innovative and critical thinking: training your brain to solve problems and create solutions
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INNOVATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING
Training Your Brain to Solve Problems and Create Solutions
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Workshop Objectives• What is critical thinking?• How can I use nonlinear thinking strategies?• What does it mean for me to apply logic to situations?• How do I know when, how and why to think critically about a
challenge?• What skills allow me to better evaluate facts and data?• How will thinking differently effect my decision outcomes?• How can I challenge myself to see alternative perspectives?• How can I increase my problem-solving abilities?
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Module 1:
“Intelligence is something we are born with. Thinking is a skill that must be learned.”
- Edward de Bono
What Is Critical
Thinking?
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What is Critical Thinking?• Critical thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of an
issue in order to form a judgment.
• Critical thinking is logic-based thinking.
• Critical thinking relates to how we make decisions and use our judgment.
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Why is Critical Thinking Important?As new professionals, the ability to think critically and be creative is important because we live in a knowledge-based society, and the more critically you think the more knowledgeable you will be. Critical thinking cultivates your ability to analyze and evaluate information so that you can best use the information to your advantage.
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Components of Critical ThinkingIn this module, we will discuss four components of critical thinking. They are:
• Applying Reason
• Open Mindedness
• Analysis
• Logic
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Applying Reason
Applying reason is the process of thinking about something in a logical way in order to form a
conclusion or judgmentTry to avoid emotional bias when
applying reason
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Open Mindedness
Consider relevant evidence
Be receptive to different ideas or opinions
Be open to alternatives
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Analysis• Systematic examination and
evaluation of data or information
• Break down complex problems into its component parts
• Gain a better understanding of cause-effect relationships
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Logic
Logic is the science of how to evaluate
arguments and reasoning
Logic provides rules for deriving valid conclusions
Logical statements are based on facts called “premises”
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Riddle: The Fox, the Sheep, and the Haystack
A farmer is traveling with a fox, a sheep, and a small stack of hay. He comes to a river with a small boat in it. The boat can only support the farmer and one other animal/item. If the farmer leaves the fox alone with the sheep, the fox will eat the sheep. If the farmer leaves the sheep alone with the hay, the sheep will eat the hay. How can the farmer get all three, as well as himself, safely across the river?
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Riddle Answer: The Fox, the Sheep, and the Haystack
1. The farmer takes the sheep across the river to the other side.2. The farmer returns to the first side.3. The farmer takes the fox across the river to the other side.4. The farmer returns with the sheep to the first side.5. The farmer takes the hay across the river to the other side.6. The farmer returns to the first side.7. The farmer takes the sheep across the river to the other side.
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Reflect
What kind of problems do you face? How do you go about solving them?
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Module 2:
“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires a creative imagination…”
- Albert Einstein
How Can I Use Nonlinear Thinking
Strategies?
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What Is Nonlinear Thinking?• Two common ways to analyze a problem
are through linear and nonlinear thinking
• Linear thinkers follow a step-by-step process
• Nonlinear thinkers use more creative, unorthodox methods
• Nonlinear thinking is also called “lateral thinking”
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Nonlinear Thinking StrategiesFour strategies to activate your nonlinear thinking process are:
• Stepping out of your comfort zone
• Don’t jump to conclusions
• Expect and initiate change
• Be ready to adapt
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Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
View information from a different
perspective
Stretch your thinking
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Don’t Jump to Conclusions
Take the time to acquire all necessary
informationKnow the premises
(facts)
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Expect and Initiate Change
“Be the change you wish to see”
Nothing stays the same
Expecting change will better prepare
you to adapt
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Being Ready to AdaptAdaptation is a survival skill
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Module 3:
“Reasoning is simply a matter of getting your facts straight.”
- B.F. Anderson
What Does It Mean For Me to Apply
Logic to Situations?
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Major Steps of Logical ThinkingThe four major steps of logical thinking are:
• Asking the right questions
• Organizing data
• Evaluating the information
• Drawing conclusions
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Ask the Right Questions
Ask many questions
What are the premises?
Any vital information missing?
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Organize the Data
First, make sure you know the premise
Make a diagram organizing the data
Make meaningful connections
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Evaluate the Information
Is the information
valid?
Is the information
true?
