These are 10 reasons to use 25 Thinking Tools.
1. Thinking in Real-Life Projects
Workers often miss information, make biased decisions, and take poor actions in their projects. In troubleshooting, problem-solving, cause analysis, risk mitigation, and testing, trial error, workers and learners require thinking frameworks. The 25 Thinking Tools Process speed up the flow, improves the reliability of answers, and engages workers to be part of the solution.
2. Immediate Application
Learners focus on applying ideas and solving problems, not just memorizing for a test. The key is to start with a real challenge to apply to solving problems. Instead of long, boring lectures or webinars elaborate and costly multimedia and eLearning, the Thinking situations use light-media (PDF, HTML, etc.) content presentations as references and tips.
3. Highly Relevant
Learners and workers face real-life and real-work issues. The peer-to-peer conversations, exchange of ideas, and experiences are very relevant. They discuss issues that matter to them, now and today!
4. Work Impacts
Thinking about finding answers and solutions leads to work impacts. The learners and workers answer the question, “did my solutions impact the outcomes for the better?” Thinking of impacts raises awareness of the value of their skills in finding answers and solving problems.
5. Useful Answers
In Thinking Through with peers, experts, and leaders in the Thinking Process, smart answers are discovered and presented as part of the repository of reliable answers. Learners and workers have a quick go-to place for useful answers.
6. Engaging
Since workers share their own work situations, the topics and concerns are their concerns and not theoretical or hypothetical. They are practical issues that affect their personal and work well-being. Consequently, the Thinking Process is very relevant.
7. Faster and Easier While at Work
The Thinking Process happens at work and while at work. Since work issues are current and calling attention, learners and workers have a strong motivation to immerse in the issues while at work. While they are solving problems, they are also learning. Thinking makes it faster and easier means to learn.
8. Cost Less
Most training programs, eLearning, and virtual training are costly investments. The costs go up because of the “myth” that high-quality videos, exercises, games, etc. are needed to teach content. In the Thinking Process, the focus is on thinking, exploring, discovering, and finding answers and solutions. It is less instruction-driven but rather experience-driven. The costs of set-up and delivery are far lower.
9. Deep Learning
Studies have shown that the more learners and workers solve problems, the better they are able to have a deeper understanding of the subject. The Thinking Process leads to deeper reflections, creating new knowledge and skills, and agile capacities to deal with unexpected or unknown work issues.
10. Lasting Learning
Like the old adage “teach people to fish”, adding a Thinking Process in training and learning programs helps learners and workers transfer and apply their skills and knowledge to other work issues and problems. They become life-long and self-sufficient learners. The Thinking Process makes learning long-lasting.