How Do I improve my analytical skills?

[prats]

Hi,

I am good at straight thinking like a+b=c, I can do it in fraction of seconds, but when it comes to analytically thinking, given a piece of information and deriving a conclusion, thats the area of my improvement. I am anlytically challenged, Somehow my brain doesnt fully cooperate with me to think through the situation.Does IQ directly effects analytical thinking ?

What can I do in a daily routine to improve my analytical skills ?

[PaulL]

When I don't fully understand a problem, whether it be in a work issue/life issue/ or academic issue, what I do is organize everything in my head. I break apart the sitation, I very quickly determine a goal or at least what needs to happen to make the problem not a problem, then I think about the ways to do it and weigh the risk and rewards of each scenario. After I determine the best course of action, I think about how to execute the plan 100%.
If I fail in any of those parts and not realize I failed until it is too late, then I go back in my head and figure out where I went wrong and how I could improve.

I use this thought process for situations ranging from whether I should get hot choclate or coffee to responding in an emergancy situation such as a power equipment accident or an injury.
(Sorry about spelling I am on my phone)

[prats]

Let me add some more information. I am a s/w engineer 26 yrs old ,well settled trying to bring improvement in the way I work. Taking the 6 sigma approach

[magi13]

Originally Posted by prats

Hi,

I am good at straight thinking like a+b=c, I can do it in fraction of seconds, but when it comes to analytically thinking, given a piece of information and deriving a conclusion, thats the area of my improvement. I am anlytically challenged, Somehow my brain doesnt fully cooperate with me to think through the situation.Does IQ directly effects analytical thinking ?

What can I do in a daily routine to improve my analytical skills ?

Experience. ^^, Why not try solving analytical questions and compare your answer to the right one.

I am sure if you constantly practice and apply what you've learn and associate them with the new things you've learn you will improve dramatically.

The trick in analyses is to associate facts with the new facts.

Try this as a guide.
SQR4

If you're good with mathematics try to view analytical problems in a mathematical way by means of logic
Basic logic

[RT Wolf]

You're asking abuot something trickier than you think, unless I misunderstand you. Sounds like you're interested in learnign to think in arguments? The first rule of that is that anything anyone says is a claim, whether descriptive, prescriptive or general truth claim. If I say, it's raining out, I'm claiming it's raining out. If I say you're stupid, I'm claiming you're stupid. So, how do you determine what's a convincing argument. Practice.

Alternatively, you may be interested in systems thinking. Google it.

I think I need more details about what sort of things you'd like to apply analytical thinking to. Maybe some examples?

[magi13]

Try this simple exercise. Extemporaneous speaking.

Choose a topic

Say an opinion about it.

Question it.

Support a positive and negative side with facts.

That's basic analysis. ^^

Practice

[Brutha]

If you're good with mathematics try to view analytical problems in a mathematical way by means of logic
Basic logic

Basic logic doesn't help you with making good analytical decisions in most situations. If it would computer would be intelligent but they aren't.

Analysis is always about having incomplete knowledge.
That means that you will produce from time to time wrong answer even when you use the perfect strategy to deal with a problem given the information that you have.

That is crucial to understand because a lot of people are trained in university that it's bad to produce wrong answers.

On way to think analytical is to use models. Models don't have to be perfect.
If you look at a smiling person you might use your mental happy person model.

If you have a problem try different models and ask the question: "What would if mean if this model accurately describes the situation?"
Now you go consciously and unconsciously through a bunch of models in our memory and search for the model that fits best.
Maybe you also need multiple model to understand distinct areas of the problem.

Having a diverse set of models in your head is helpful.
Maybe you dismiss certain models out of hand at the moment and you would improve your abilities by consciously applying wild models to problems to broaden your view of problems.

[Dusty]

See the beauty in it. Develop a passion for it. If you don't love being analytical in and of itself, you won't like practicing it.

[magi13]

That maybe so, but it is a beginning for the thread starter.

Besides that's not the only thing I posted.

^,^ You should consider the whole message before pinpointing a specific issue.
My reply to the thread starter's inquiry works as a whole. not in parts.

If alone logic is not enough, it has to be complimented with a lot of different things. ^^

[Brutha]

That maybe so, but it is a beginning for the thread starter.

I don't think that it's a good beginning.
Applying logic is linear thinking where he hasn't his problem.

Besides that's not the only thing I posted.

I don't happen to disagree with the part about practice.

[magi13]

Originally Posted by Brutha

I don't think that it's a good beginning.
Applying logic is linear thinking where he hasn't his problem.

I disagree, it can be a basis for his improvement.

Thread starter, it's up to you to try our advice and see what works for you.

@Brutha what do you think should be his beginning?

[WayneKey1]

I am thinking that defining terms a little here would help out. The philosophic terms related to your question are induction and deduction. Deduction seems be what you are describing as your better skill set. Deduction is taking known facts and principles and applying them. The standard example is algebra. Induction is taking observations from the world around us and abstracting out principles and new ideas.

That may sound like gobbledegook. But its not. Deduction is using algebra. Induction is inventing algebra (or a new algebraic principle). Almost all thinking processes are a combination, but we all have a proclivity towards one or the other.

So, my thought on how to improve the induction side of your thought process. Find something creative that you enjoy doing. Painting, writing, creating New mathematical solutions.. something or maybe several things. Do a lot of this and you will find that you approach a problem more inductively and less deductively. I have to work on myself all the time the other direction.

good luck

Wayne

[Brutha]

Take a problem and apply random models to it while asking the question: "What would that mean?"
The point would be to expand the amount of different models that one uses to look at problems.

That may sound like gobbledegook. But its not. Deduction is using algebra. Induction is inventing algebra (or a new algebraic principle). Almost all thinking processes are a combination, but we all have a proclivity towards one or the other.

You can only use algebra once you modeled the problem.
Building models and choosing the right model for a problem is the difficult thing.

Afterwards you can use linear thinking to become a solution but you won't get a good model for your problem that way.

[MisterEThoughts]

Try reading some great books on logic. Google is your friend

[SpirosGyrosAU]

I'm not entirely sure what to do about this one either.

I've read one of De Bono's Logic books but I think I might have to read another one.

What books do you recommend exactly?

[thaiduytrinh]

It depends on what situations you wanna apply your analytical skill.


Trial and errors. One of the easiest ways to practice is following the news. Read any articles of your interest, do some research on that particular event and guess what it gonna happen because of that particular event. Compare yours with the "correct" answer the next day. Should you gave the wrong guess, read article that explains why it is so and ask yourself how to improve. Why couldn't you apply your analytical model in this case? Did you make certain false assumptions? Did you miss considering some aspects of the problem? Through the process, you will develop and perfect your own approach to analyze those kind of problems. I would recommend "The Economist" for this practice

Imitating the best. Try to analyze a problem with your friends. Find out how their analytical process work and learn from them.

[simonsta]

This might be an overly simple answer, but here's how I think analytical skills can be developed.

In any situation, ask...

...WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN & WHERE.

Every time you ask, you'll learn more. When you've finished asking, and gotten the answers, ask...

...WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN & WHERE

once again! Keep going! This is the trick of an analytical mind.