Skills Enhancement Course

 Name - Deepika Kirti Pathak 

Year - T .Y .B.A  Semester 5

Subject - Life skills 3 

        Home Assignment 

     Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking - Concept

Critical thinking is a rich concept that has been developing throughout the past 2500 years.The term "critical thinking" has its roots in the mid-late 20th century. We offer here overlapping definitions, together which form a substantive, trans-disciplinary conception of critical thinking.

• Critical thinking is defined as an ability to analyse information and experience in an objective manner.

• According to Jones, (1996), Critical thinking is generally agreed to include evaluation of the worth, accuracy or authenticity of various propositions, leading to a supportable decision or direction for action.

• Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing,synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplar form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend

subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency,

relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness

 Qualities of a Well-cultivated Critical Thinker

The following are qualities of a well-cultivated thinker:

Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;

Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively;

Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;

Thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences;

And communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

Critical thinking is, in short, self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and socio-centrism.

No one is a critical thinker through and through, but only to such and such a degree, with such and such insights and blind spots, subject to such-and-such tendencies towards self-delusion. For this reason, the development of critical thinking skills and dispositions is a lifelong endeavour.

Characteristics of Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves the use of a kind of thinking called reasoning, in which we construct and/or evaluate reasons to support beliefs. The characteristics are:

Critical thinking also involves reflection - the examination and evaluation of our own and others' thoughts and ideas.

Finally, critical thinking is practical. Actions are more rational if they are based on beliefs that we take to be justified. careful, deliberate determination of whether we should accept, reject,or suspend judgement about the truth of a claim or a recommendation to act in a certain way.

Critical thinking involves the use of a group of interconnected skills to analyze, creatively integrate, and evaluate what you read and hear.

Critical thinking involves certain dispositions. A disposition is atendency to act or think in a certain way.

To learn how to think critically, one must learn skills that build upon each other. Only by concentrating on and practicing the basic skills can mastery of critical thinking be achieved.

Critical Thinkers are:

➤ Curious about the world.

➤ Creative questioners.

➤ Frequently asking "why?" and looking for reasons to defend a position.

➤ Interested only in credible sources of information.

➤ Able to take into account the total situation or context when interpreting something.

➤ Relevant thinkers who stick to the main point.

➤ Always looking for alternative explanations, positions, or arguments.

➤ Open minded and who seriously consider points of views other than their own.

➤ Willing to change a position when the evidence is sufficient to make them do so.

➤ Able to withhold judgement when the evidence is insufficient.

➤ Eager to seek precision.

➤ Able to realize the limits of knowing; hence they look for probability rather than proof.

➤ Able to realize the role of personal bias in the process of knowing something .   

         Class  Assignment 

Creative Thinking

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will."

-George Bernard Shaw

"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while."

-Steve Jobs

Creative Thinking - Concept

A way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions (which may look unsettling at first). Creative thinking can be stimulated both by an unstructured process such as brainstorming, and by a structured process such as lateral thinking.

A simple definition is that creativity is the ability to imagine or invent something new.

As we will see, creativity is not the ability to create out of nothing but is the ability to generate new ideas by combining, changing, or reapplying existing ideas. Some creative ideas are astonishing and brilliant, while others are just simple, good, practical ideas that no one seems to have thought of yet.

 Why do we Need to Develop Creative Thinking Ability?

Creativity is an important component of problem solving, other higher cognitive abilities, social and emotional well-being, and academic and adult success (Slavkin, 2004). Our children need to develop creative thinking because, it helps them :

To expand their abilities

To come up with new ideas 

To make effective use of human resources 

To discover new and better ways

 To use their natural creative talents 

To develop effective leadership 

To remain mentally alert and healthy

Characteristics

Creative individuals possess some of these characteristics:

Unconventional: Creative people do not feel the need to conform to society's standards. They often swim against the current and flow with their own way of thinking and living.

Individualistic: Creative people want to find out what the truth is, and they have a strong need to decide for themselves what works and what does not.

Inventive: Creative people live in the world of ideas, and don't always have the best interpersonal skills.

Driven: Creative people are almost compulsive until they can bring their internal vision into fruition. They have that 'fire in their belly' a passion to contribute to the beauty and betterment of the world.

Visionary: Creative people have a guiding vision in their head, heart, and soul that they are often called to bring to life.

