How do you help others think critically?

1 Ask open-ended questions

Asking open-ended questions is a simple yet effective way to help others think critically. These questions cannot be answered with a yes or no, and require the respondent to elaborate, explain, justify, or evaluate their own or others' ideas. For instance, you could ask questions like: What are the main strengths and weaknesses of this argument? How did you reach this conclusion? What alternative explanations or solutions can be considered? What potential consequences or impacts would result from this decision? How does this relate to what we learned before? Asking open-ended questions can encourage deeper thinking, challenge assumptions, clarify reasoning, and foster reflection.

2 Provide constructive feedback

Offering constructive feedback is an effective way to help others think critically. It is not just praise or criticism, but a balanced and specific assessment that guides the recipient to improve their performance or understanding. For instance, you can acknowledge what they did well and why, identify what they need to work on and how, ask follow-up questions that prompt them to revise, refine, or expand their ideas, suggest additional resources or references that can help them learn more, and encourage them to seek feedback from others as well. Through providing constructive feedback, you can support their learning, development, and confidence while also creating a culture of continuous improvement.

3 Model critical thinking

Modeling critical thinking is an effective way to help others think critically; it involves demonstrating your own thinking process, not just the final outcome. To do this, you can explain the steps you took to solve a problem or reach a decision, share the criteria, evidence, and assumptions you used to evaluate an argument or a solution, compare and contrast different perspectives or options, identify the limitations, gaps, or biases in your own or others' reasoning, and reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses as a critical thinker. By modeling critical thinking in this way, you can inspire others to emulate your habits, methods, and attitudes while also inviting feedback and collaboration.

4 Create opportunities for practice

Offering opportunities for practice is a great way to help others think critically. This involves challenging them to use their knowledge, skills, and creativity to solve real-world problems, analyze complex issues, or generate innovative ideas. For instance, you can provide case studies, simulations, or scenarios that present realistic and relevant problems or situations; ask them to conduct research, experiments, or surveys; invite them to present, debate, or discuss their ideas or solutions with others; encourage them to create, design, or produce something that demonstrates their understanding or skills; and give them feedback and opportunities to revise, improve, or extend their work. In this way, you can help them develop, apply, and refine their critical thinking skills while assessing their progress and performance.

5 Foster a supportive environment

Creating a climate of trust, respect, and openness can help others think critically by fostering a supportive environment. Valuing diversity, curiosity, and collaboration, as well as acknowledging mistakes, challenges, and uncertainties are key to this process. Establishing clear expectations and goals for critical thinking, providing positive reinforcement and recognition for critical thinking efforts and achievements, listening actively and empathetically to others' viewpoints and feedback, respecting different opinions and perspectives even if you disagree, and admitting your own errors or limitations are all important steps in fostering a supportive environment. This helps create a safe space for others to think critically without fear of judgment or failure. Not only is this beneficial for them, but it can also enhance your own critical thinking skills as well as your relationships, communication, and collaboration. With these tips and strategies in mind, you can help others think critically in any professional context and contribute to their personal and professional growth.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?