Serving the public and private sectors, The Dale Stewart Company was founded with one goal in mind—To revolutionize the deception of powerlessness people often feel when a crisis strikes.

Everyday, in ways big and small, people feel vulnerable to the perceived increase in terrorism, unexpected natural disasters, new emerging diseases, and other crisis that appear plausible.

As a result individuals and their families, groups, and government agencies are reviewing how they approach crisis and are seeking new training and knowledge in preparation of the unexpected.

With a relentless commitment to learning, The Dale Stewart Company offers a full range of training programs, seminars, consultation services and presentations. We are called in by individuals to help them identify what they need to know and how they can decrease their family’s fears and risk during the uncertain times of a disaster crisis.

We are called to train business owners, managers, and employees who have the responsibility for ensuring the recovery from difficulties and the ultimate survival of their business. We are called when law enforcement agencies, firefighters, and other first responders need training in decision-making and critical-thinking.

Our business has developed as a result of decades of survival, risk management and real world dealings. We came to realize that every survival situation is similar and how you think, make decisions, and respond can be the difference between being a victim and being a survivor.

There is more to surviving than basic survival skills, equipment, experience and a good plan. Although good things to have, at the moment of reality during crisis, they are not decisive and often betray you through a false sense of well-being.

We are practitioners of the art of survival and teach our real-world experiences to clients worldwide.

Many of you may believe you are already a great critical thinker, due to your years of experience and training, but consider this, a study supported by the Kellogg Foundation showed that only four percent of the U. S. population was considered highly competent in strategic critical thinking. When it comes to critical thinking itself, there are a number of myths to contend with:

To understand critical thinking, we must define it; identify what it is, and what it is not. Learning to think critically is difficult; trying to define the concept is more difficult. This article will present a definition and a useful model for learning how to think critically. As stated critical thinking is difficult to define, but Dr. Richard Paul, the founder of the National Academy on Critical Thinking, and known for his pioneering role in the development of the field uses the following definition: Critical Thinking … is the examination and test of propositions of any kind which are offered for acceptance, in order to find out whether they correspond to reality or not. The critical faculty is a product of education and training. It is a mental habit and power. It is a prime condition of human welfare that men and women should be trained in. It is our only guarantee against delusion, deception, superstition, and misapprehension of our earthly circumstances and ourselves. A more concise definition is: that mode of thinking about any subject, content, or problem – in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directive, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. No matter the definition, the key is to understand that critical thinking abilities can be individually developed.

Poor thinking can easily be as costly as inexperience or insufficient knowledge. Understand that every lapse of thinking is not a failure of skills. Indifference, mental laziness, or inattention lead to more thinking mistakes than do inadequate analyses. The most effective way to develop critical thinking abilities is by studying the various parts that make up this skill. Dr. Paul and his team developed a model that looks at eight components of thinking: assumption, concept, implications, inference, information, point of view, purpose, and question. Following is an explanation of each of these elements.

Assumption – An assumption is something that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof. Experts have divided assumptions into two categories: value based and descriptive. Value based assumptions are based on how you believe the world should be. Descriptive assumptions are more explicit and describe the world as it actually is.

Concept – This is the most powerful component of critical thinking. A concept is a general notion that makes something comprehensible. Conceptual thinkers have the ability to think “outside the box”. Conceptual thinkers are able to change focus and shift their thinking to see things differently. They remain open to new information and ideas relating to what’s going on around them. A major problem with non-critical thinkers is their inability to change their beliefs. Non-critical thinkers get stuck using the incorrect concepts to interpret the world and events around them. This is a conceptual trap and when one is trapped in a single concept, you can only think of things in one way. We witnessed an example of this type of thinking on September 11, 2001. On that day our concept of a missile changed. Before these attacks we were stuck in the thinking trap that hijacked aircraft are used as hostages for ransom, not weapons. Conceptual thinking requires overwhelming information to dismantle or strong critical thinking skills to overcome these traps. If you are to become a master critical thinker, you must force your mind to think of different ways of employing or integrating the same ideas.

Implications – Implications are what we expect to happen before a decision is made. Consequences are what happen after you make a decision. Critical thinkers always consider the implications of their beliefs, opinions, and actions. When thinking about implications, you should first consider all reasonable possibilities. This should include everything from the best case to the worst-case scenario. This type of thinking analysis forces you to focus on end results by identifying implications that are inevitable given the situation. From here you can compare possible implications with expectations of what will solve the issue at hand.

