5 Ways to Promote Critical Thinking in the Workplace

Critical thinking is a crucial aspect of any career. According to Emeritus.org, critical thinking "is the process of questioning, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and forming an opinion about what you read, hear, say, or write."

What makes it vital in the workplace? It's essential "to objectively infer facts without bias, examine the context, solve creative challenges, and come up with practical answers."

So how can you encourage this essential practice in your workplace environment? As a leader in corporate team building, we have these suggestions:

Practice Active Listening

If you are actively listening, you are listening to understand and comprehend, not just respond. Paraphrasing the speaker, asking questions, nodding, and making eye contact will improve your active listening.

Have a Healthy Debate

A healthy debate can help you think creatively, make connections, and challenge reasoning. This also helps avoid a "groupthink" perspective-- a common barrier to critical thinking.

Mix Up the Routine

A monotonous daily routine can lead to a drone mentality where you stop paying attention to your surroundings. Changing up your daily routine helps keep you engaged throughout the workday.

Become More Self-Aware

What are your likes/dislikes? What are your values? How do these affect your decision-making? Becoming more self-aware of your own biases can help you better understand other points of view.

Host a Team-Building Event

Many team-building exercises promote critical thinking skills. Organizing an outing or even beginning your next meeting with a quick team-building exercise can be a fun way to promote critical thinking.

We love hosting team-building events at Breakout. Check out our corporate events page to explore your options.