Critical Thinking, Part III

Whether intended or not, we all use strategies of communication that can be deceptive. A good critical thinker is one who can recognize those deceptive strategies in order to avoid errors in reasoning. Here are some examples which we will go over briefly:
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Making things too simple. This means making something so simple that it actually becomes
inaccurate. For example, Susan says to you, “We have to put all of these things into claims captioned reports because the Regional Managers want to know everything.” The best way to respond is to point out any error in the logic and provide other evidence for a more complicated reason. You might respond with, “I doubt that they want the information just to be nosey. I’ve
seen where they use it to analyze the complete situation to help determine the correct path
we should take on the claim.”
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Using facts that are irrelevant. This means using facts that really have no bearing on the issue at hand. For example, Brad says to Angelina, “The new Claims VP is going to change all of our contact standards anyway, so we might as well not bother trying to beat the old standards.” The best way to respond is to point out that the facts have nothing to do with each other. Angelina replies to Brad by saying, “Yes, the new Claims VP might change things, but that doesn’t mean we should abandon what we are doing now. The current standards are still
important.”
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Making a case based on no facts to the contrary. This means to take a position based
on the fact that it has never been disproved. Sonny says to Cher, “I’ve never seen a better
way to prepare a coverage analysis, so as far as I’m concerned, this is the best process there
is.”
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The best way to respond is to explain that although part of the statement is true, it does not actually prove the point. Cher might respond, “I understand that you have never seen a better way, but there could still be better that ways we just haven’t seen yet. I think we need to do a little more research.”
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Making a case for the masses. This means trying to get an agreement simply because it
is the most popular. Phil says to Harry, “We should use that estimating system because most companies use it.” The best way to respond is to show a lack of support for the conclusion. Harry could reply, “That estimating system may be the most popular because it’s the cheapest, or has been around the longest. There may still be other systems that better suit our needs.”
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Hopefully, these ideas will help you to drill down to the core of what case in point is being presented to you. Also, identifying the presenter's strategy will go a long way helping you decide what is the best way to proceed. Stay tuned for more on this topic.