Question 1: 

What is critical thinking? Explain the different critical thinking techniques.

Critical thinking is a kind of thinking in which you question, analyse, interpret, evaluate and
make a judgement about what you read, hear, say, or write. The term critical comes from the
Greek word kritikos meaning “able to judge or discern”. Good critical thinking is about
making reliable judgements based on reliable information.

Applying critical thinking does not mean being negative or focusing on faults. It means
being able to clarify your thinking so that you can break down a problem or a piece of
information, interpret it and use that interpretation to arrive at an informed decision or
judgement (for example designing a bridge, responding to an opinion piece or
understanding a political motivation).

Question 2: Explain the use of a decision tree in the decision-making process.

1. Identifying biases

This critical thinking skill is necessary for metacognition, which is the fifth characteristic of
critical thinking. It involves knowing when others have a cognitive bias and when you have
one yourself.

Biases can influence how someone understands the facts presented to them. But when
you’re aware of those biases, you can question yourself on those biases and consider other
points of view.

Identifying biases is especially important for people who make hiring decisions. That’s
because biases against groups of minorities can lead to inequalities in the workplace when
not identified.

For example, imagine a hiring manager comparing two resumes. Their gut feeling could
guide them to discount one of the resumes due to a bias against the opposite gender. But
let’s say this hiring manager realizes they have this bias. They can then question themselves
on whether or not this bias is influencing their judgment.
2. Inference

Inference is the ability to draw conclusions based on the information you have. Without
inference, it can be difficult to take action once you’ve analyzed the facts presented to you.
Processing information is key to coming up with a reasoned judgment.

For example, let’s go back to the accountant struggling to assign the correct category to a
business expense. They can analyze other similar situations and infer the most logical
category based on that information.

3. Research

Before you analyze facts and infer a conclusion, you need to find out what those facts are.
Researching skills allow you to discover facts and figures to make an argument.

Not all situations will have the required information available to you. Researching skills are
necessary to dig into a situation and gather the information you need to think critically.

Some situations don’t require further research. For example, a first responder who arrives on
the scene of an automobile accident won’t perform further research. They’ll have to analyze
what they see in front of them and decide which injuries are the most urgent to care for.

On the other hand, someone performing a market analysis will need to research
competitors and gather information before coming up with an opinion.

4. Identification

Identification is different from inference and research. It involves being able to identify a
problem but also what’s influencing that problem.
In short, identification is necessary for someone to realize that they need to think critically
about something. Without proper identification skills, it will be difficult for someone to
know when it’s time to analyze a situation.

For example, let’s say you’re entering numbers in a spreadsheet. The numbers aren’t coming
out as they usually do. Without identification skills, you could easily keep going without
realizing there’s an issue. But when you identify what’s going on, you can see that
something is broken in the spreadsheet’s formula.

Only once you identify the fact that the formula is broken can you start analyzing what’s
going on to solve the issue.

5. Curiosity

Don’t be afraid to question everything and explore what you’re curious about. That’s
because intellectual curiosity is a valuable skill, especially when it comes to critical thinking.

One way to practice curiosity is to adopt a beginner’s mindset. When you come into every
situation with the mindset of a beginner, you’re able to keep an open mind. You’ll be able to
perceive things you may not have noticed when keeping your mind closed.

6. Judging relevance

Not all information is equally pertinent. In order to make a critical judgment, it’s important
to be able to judge the relevance of the information you have.

Take, for instance, basic online researching skills. You have access to a plethora of
information on virtually every topic imaginable. But performing online research requires you
to constantly judge the relevance of what you see.
Without judging relevance, you’d spend too much time on details that don’t matter as much
for the final desired outcome. But when you’re able to discern what’s most pertinent, you
can give that information more weight as you’re thinking critically.

Question 3: What is the proposal briefing? Explain the purpose of the briefing.

Question 4: Explain the feedback register.

Question 5: Explain how to refine the proposal.