book

Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills

Name: Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
Author: Michael Kallet
ISBN: 9781118729830

by Michael Kallet

April 2014

Beginner

240 pages

4h 49m

English

Wiley

Read now

Unlock full access

Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
CONTENTS
PREFACE
Why I Wrote This BookWhom Is This Book For?Why You Should Read a Book Like ThisWhat I've Learned after Teaching Critical Thinking for Eight YearsHow to Read This Book
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Section I: Introduction and the Framework for Critical Thinking
Chapter 1: What Is Critical Thinking?
Benefits of Critical Thinking
Chapter 2: When to Use Critical Thinking

Chapter 3: The Framework and Tools
ClarityConclusionsDecisions
Section II: Clarity
Chapter 4: Empty Your Bucket
The BucketGetting Started with Emptying Your Bucket
Chapter 5: Inspection
Getting Started with Inspection
Chapter 6: Why?
Why Why?Ask Why to Distinguish This from ThatAsk Why to Get to a Root CauseAsk Why to Get to “I Don't Know”Ask Why to Get to Because !!Getting Started with Why
Chapter 7: So What?
So What: Your Company or ProductYour So WhatGetting Started with So What
Chapter 8: Need
What Is the Necessity?Great Teams and NeedNeed and SurvivalGetting Started with Need
Chapter 9: Anticipatory Thinking
What's Next?Getting Started with Anticipatory Thinking
Chapter 10: What Else?
What Else Could This Be?Getting Started with What Else
Chapter 11: The Ingredient Diagram
Ingredients of Your HeadscratcherGetting Started with the Ingredient Diagram
Chapter 12: Vision
What Is Your Vision?Getting Started with Vision
Chapter 13: The Thinking Coach
The Role of a Thinking CoachWhy Be a Thinking Coach?Examples of a Thinking CoachIf You Have the Experience, Why Not Communicate That?Ten Rules of a Thinking CoachGetting Started with Being a Thinking Coach
Chapter 14: Summary of Clarity
Clarity: Getting Clear about Your HeadscratcherGetting StartedPracticeClarity: Not about Solving the ProblemWhen Am I Done with Clarity?Can I Use Critical Thinking by Myself and Not with a Group?
Section III: Conclusions
Chapter 15: It's All about the Premise
DeductionInductionIt's All about the Premise
Chapter 16: Facts
Facts Are Absolute TruthUse So What with FactsFact or Not Fact?
Chapter 17: Observations
Observations Are Abundant
Chapter 18: Experiences
Your ExperiencesSo What?
Chapter 19: Beliefs
Beliefs —Your Value SystemWhen Beliefs Are Different
Chapter 20: Assumptions
Assumptions Are Key
Chapter 21: The Conclusion
Putting It All TogetherCreating the PremiseThe Stronger the Premise, the More Reliable the Conclusion—and the More Confidence You'll Have in ItJumping to ConclusionsWhere Do Personalities Fit In?Which Conclusion Is Right?Getting Started with Conclusions
Chapter 22: Credibility
How Credible Is the Premise?Credibility of Facts and ObservationsWhy Do People Lose Credibility?Getting Started with Credibility
Chapter 23: Consistency
The Consistency of Your Premise ComponentsGetting Started with Consistency
Chapter 24: Triangular Thinking
Estimating the UnknownGetting Started with Triangular Thinking
Chapter 25: Change
The Premise and ChangeHelping People Accept ChangeGetting Started with Change
Chapter 26: Influencing and Persuading
Using the Premise to InfluenceUsing the Premise to PersuadeMaybe You Need to Be Persuaded?Getting Started with Influencing and Persuading
Section IV: Conclusions and Innovation
Chapter 27: Outside-the-Box Thinking
Ask What If and What OtherGetting Started with Thinking Outside the Box
Chapter 28: Abductive Thinking
An Educated GuessOld Dog ThinkingKnowledge with No ExperienceOld Dog Thinking CuresGetting Started with Abductive Thinking
Chapter 29: Impossible Thinking
Thinking about How to Accomplish the ImpossibleGetting Started with Impossible Thinking
Chapter 30: Summary of Conclusions
Creating SolutionsGetting StartedSorry, You're Not Quite Done!
Section V: Decisions
Chapter 31: Who, Need, and When
Whose Decision Is This, Anyway?Need, Again!When Does This Decision Need to Be Made?Getting Started with Who, Need, and When
Chapter 32: Criteria
Without Criteria, Nothing Is DecidedGetting Started with Criteria
Chapter 33: Risk
What's the Risk?11 Risk FactorsUsing the 11-Factor ModelWhat Is Too Risky?Getting Started with Risk
Chapter 34: Summary of Decisions
Taking ActionGetting StartedAre We Done Yet?
Critical Thinking Summary and Suggestions
Critical Thinking SummaryCritical Thinking—Let's Begin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX

Content preview from Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills

Preface

Acknowledgments

Section I INTRODUCTION AND THE FRAMEWORK FOR CRITICAL THINKING

1 What Is Critical Thinking?

2 When to Use Critical Thinking

3 The Framework and Tools

Section II CLARITY

9 Anticipatory Thinking

10 What Else?

11 The Ingredient Diagram

12 Vision

13 The Thinking Coach

14 Summary of Clarity

Section III CONCLUSIONS

15 It's All about the Premise

21 The Conclusion: Putting It All Together

22 Credibility

23 Consistency

24 Triangular Thinking

25 Change

26 Influencing and Persuading

Section IV CONCLUSIONS AND INNOVATION

27 Outside-the-Box Thinking

28 Abductive Thinking

29 Impossible Thinking

30 Summary of Conclusions

Section V DECISIONS

31 Who, Need, and When

32 Criteria

33 Risk

34 Summary of Decisions

CRITICAL THINKING SUMMARY AND SUGGESTIONS

About the Author

Index

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.

Julian F.

Head of Cybersecurity

I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.

Addison B.

Field Engineer

I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.

Amir M.

Data Platform Tech Lead

I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.

Mark W.

Embedded Software Engineer

An Introduction to Critical Thinking and Creativity: Think More, Think Better

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781118729830Purchase book

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

Software Architecture

IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills

Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills

by Michael Kallet

CONTENTS

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.