to conclusions
• Ask questions and dig deep, rather than accepting information at face value
• Keep your own biases and perceptions in check to stay as objective as possible
• Rely on your emotional intelligence to fill in the blanks and gain a more well-rounded understanding of a situation

So, critical thinking isn’t just being intelligent or analytical. In many ways, it requires you to step outside of yourself, let go of your own preconceived notions, and approach a problem or situation with curiosity and fairness.

It’s a challenge, but it’s well worth it. Critical thinking skills will help you connect ideas, make reasonable decisions, and solve complex problems.

7 critical thinking skills to help you dig deeper

Critical thinking is often labeled as a skill itself (you’ll see it bulleted as a desired trait in a variety of job descriptions). But it’s better to think of critical thinking less as a distinct skill and more as a collection or category of skills. 

To think critically, you’ll need to tap into a bunch of your other soft skills. Here are seven of the most important. 

Open-mindedness

It’s important to kick off the critical thinking process with the idea that anything is possible. The more you’re able to set aside your own suspicions, beliefs, and agenda, the better prepared you are to approach the situation with the level of inquisitiveness you need. 

That means not closing yourself off to any possibilities and allowing yourself the space to pull on every thread – yes, even the ones that seem totally implausible.

As Christopher Dwyer, Ph.D. writes in a piece for Psychology Today , “Even if an idea appears foolish, sometimes its consideration can lead to an intelligent, critically considered conclusion.” He goes on to compare the critical thinking process to brainstorming . Sometimes the “bad” ideas are what lay the foundation for the good ones. 

Open-mindedness is challenging because it requires more effort and mental bandwidth than sticking with your own perceptions. Approaching problems or situations with true impartiality often means:

• Practicing self-regulation : Giving yourself a pause between when you feel something and when you actually react or take action.
• Challenging your own biases: Acknowledging your biases and seeking feedback are two powerful ways to get a broader understanding. 

Critical thinking example

In a team meeting, your boss mentioned that your company newsletter signups have been decreasing and she wants to figure out why.

At first, you feel offended and defensive – it feels like she’s blaming you for the dip in subscribers. You recognize and rationalize that emotion before thinking about potential causes. You have a hunch about what’s happening, but you will explore all possibilities and contributions from your team members.

Observation

Observation is, of course, your ability to notice and process the details all around you (even the subtle or seemingly inconsequential ones). Critical thinking demands that you’re flexible and willing to go beyond surface-level information, and solid observation skills help you do that.

Your observations help you pick up on clues from a variety of sources and experiences, all of which help you draw a final conclusion. After all, sometimes it’s the most minuscule realization that leads you to the strongest conclusion.

Over the next week or so, you keep a close eye on your company’s website and newsletter analytics to see if numbers are in fact declining or if your boss’s concerns were just a fluke. 

Critical thinking hinges on objectivity. And, to be objective, you need to base your judgments on the facts – which you collect through research. You’ll lean on your research skills to gather as much information as possible that’s relevant to your problem or situation. 

Keep in mind that this isn’t just about the quantity of information – quality matters too. You want to find data and details from a variety of trusted sources to drill past the surface and build a deeper understanding of what’s happening. 

You dig into your email and website analytics to identify trends in bounce rates, time on page, conversions, and more. You also review recent newsletters and email promotions to understand what customers have received, look through current customer feedback, and connect with your customer support team to learn what they’re hearing in their conversations with customers.

The critical thinking process is sort of like a treasure hunt – you’ll find some nuggets that are fundamental for your final conclusion and some that might be interesting but aren’t pertinent to the problem at hand.

That’s why you need analytical skills. They’re what help you separate the wheat from the chaff, prioritize information, identify trends or themes, and draw conclusions based on the most relevant and influential facts. 

It’s easy to confuse analytical thinking with critical thinking itself, and it’s true there is a lot of overlap between the two. But analytical thinking is just a piece of critical thinking. It focuses strictly on the facts and data, while critical thinking incorporates other factors like emotions, opinions, and experiences. 

As you analyze your research, you notice that one specific webpage has contributed to a significant decline in newsletter signups. While all of the other sources have stayed fairly steady with regard to conversions, that one has sharply decreased.

