Five Thinking Styles to Help You Communicate with Others More Effectively
I’m coming back on May 1 with quite a few queued posts and possibly some real-time posts on that particular day. I’ll respond to some of the reblogs but I don’t want to stay for long, if any of you don’t mind. Anyway, I wanted to come on here for one particular post after I got interested in what a website called learning-minds.com had to say about thinking styles.
Some of these will sound just like some MBTI types, so be willing to share what your type is and which thinking style you identify with the most, the least, and the second most. I will not be responding to anyone until May 1, but I decided to write this post for today just to share it with you guys.
Synthesist Thinkers
· Curious and creative
· Tend not to think in logical, linear ways
o Sees connections between things
· Delight in finding relationships in things which, to others, have no apparent connection
· Tangents and “what if” questions
· Seen as argumentative
o Are actually looking at and analyzing a range of different views and ideas
· Thought patterns seem somewhat disjointed
· If you are a synthesist:
o Acknowledge the value of others’ ideas before discussing alternatives
· If you work with a synthesist:
o Understand they’re not trying to be argumentative but simply can’t help looking at problems from different angles
Idealist Thinkers
· High standards and big goals
· May be seen as perfectionists but are trying to achieve the highest quality they can in everything they do
· Broad, holistic view of things; future-oriented
· Value cooperation and teamwork
o Will work hard to bring a team together and help everyone achieve their best
· If you are an idealist:
o Understand that everyone doesn’t have such high standards as you
o Try not to get upset when people fail to achieve your (sometimes unrealistic) expectations
· If you work for an idealist:
o It can help you strive to be the very best you can
o Also means your opinions will be listened to and valued
o Can also rely on them to be honest and to live up to high moral standards
§ You can trust them and always know they will be honest with you
Pragmatic Thinkers
· Focused on action
· Like to tackle problems logically, one step at a time; prefer to make progress on one task at a time
· Like to get things done and their approach is often flexible and adaptable
· Not interested in why things happen or big picture problems as their idealist colleagues
· Short-term perspective
· If you are a pragmatist:
o Occasionally view things from a wider viewpoint and take in the bigger picture
§ Help you understand where your actions are leading and ensure you are headed in the right direction
· If you work with a pragmatist:
o Try to keep to the subject at hand
§ Wandering off into big ideas and long-term planning may overwhelm them and they could give up altogether
Analyst Thinker
· Like to work with measurable facts in a methodical way
· Love facts and data, measuring and categorizing
· Pay attention to detail and are thorough and accurate
· Prefer predictability and rationality
o Will look for a method, a formula, or procedure to solve a particular problem
· If you are an analyst thinker:
o You will do everything thoroughly and accurately
o You may dismiss others whose attention to detail is not so good
o People’s ideas are valuable even if their work is not quite as accurate as yours
· If you work with an analyst:
· Double check anything you show them for accuracy otherwise you risk losing their respect
· Try to be logical and always present a plan for new ideas as they can grasp the concept better than if you just give them ideas
Realist Thinkers
· Make great problems solvers
· Think through problems quickly and act on the results to fix whatever is wrong
· Become easily bored
o Don’t find themselves challenged by run-of-the-mill issues, preferring to get their teeth into bigger problems
· May appear too results-oriented
· If you are a realist:
o Pause every now and then
o The first solution is not always the best and sometimes you need to take in a bit more information before assessing the situation and coming up with a plan
· If you work with a realist:
o Learn to get to the point quickly
§ Summarize the problem; don’t overload them with details
Putting the thinking styles to good use
For most people, one or two of these thinking styles dominate. However, fifteen percent of the population use all five thinking styles at some point. (OP here: I use four with my top two being Synthesist and, possibly, Pragmatist; if not, then Synthesist and Analyst. I identify the least with Idealist.)
Understanding your thinking style can help you broaden your horizons and be more receptive to the ideas of others. In addition, understanding how others think can help you tailor any information you have to share with them in such a way that they are the most likely to take it on board.