Established, since 1997, leading UK based training provider.
Celebrating 25 years in business! CPD Member - The CPD Certification Service ilm Recognised Provider

Be a Straight Thinker

Be a Straight Thinker

Be a Straight Thinker

“Straight thinking starts when you care more about proof than pride,” says Chris Farmer, Lead Trainer at Corporate Coach Group.

In order to think straight, remember the following:

  1. Regardless of opinion, facts are facts.
  2. Verify your sources.
  3. Be wary of the majority opinion.
  4. Coherence; non contradiction.

1. Regardless of opinion, facts are facts.

The first rule of clear thinking is to base all of your thinking upon facts.

Reality is an objective absolute. It exists, irrespective of your knowledge, opinion, beliefs, likes or dislikes.

  • If you are ignorant of the facts, then you are in a weakened state.
  • If your opinions do not correspond to the facts, then you are in a weakened state.

It is important to remember that your personal likes, dislikes and preferences have no affect on the workings of the world beyond your brain.

The first step to thinking straight is to become an avid seeker of the objective facts.

2. Verify your sources.

Your primary source of learning facts is through your direct sensory experience - what you personally see, hear, touch, taste, and smell.

Your secondary source of learning facts is through other people - in conversation, reading, media and the internet.

The main thing to bear in mind when gaining "knowledge" from others, is that the vast majority of the other people on the planet are no smarter than you.

Even experts may not be the source of valid knowledge, since there are many bad ideas in the world, and there are many people who have vested interests in pushing a particular point of view.

This means that you must develop the mindset of a critical thinker.

You should be sceptical of all claims that contradict your own experience, or your common-sense logic.

Obviously, since there is only one reality, there can be only one correct description of reality. All other descriptions are either incomplete or wrong.

Much of what you read on any subject you should regard as potentially incomplete or wrong.

It is up to you to check the validity of the claims you accept as true.

Swallowing a false idea into your mind is akin to a swallowing a poison into your body.

Just as you would teach a child NOT to accept sweets offered by a stranger, so you should not believe treats offered to you by a politician.

Keep your intellectual guard up.

3. Majority opinion.

Just as you should be wary of individuals suggesting false ideas and information, so you should be equally wary of accepting the majority opinion as a guide to the truth.

Many people feel a strong desire to conform to the majority view.

We tend to feel a keen sense of self-doubt whenever we discover that our view is in the minority.

There is a tendency to believe "If I am the only one who thinks it, I must be wrong".

We tend to modify our beliefs to fit in with the majority opinion because we don't want to NOT fit in. This process is called, "social conditioning".

You should fight the tendency to shift your beliefs simply to comply with the majority. Instead you should develop intellectual independence.

The number of people who believe something, has nothing to do with whether that belief is true or false.

It is important that you check the facts and the logical inferences, that have been made.

There are many people who do NOT use facts nor logic, to determine their beliefs.

You should be one of the small number of people, who base their beliefs on facts and their logical implications.

4. Non contradictory, coherent.

There can be no contradictions in reality, because facts are facts.

But there can be contradictions, in your description of reality.

If you find yourself believing two mutually contradictory statements, then you KNOW that either one, or both of your statements, must be wrong.

Self-contradiction is the sign of poor thinking. If you say one thing in the morning and then say the opposite thing in the afternoon, then something is wrong with your thinking.

If you say one thing, and you do the opposite, then something is wrong with your thinking.

"To arrive at a contradiction is to confess an error in one's thinking; to maintain a contradiction is to abdicate one's mind and to evict oneself from the realm of reality". Ayn Rand

To increase your chances of prosperity, learn to think straight.

  • Be clear.
  • Be rational.
  • Be positive.

Definition: critical thinking

Critical thinking is the work skill of judging ideas by clear facts, checking every source, staying free from group pressure and making sure each point fits with the next. If any one of those four steps is missing, the thinking is no longer critical.

Show CG4D Definition
Context: Business
Genus: skill
Differentia:
  • Judges ideas by objective facts
  • Checks the reliability of each information source
  • Resists social or majority pressure when forming views
  • Demands internal logic and rejects contradictions

Article Summary

Critical thinking ties each belief to objective facts, tests every source, resists majority pressure and roots out contradictions; follow those four moves and you build intellectual independence, logical consistency and sound choices that steer your life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.


Thought of something that's not been answered? Ask Us Today!

Did You Know: Key Statistics

Ofcom Online Nation 2024 finds 68% of UK adults now check two or more sources before they share news, up from 54% in 2020. Edelman Trust Barometer 2024 reports 76% of UK people fear false news is being used as a weapon, a rise from 69% in 2020.

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

Blogs by Email

Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!

Further Reading in Decision Making and Problem Solving

  • How to Make a Good Decision
    Master decision making in work and life. Learn six decision types, avoid bias, use a decision matrix and act with purpose to make good decisions every time.
    Read Article >
  • How Rational Thinking is the Key to Success
    Learn how rational thinking and logical reasoning help you align with natural laws, remove contradictions and reach lasting success at work and in life.
    Read Article >
  • Perception Bias in the Workplace
    Learn what perception bias is, why it harms teams and how to spot and stop it in recruitment. Use written criteria to cut unconscious bias and hire on fact.
    Read Article >
  • The Four Causes of all Your Problems
    Learn a problem solving approach that tracks issues to four roots-self, others, systems, nature-and shows how to change habits, guide people and fix processes.
    Read Article >
  • Black and White Thinking
    Learn why black and white thinking harms decision making and how the Law of Identity helps you weigh options, avoid oversimplification and think with clarity.
    Read Article >

Looking for Leadership and Management Training?

If you're looking to develop your Decision Making and Problem Solving Skills, you may find this Leadership and Management Training Course beneficial:

Open Training Course Pricing and Availability

9 - 10 September
Birmingham
£900 +VAT
15 - 16 September
Online - Teams
£900 +VAT
17 - 18 September
Gloucester (M5 J11)
£900 +VAT
30 Sep - 1 Oct
London - Central
£900 +VAT
More dates and locations available
Save £100 on this course

Next Open Course Starts in 6 days, Birmingham, places available Book Now >