You decide to move on from your other hypotheses about newsletter quality and dig deeper into the analytics. 

One of the traps of critical thinking is that it’s easy to feel like you’re never done. There’s always more information you could collect and more rabbit holes you could fall down.

But at some point, you need to accept that you’ve done your due diligence and make a decision about how to move forward. That’s where inference comes in. It’s your ability to look at the evidence and facts available to you and draw an informed conclusion based on those. 

When you’re so focused on staying objective and pursuing all possibilities, inference can feel like the antithesis of critical thinking. But ultimately, it’s your inference skills that allow you to move out of the thinking process and onto the action steps. 

You dig deeper into the analytics for the page that hasn’t been converting and notice that the sharp drop-off happened around the same time you switched email providers.

After looking more into the backend, you realize that the signup form on that page isn’t correctly connected to your newsletter platform. It seems like anybody who has signed up on that page hasn’t been fed to your email list. 

Communication

3 ways to improve your communication skills at work

If and when you identify a solution or answer, you can’t keep it close to the vest. You’ll need to use your communication skills to share your findings with the relevant stakeholders – like your boss, team members, or anybody who needs to be involved in the next steps.

Your analysis skills will come in handy here too, as they’ll help you determine what information other people need to know so you can avoid bogging them down with unnecessary details. 

In your next team meeting, you pull up the analytics and show your team the sharp drop-off as well as the missing connection between that page and your email platform. You ask the web team to reinstall and double-check that connection and you also ask a member of the marketing team to draft an apology email to the subscribers who were missed. 

Problem-solving

Critical thinking and problem-solving are two more terms that are frequently confused. After all, when you think critically, you’re often doing so with the objective of solving a problem.

The best way to understand how problem-solving and critical thinking differ is to think of problem-solving as much more narrow. You’re focused on finding a solution.

In contrast, you can use critical thinking for a variety of use cases beyond solving a problem – like answering questions or identifying opportunities for improvement. Even so, within the critical thinking process, you’ll flex your problem-solving skills when it comes time to take action. 

Once the fix is implemented, you monitor the analytics to see if subscribers continue to increase. If not (or if they increase at a slower rate than you anticipated), you’ll roll out some other tests like changing the CTA language or the placement of the subscribe form on the page.

5 ways to improve your critical thinking skills

Beyond the buzzwords: Why interpersonal skills matter at work

Think critically about critical thinking and you’ll quickly realize that it’s not as instinctive as you’d like it to be. Fortunately, your critical thinking skills are learned competencies and not inherent gifts – and that means you can improve them. Here’s how:

• Practice active listening: Active listening helps you process and understand what other people share. That’s crucial as you aim to be open-minded and inquisitive.
• Ask open-ended questions: If your critical thinking process involves collecting feedback and opinions from others, ask open-ended questions (meaning, questions that can’t be answered with “yes” or “no”). Doing so will give you more valuable information and also prevent your own biases from influencing people’s input.
• Scrutinize your sources: Figuring out what to trust and prioritize is crucial for critical thinking. Boosting your media literacy and asking more questions will help you be more discerning about what to factor in. It’s hard to strike a balance between skepticism and open-mindedness, but approaching information with questions (rather than unquestioning trust) will help you draw better conclusions. 
• Play a game: Remember those riddles we mentioned at the beginning? As trivial as they might seem, games and exercises like those can help you boost your critical thinking skills. There are plenty of critical thinking exercises you can do individually or as a team . 
• Give yourself time: Research shows that rushed decisions are often regrettable ones. That’s likely because critical thinking takes time – you can’t do it under the wire. So, for big decisions or hairy problems, give yourself enough time and breathing room to work through the process. It’s hard enough to think critically without a countdown ticking in your brain. 

Critical thinking really is critical

The ability to think critically is important, but it doesn’t come naturally to most of us. It’s just easier to stick with biases, assumptions, and surface-level information. 

But that route often leads you to rash judgments, shaky conclusions, and disappointing decisions. So here’s a conclusion we can draw without any more noodling: Even if it is more demanding on your mental resources, critical thinking is well worth the effort.

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