The eight key elements of critical thinking are:
1. Observation:
The first and foremost element in critical thinking is a good observation. Observation covers multiple aspects like:
- Trying to understand the cause of the problem.
- To look at problems from different angles and perspectives.
- Looking for any correlations or patterns.
- Observing how the problem is progressing.
2. Questioning and Validating:
The second element is questioning and validating your observations. You gain reliability when you validate, question, analyze, and interpret your observations.
3. Removing Ambiguities:
The next key element of critical thinking is removing irrelevant data from the problem. Remove ambiguities, doubts, and second-opinions completely from the problem. By doing so, you can approach the problem with improved clarity.
4. Good Judgment:
This is the part where you judge what is right and what is appropriate to solve the problem. By considering all the analysis, observations, and interpretation, you made so far, you judge.
5. Synthesizing Solutions:
One of the creative elements of critical thinking is ‘synthesizing’ solutions. We can use all our imaginations and come up with exciting ideas and answers to problems. Not just your ideas alone. Synthesizing solutions is also about blending different answers and come up with creative answers.
6. Being Inclusive:
Inclusiveness is a big part of critical thinking. Critical thinking is to listen, learn, and grasp fresh ideas and perspectives from different people. You include everything and finally decide what is best.
7. Decision Making:
This is the part where you decide the last take with a problem. You decide the right action plan.
8. Good Communications:
The final element of critical thinking is communication. An idea can seem impossible. But the way critical thinkers communicate it to people makes it interesting and “must-try”.