2-5fSoft Skills for Success

Critical Thinking

The ability to think critically is among the primary skills required for success in the workplace. Critical thinking is the use of logical thinking, reasoning, and evidence to question assumptions and evaluate ideas before determining an outcome or reaching a conclusion.

Critical Thinking Attributes

Use of inductive (from specific to general) and deductive (from general to specific) logic

Research from credible sources to collect appropriate information

Objective thinking Separating opinions from facts

Recognition of biases

Avoiding emotional appeals and faulty logic

Seeking alternative explanations

Asking questions to clarify information

Challenging the validity of statements including ones own

Knowledge of historical contextwhat may have been true in the past may not be true now

Questioning generalizations from facts to ensure they are accurate Put It to Work

1. Read at least two credible articles on inductive and deductive reasoning. To ensure you understand these concepts, write two examples of inductive reasoning and two of deductive reasoning.

2. Read at least two credible articles on critical thinking.

3. Prepare a list of the articles you read; include complete documentation of sources.

4. As a team, discuss how you can use critical thinking to be effective in the project you are doing for the nonprofit organization.

5. After the team report is in rough-draft form, the team should review everything in it using the critical thinking attributes described above and the information in the articles each member read to evaluate the validity of the information and judgments in the report.