Intuitive: Creative people are very much in touch with their inner selves. They pay attention to the signs, synchronicities, symbols around them, and make use of that information in their work.

Curiosity: Display a great deal of curiosity about many things; are constantly asking questions about anything and everything; may have broad interests in many unrelated areas. May devise collections based on unusual things and interests.

Fluency: Generate a large number of ideas on select problems and questions; often offer unusual or clever responses.

Uninhabited: Are often uninhibited in expressions of opinion; are sometimes radical and spirited in disagreement; are tenacious or persistently-fixating on an idea or project.

Risk taking: Are willing to take risks; are often people who are described as a "high risk taker, or adventurous, or speculative."

Imaginative: Display a good deal of intellectual playfulness; may frequently be caught fantasizing, daydreaming or imagining.

Sense of Humour: Display keen senses of humour and see humour in situations that may not appear to be humorous to others. Sometimes their humour may appear bizarre, inappropriate, and irreverent to others.

Sensitive: Exhibit heightened emotional sensitivity. May be very sensitive to beauty, and visibly moved by aesthetic experiences.

Non conformity: Are frequently perceived as nonconforming; accept disordered or chaotic environments or situations; are frequently not interested in details; are described as individualistic, or do not fear being classified as "different."

 Components of Creative Thinking

Components of creative thinking are detailed are as follows:

i) Divergent Thinking: is the ability to think in different ways on one issue.

ii) Innovativeness: is the ability to think in new ways of doing things, different from the routine ways, which is cost effective if implemented, and worthy of emulation.

iii) Novelty: is the ability to generate new ways of thinking which the individual/group had not used in the past.

iv) Fluency: is the ability to generate fluently many ideas about a situation without any discontinuity of thoughts.

v) Flexibility: is the ability to shift perspectives while thinking and generate as many ideas as possible.

Originality: in majority of people, originality is suppressed due to the desire for social approval.

vi) Elaboration: is the ability to articulate and embellish a given idea, and are capable of expanding their ideas into a well connected and meaningful manner.

vii) Unconventional: is the ability to go against the practiced, well entrenched ways of doing things in order to come up with solutions to the issue of social needs or issues.

viii) Independent: is the ability to think and act independently from the views of other

Steps of Creative Thinking

The five steps of creative thinking are detailed below:

Defending judgement when looking for new ideas 

Generate a large number of ideas

List ideas and classify them

Constantly review and revise ideas

Allowing the subject to incubate All ideas should be welcomed without being called dull or foolish. We are to defer judgement until we have generated a large number of ideas.

Generate a large number of ideas is the best way to develop creative thinking. Most creative ideas that are generated takes time.

List ideas and classify them according to their characteristics. This is a very important step. Ideas that are flowing out from our minds, need to get documented. When we list ideas, we get to know how many more ideas need to be generated to develop a more creative idea.

                Essay    

         Writing Skills

What are writing skills?

Writing skills include all the knowledge and abilities related to expressing yourself through the written word. It is a sound understanding of language through grammar, spelling and punctuation. People with excellent writing skills can tailor their tone and word choice to different situations and people. They use advanced writing techniques, such as literary devices, to clearly communicate their ideas and keep their readers engaged.

Why are writing skills important?

Writing skills are essential in the corporate world to execute decisive action and provide clear instruction. In order to function smoothly, businesses need to send and receive information at an internal, regional and international level. Writing skills allow people to connect without physically being present in a room. The ability to articulate your points effectively saves time and company resources.

Here are more reasons to develop your writing skills:

Makes you a better leader:

As you progress up the corporate hierarchy, writing skills become even more important. Small details such as paying attention to your word choice and tone of voice can impact the way your subordinates and your customers feel about you. Writing is a tool that can be used to build trust and show empathy. Using it to your advantage can make you a more effective leader.

Helps you get hired:

Writing skills are also essential to the hiring process. A well-written cover letter and CV can help you make a good impression. Knowledge about persuasive language techniques can further convince a recruiter.

Shows your professionalism:

Business writing skills are important because they are used in various communication channels. 