Belief bias Confirmation bias
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Draw Conclusions
Infer only what the data implies
Ensure inferences are consistent
Identify underlying assumptions
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Module 4:
“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”
- Voltaire
How Do I Know When, How and Why
to Think Critically About A Challenge?
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Characteristics of Critical ThinkingWhat are some characteristics of critical thinkers? In Module 4, we will discuss eight characteristics of critical thinkers:
• Active Listening• Asking Powerful Questions• Focus and Reflection• Being Humble• Seeing the Big Picture• Thinking Objectively• Using Your Emotions• Being Self-Aware
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Active Listening As a Critical Thinking Strategy
Active listening allows you to gain all the critical information and facts that you need to support you in making better decisions.
“The ear says more than the tongue.” - W.S. Graham
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Powerful Questions Lead to Better Outcomes
• Raising powerful questions advocates self-improvement and allows you to find out more information.
• Examples of powerful questions:- What does the organization value?- What is important to the organization’s culture?- What are my strengths and weaknesses?- How does my job fit into the structure of the
organization?
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Focus and Reflection
Use reasoning skills
Evaluate and reflect
Ask for support when
needed
Think positive and be aware of the environment
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Be HumbleBe modest regarding your own opinion
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Seeing the Big Picture
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Thinking Objectively
Thinking objectively means basing our
ideas on facts rather than feelings or
opinions
Helps us engage more thoughtfully and
deliberately
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Using Your Emotions As A Critical Thinking Strategy
• Emotions should not be ignored entirely
• Professionals need empathy
• Allow your emotions to help you, not cloud your judgment
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Being Self-Aware
Being self-aware means being conscious of your own personality or character. Specifically, you should be aware of your:
• Feelings
• Opinions
• Assumptions
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Module 5:
“True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.”
- Winston Churchill
What Skills Allow Me To Better
Evaluate Facts and Data?
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Evaluating Information
A big challenge in the process of critical thinking is how to evaluate information. The best critical thinkers are those people, as Winston Churchill noted, who are capable of gleaning through information that may be unclear or conflicting. In this module, we will delve deeper into the process of evaluation.
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Be Careful When Making Assumptions
Assumptions are the beliefs upon which we base our logic
Assumptions are ideas that we accept as true without proof or evidenceWhen assumptions are proven to be true, they become information
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Riddle: The Bus Driver
A bus driver was heading down a street in Colorado. He went right past a stop sign without stopping, he turned left where there was a “no left turn” sign, and he went the wrong way on a one-way street. Then he went on the left side of the road past a cop car. After all this, he still didn’t break any traffic laws. How is this possible?
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Riddle Answer: The Bus Driver
The bus driver is walking. Be sure not to assume anything that the facts (premises) don’t tell you.
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Watch Out for BiasUse objectivity to oppose bias
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Ask Clarifying Questions• Asking the right questions is important
• Helps to acquire more information
• Other questions will arise
“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous
mind.” - Samuel Johnson
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SWOT Analysis
A SWOT Analysis allows us to think about business situations objectively by identifying internal factors (strengths and weaknesses), as well as external factors (opportunities and threats).
Strengths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
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Module 6:
“The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained.”
- David Bohm
How Will Thinking Differently Effect My Decision Outcomes?
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Benefits of Critical ThinkingCritical thinking helps us make better decisions and rationally apply information. While there are many benefits to critical thinking, in this module, we will examine only the following:
• Being more persuasive
• Better communication
• Better problem solving
• Increased emotional intelligence
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Being More Persuasive
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we
must be credible; (to be) credible we must
be truthful.”- Edward R. Murrow
• Persuasiveness is the characteristic of being able to influence others
• Utilizing a deliberate and thoughtful thinking process will improve your ability to persuade others
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Better Communication
The use of analogies and metaphors can
improve persuasiveness
Use clear language
The ability to communicate effectively is
directly related to your ability to be
persuasive
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Better Problem Solving
Critical thinkers interpret information effectively to reach well-reasoned conclusions
Critical thinking allows you to develop multiple viable solutions to a single issue
Critical thinkers test all possible solutions against relevant criteria and standards
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Increased Emotional Intelligence
• Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand one’s own state of mind and one’s capabilities to manage oneself, to respond constructively to situations, and to engage successfully with other people.
