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Critical Thinking Means Business
Did you know critical thinking was rated the NEW #1 workplace skill? Download our paper: Critical Thinking Means Business
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RED in Real Life
Examples of good and bad critical thinking and making decisions with the RED model!
Too Many Choices Can Stop You Cold
Last week I went to the store to buy a ceiling fan for my oldest daughter. Her room gets hotter than the others because it’s in the front-corner which gets the sun’s full exposure, and because our A/C unit is on the other side of the house in the attic, so her duct has the [...]
There is no wrong way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich…or is there?
Guest post from Heather Ishikawa, co-author of Now You’re Thinking! There is no wrong way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich…or is there? This morning I was showing my son how to make a PB&J so that he could make and take his own sandwich to summer camp. I told him, “It’s easy, [...]
How to Avoid a Political Scandal: Step 1- Critical Thinking
I would like to say that this post was inspired by one single politician’s error in judgement, but stories like Rep Anthony Weiner are more of the norm than the exception these days. In fact, we have heard so many scandals about politicians lately (Schwarzenegger, Edwards, etc) that it would almost seem impossible to avoid [...]
To Find the Problem Ask Why 5 Times
The first step in problem solving is defining the problem. While that sounds like a simple task, we often erroneously name a symptom as the root cause. The Root Cause Analysis technique I use most often is the “5 Whys“ (also known as the “why behind the why”). Let me use an example from the [...]
Critical Thinking Fail: Police Shoot at Concrete Lawn Alligator
When I first heard this story on the local news I laughed. But then as I thought about it more thoroughly, I think this is truly an example of how emotions often override logic. On Sunday, police in Independence, MO received a report that a child had spotted an alligator on the loose. They arrived [...]
Critical Thinking About Being Right, Wrong, and Ignorant
My good friend (and co-author of Now You’re Thinking) Heather Ishikawa sent me this video this week about “being wrong.” You know what the tough thing is about being wrong? You don’t realize it until you’ve already committed to the belief that you’re right. And when you’re right, what does that make everyone else– wrong, [...]
3 Critical Thinking Tips to Overcome Emotional Situations
Following the critical thinking RED Model isn’t always easy. Perhaps the most difficult component for me is to set my emotions aside and remain objective – a technique to evaluate arguments. I don’t necessarily get emotional because I’m sensitive but because I’m invested in my projects and work. We all get emotionally invested in daily [...]
Worst Case Scenario Strategic Thinking: Surviving a Plane Crash
It’s Friday, so let’s talk about something light…like surviving a plane crash! I’ll be honest, I’m one of those people who fly so often that I rarely give my full attention to the flight attendants as they give the safety speech before take-off. I jokingly told this to one of my flight attendant friends and [...]
Critical Thinking Makes Travel Easy!
Traveling can be stressful. Between your schedule, the airline’s schedule and other travelers it’s easy to get worked up. Murphy’s law never fails, especially when you need to be somewhere. Last week I found myself in that very situation. My connecting flight was cancelled and I needed to get to my destination that night. Sure [...]
Using Critical Thinking to Debunk Urban Legends
There are so many reasons I’m thankful for social media, and the reduced number of chain/scam/urban legend emails I get is a big reason. Have you received this email? TIPS ON PUMPING GAS > > I don’t know what you are paying for gasoline, but here in > > California we are paying up to [...]