To give you an idea of how many there are, here is a list of the most common writing forms in the workplace:

Email

Social media posts

Text message

Website copy

Press release

Presentation

 Business proposal

Work report

Internal memo

Newsletter

Official document

 Instruction manual

 CV

 Letter

 Job description

How to improve your writing skills

It takes a lot of practice to improve your business writing skills. Learning a variety of writing techniques can help you become a more effective communicator. The key thing to remember is to give more thought to your structure and writing style. Here are our 10 tips to help you improve your writing skills:

1. Think before you write

Taking time to think before you write will help your email or presentation come together effortlessly. Dedicating more time to the planning stage in the writing process will help you build a consolidated argument. In return, you will not have to spend a lot of time editing your work.A plan gives you a clear mental picture of the purpose of your writing. For example, if you want to communicate a new project to your team, the purpose of your writing would be to instruct them on what to do and how to distribute the work. Planning will help you break down a larger message into simpler, achievable steps.

2. Do your research

Work reports and official documents require thorough evidence and research. Compile all the necessary information you need before you write. Taking precautions to make sure your writing sounds accurate will give you the confidence to answer questions a stand by your work.Being knowledgeable about the subject you are writing about will reflect positively on you.

3. Create an outline

Creating an outline can help you organise your thoughts and break down a complex message. Detailed documents such as reports, presentations and CV's need to address several questions from different angles. Brainstorming your points or creating a linear outline will ensure that you have covered all the important information. Taking time to prepare your work will save you from making clarifications and amendments in the future.

Understand your audience

Your writing style can take on different forms in a business setting depending on who you are writing to. Your corporate culture and industry will also determine the type of language you use.

When you write, you need to put yourself in your reader's shoes. Think about whether they have enough context to understand what you have written.

Keep it simple

Short and concise sentences hold the attention of your reader. As a writer, you need to scrutinise every word and phrase to see if you can communicate your point more simply and naturally. You want to give them just enough information without overwhelming them with trivial details.

Cut down filler words

Creative writing is always fun and exciting, however, it is not appropriate for every occasion. Learning how to edit your work diligently can help you become a better writer. There are always some words we use a lot in our writing, but they do little to enhance our point. Delete words or phrases that sound repetitive or too wordy. People are more likely to read your work from start to finish if it flows with ease.

Improve your word choice

Try to be as specific as possible with your word choice. Adverbs, words that end in "ly", can often be replaced with more concise adjectives. For example, instead of "he worked very carefully", use "he was meticulous." Common descriptive words such as "beautiful" can also be substituted for more accurate words, including "charming" or "gorgeous."

Use simple vocabulary

Often, there is an assumption that rich vocabulary makes you a better writer. However, this is a myth. Powerful communicators select words that are appropriate for their audience. They are adaptable and can cater to different purposes and skill level.

Avoid contractions 

Indian English does not use contractions. So write instead of "you're", "can not" instead of "can't", "will not" instead of "won't", "have not" instead of "haven't", "we will" instead of "we'll" and "did not" instead of "didn't".

Read it out loud

Hearing your writing out loud helps you determine what's wordy, cut down long sentences into shorter ones. Similarly, you can combine a few longer sentences to balance out the feel and sound of your writing.

Common writing styles for the workplace

Skilled writers can adapt their writing styles to complement the task at hand. To improve your writing skills, you need to identify when to use a particular writing style and how it will impact your message. Here are four common writing styles with examples of how they are used in the workplace:

Descriptive writing style

Descriptive writing creates a vivid picture of characters, events and settings to immerse a reader in a writer's story. It is often used in marketing collaterals to entice customers to purchase a product or service. Practicing descriptive writing can help you become a more creative and expressive writer.

Narrative writing style

Narrative writing is just as detailed as descriptive writing, but it also follows a clear storyline and plot, such as a novel or memoir. Brand stories will follow the narrative writing style to share the journey of how an entrepreneur discovered the solution to their problem. Practicing narrative writing in your free time can help you structure your thoughts and words in a logical format.

Persuasive writing style

Persuasive writing builds an emotional connection with the reader to convince them to adopt the writer's beliefs and opinions. Examples of persuasive writing in the workplace include marketing advertisements, business proposals and cover letters.

While writing a cover letter, in particular, you need to take extra care to balance honesty with persuasion. In other words, you want to ensure your cover letter accurately represents you.

Expository writing style

Expository writing is the most common writing style in the workplace because it is used to inform and explain.Examples of expository writing are work reports and manuals.