Critical Thinking
Skills in critically reviewing the validity of views, evidence, and plans.
Micro-VCoL Exercises
Below are three exercises for developing critical thinking. Choose one to focus on for at least a week before trying another.
Exercise 1: The Evidence Question
Develop the habit of asking for or considering evidence before accepting claims, including your own assumptions.
Practice when you hear claims in meetings, read assertions in documents or emails, encounter statistics or facts, or notice yourself making assumptions.
When you hear a claim or notice yourself accepting something as true, pause and ask silently or aloud: "What is the evidence for this?" Consider: Is this based on data, experience, assumption, or authority?
How often did you question evidence today? Did you notice accepting things without examination? When you did ask about evidence, what did you discover?
Exercise 2: The Assumption Surface
Make hidden assumptions explicit so they can be examined, especially in plans and proposals.
Practice when reviewing plans, proposals, or strategies, whether your own or others. Also practice when explaining or defending a position.
When examining a plan or proposal, ask: "What has to be true for this to work?" Identify 2-3 key assumptions that are not stated explicitly. For each one, consider: Is this assumption valid? What if it is wrong?
What assumptions did you surface today? Were any of them problematic or untested? How did others respond when you raised assumptions?
Exercise 3: The Source Consideration
Before accepting information, briefly consider its source and any potential biases or limitations.
Practice when receiving information from any source: reports, presentations, news, data, opinions from colleagues, or your own conclusions.
When information comes to you, pause briefly and ask: "Where does this come from? What perspective or interest might shape this? What might the source not see or not want me to see?"
Did source consideration change how you received any information today? What sources do you tend to trust without examination? What sources do you tend to dismiss without fair consideration?