How to think clearly to improve understanding and communication
By learning to question and clarify your thoughts, you will improve your knowledge of yourself and become a better communicator. Whenever you set out to clarify your thinking, you’re not aiming to articulate an ultimate truth. Rather, you’re aiming at a process, the result of which will always be an act of communication, complete with all the imperfections and contingencies this implies.
Think it through
- Before you begin take a moment to collect your thoughts, take a deep breath
- In a pause you can question existing ways of acting, have new ideas or simply appreciate the life you are living
- Without pauses, there can be no second thoughts and no self-interrogations. There is no process until you take the time to embark upon it
Conduct honest self-examination
Honest self-examination and iteration are vital. This is a vital component of clarifying your thinking: stripping away oversimplifications, no matter how compelling or appealing, and replacing them with an honest acknowledgment of circumstances.
Embrace dialogue – and know your limits
- Justify your position via evidence and reasoned analysis
- Listen to, and learn from, perspectives other than your own
- Accept that, in the face of sufficiently compelling arguments or evidence, it might be reasonable to change your mind