Inference – An inference is the conclusion we reach based on the interpretation of evidence. Inferences may be good or bad, true or false, logical or illogical. The key to understanding inferences is evaluating the underlying assumptions and applying good judgment. In the aftermath of many disaster operations people often draw false conclusions about the true nature of the situation. Hence we have the saying “jumping to conclusions” and critical thinkers resist this impulse. Instead they carefully evaluate and interpret the available information before assessing the validity of the underlying assumptions. This leads to a more reasoned and informed conclusion concerning the event.

Information – In this day and age there is little shortage of information, and this becomes a problem. The critical thinker must determine what information is most important and judge the quality of the information. A critical thinker must also see how all the information being received fits together and what linkages exist between the information. There are three ways the mind takes in information according to Dr. Paul: inert information, activated ignorance, and activated knowledge. Inert information is useless mind clutter. Activated ignorance is dangerous because it uses false information as truth. Activated knowledge is powerful stuff because it is truthful information that leads to understanding and wise decision-making.

Critical thinkers should be skeptical of information, and instead rely on their intellect to help evaluate data to create data that leads to knowledge. First responders often feel during a rescue operation as though there is not enough actionable information and this often leads to strategic indecision on their part. Dr. Gary Klein, a leading authority on decision-making, calls this indecision, “doubt that threatens to block action.” He further states that decision makers often believe a decision can be improved by receiving more information. But, in most instances this delay results in lost opportunities.

Point-of-View – Being able to see things from a different point of view is an essential part of critical thinking. To become a critical thinker you must look at situations from many points of view and different areas of knowledge. Critical thinkers look first at their own point of view then acknowledge other points of view and note any dissimilarity. Effective leaders invite rather than fear different points of view. Critical thinkers must not see opposing views as a threat, but rather another belief to be understood and perhaps adopted. Exploring different points of view will aid you, especially in a strategic leadership situation, in understanding the true environment and help clarify the uncertainty you find yourself and your team in.

Purpose – Critical thinkers want to assess the purpose of their thinking and actions. A critical thinker often asks, is my purpose in line with my goals, desires, values, and needs? The key to understanding purpose is being aware of one's self-deception tendency and being aware of planned deceptions.

Question – This is the most important element of critical thinking. You should look at critical questioning in three ways: the need to continually use critical questions, the interrelationships of questions, and the need to ask and answer questions at the right time. As a critical thinker you must be able to seek the primary issue, problem, or question at stake. In essence this is defining the problem you face. This may sound easy enough, but things become difficult as scenarios change and events occur. You must as a critical thinker continually evaluate whether you are trying to answer the right question or solve the right problem. Using probing questions leads to a deeper understanding required by the often complex environment of a rescue operation. Some examples of questions of judgment with respect to rescue operations might include: what is the best way to address this rescue effort, or how can we protect the men and women undertaking this effort and maintain their safety?

While different each element is linked simultaneously with the other elements. Consider this. As new information becomes available to you, your assumptions and inferences may change. Changes will generate new questions, impact your point of view, or require new concepts. If you change your assumptions, inferences will be affected. Questions spread throughout the model in that one must use questions to illuminate each of the other elements.

In becoming a critical thinker you should always ask some basic questions and seek answers to: What is my true purpose in this situation? Why am I really thinking about this? What questions should I be asking? What questions are required that I have not asked? What questions are forbidden? What other conclusions could be drawn from the information available? Are others assumptions available for consideration? What assumptions would radically change my conclusions? Whose point of view is missing? From what point of view am I approaching this situation? Are there other points of view that I should accept? What are the implications from this thinking? How do these implications meet or exceed my desired outcome? Have I applied the standards of thought to this reasoning? One can see through this short exercise in questioning, how learning critical thinking skills is possible. The key to developing any new skill is through training, study, and practice. This article should be a beginning in your study of critical thinking.

Future critical thinkers must practice their new skill so critical thinking becomes second nature to your thinking pattern. The more you practice thinking using the elements and standards set forth in this article, the quicker your critical thinking will improve. You may find this difficult as you challenge your mind to think in new ways. Remain flexible and open to change, and confront your own ego. If you do this over time, critical thinking will dominate your thought process and you will begin to recognize uncritical thinking in others. Good luck and stay safe.

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