• High performing professionals have the ability to effectively execute their duties without being negatively influenced by their emotions.
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Increased Emotional Intelligence
SELF AWARENESS Emotional Self-Awareness Accurate Self-Assessment Self-Confidence
SOCIAL AWARNESS Empathy Organizational Awareness Service Orientation
SELF-MANAGEMENT Self-Control Transparency Adaptability Achievement Drive Initiative
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Inspirational Leadership Developing Others Influence Change Catalyst Conflict Management Building Bonds Teamwork & Collaboration
WH
AT
I SE
E W
HA
T I
DO
SELF SOCIAL
Figure depicts Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence model
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Module 7:
“Everyone sees drama from his own perspective.”
- Jean-Marie Le Pen
How Can I Challenge Myself To See Alternative
Perspectives?
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See Alternative Perspective
Keep an open mind
Be receptive to the ideas
and viewpoints of others
Alternative perspectives can lead to alternative solutions
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Don’t Limit Your Point of View
Closed
mindBias
Limited
point of
view
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Consider the Viewpoints of Others
Be empathetic
Helps to see the bigger picture
Promotes objectivity in the critical thinking process
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Influences on Bias
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When New Information Arrives
Organization schemas help to compartmentalize new information
Identify the role that the new information plays
Organization schemas also make information easier to use in the future
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Module 8:“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
- Albert Einstein
How Can I Increase My
Problem Solving Abilities?
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Increasing Problem Solving Abilities
Utilize your critical
thinking skills
Follow a problem-solving model
Practice your skills and
reflect upon the
outcomes
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Problem Solving Model
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Riddle: 12 Balls, 1 Different
You have 12 balls, identical in every way except that one of them weighs slightly less than the other 11 balls. You have a balance scale and are allowed to do 3 weighings to determine which ball weighs less than the others. What process would you use to weigh the balls in order to figure out which ball weighs less than the others?
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Riddle Answer: 12 Balls, 1 Different1. Place 6 balls on each side of the scale. One side will weigh less.2. Take the 6 balls from the side of the scale that weighed less.
Place 3 of these balls on one side of the scale and the other 3 balls on the other side. One side will weigh less.
3. Take the 3 balls from the side of the scale that weighed less. Place one of these balls on each side of the scale (which will leave you with one ball that is not on the scale). If one side weighs less, then you know the ball that weighs less than the others is on that side of the scale. If the two sides weigh the same, then you know the 3rd ball (the one that isn’t on the scale) is the ball that weighs less than the others.
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Riddle: A Truth Teller and a LiarYou are walking down a path when you come to two doors. Opening
one of the doors will lead you to life of prosperity and happiness, while opening the other door will lead to a life of misery and sorrow. You don’t know which door leads to which life.
In front of the doors stand two twin brothers who know which door leads to which life. One of the brothers ALWAYS lies and the other brother ALWAYS tells the truth. You don’t know which brother is the liar and which one tells the truth.
You are allowed to ask ONE single question to ONE of the brothers (not both) to figure out which door to open. What question should you ask?
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Riddle Answer: A Truth Teller and a Liar
Ask one of the brothers, “If I asked your brother which door is the good door, what would he say?”
If you ask the truth-telling brother, he will point to the bad door, because this is what the lying brother would point to.
Alternatively, if you ask the lying brother, he will also point to the bad door, because this is NOT what the truth-telling brother would point to.
So whichever door is pointed to, you should go through the other one.
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Identify Inconsistencies
Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors
Use logic and objectivity to see variancesNatural tendency to eliminate inconsistencies
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Trust Your Instincts• Instincts are your natural intuitive
power
• Beneficial when paired with trial and error, informed guesses and brainstorming
• Watch out for biases and assumptions that are not based on facts
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Always Ask Questions
Asking questions helps you gain more information
Asking questions can lead to new solutions
Ask questions at every stage of problem solving process
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Evaluate the Solution(s)Rate the proposed solutions
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Review: Workshop Objectives• What is critical thinking?• How can I use nonlinear thinking strategies?• What does it mean for me to apply logic to situations?• How do I know when, how and why to think critically about a
challenge?• What skills allow me to better evaluate facts and data?• How will thinking differently effect my decision outcomes?• How can I challenge myself to see alternative perspectives?• How can I increase my problem-solving abilities?