Page 203 - Smart Thinking: Skills for Critical Understanding and Writing, 2nd Ed

Guide to Important Skills

Use the following questions and answers as an index to specific advice in Smart
Thinking on the key skills of reasoning. They are designed to help you 'get back
into' the book after you have read it thoroughly for the first time; they also provide
a basic summary of what Smart Thinking can do to 'smarten up' your own thinking.
These questions provide a connection between the skills discussed in this book and
the most common concerns that people have when faced with the task of writing
an essay or report, or preparing an oral presentation. In other words, these ques-
tions show you how to understand and apply smart-thinking skills in practical
contexts.
Each question is answered in brief, and then page references are given to direct
you to the detailed advice necessary for you to answer the question for yourself. The
guide is divided into two sections. The first contains questions that are more
general and that are expressed without mentioning specific concepts from the book
(the answers then give those concepts); the key issue in each of these questions is
presented in bold type. The second section contains questions that guide you
towards specific concepts that are mentioned in the book (in bold). If you have not
yet read Smart Thinking through thoroughly, you should begin with the first
section.

General questions

How can I think through complex ideas so that I have a good under-
standing of them?
Ask questions, do not be satisfied with easy answers, and do not make assumptions
about what things mean. (See pp 83-6, 105-7, 124-8.)

What do I need to do to be convincing in my reports, essays, and presen-
tations?
Make sure you have a good analytical structure and have a strong argument or
explanation. (See pp 81-6, 121-8.)

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