Thinking Tools

Chaminda Ranasinghe
Intelligence and Thinking
• Intelligence is determined in the genes.

• Thinking is a skill.

• Intelligence is used to perform thinking.

• Thinking can be improved through practice

using the already existing intelligence.
 Intelligence and Thinking

Nurture
Nature
(Improve with
(Born with it)
Practice)

Analogies

Car - Horse power (static) Driver Capability

(Can improve with
Practice and experience)

Computer - Processor capacity Capabilities of the programs

to use the processor
effectively and efficiently
 Intelligence Trap
• Highly intelligent people can take a view on a
subject and use his/her intelligence to defend it.

• Even if the view is wrong, due to intelligence a

person can find arguments to defend the view.

• Highly intelligent people can be trapped in poor

ideas. Concepts

Ideas Facts Theories Earth is flat community

Intelligence
Intelligence and Influence

Influenced
Intellectuals Community

The so called intelligent people who are in the intelligence

trap would influence others and may create adverse effects
Perception
 Perception
The process by which people translate

sensory information / impressions into a

coherent and unified view of the world around

them …
 Perception
• How we look at the world

• Things we take into account

• First Perception, then Logic

• If perception is limited, flawless logic will give

incorrect answer. (related to GIGO)

• Good logic does not make good thinking. If

perception is poor, then good logic is useless.
 Perception

Logic &
Perception Processing
Mouse and the Cat
Driving
Pattern Making
Patterns and Perceptions
• Our brains consist of neurones capable of recognizing patterns.

• Mind in perception allows the incoming information get

organized into patterns.

• Once a pattern has been formed, the mind no longer has to

analyze or sort information.

• All that is required if enough information to trigger the pattern.

• After a pattern is recognised the mind follows an automatic

prescribed path.

• In evolution, the pattern matching has been useful for survival.

Patterns and Perceptions
Patterns and Perceptions

Unless we deliberately stop and think, we will not

improve our understanding ..

 Uses of Patterns
• Recognition

• To recognize patterns from available

information.

• Sometimes we select the wrong pattern and

become unable to find solutions
 Uses of Patterns
• Abstraction
 Uses of Patterns
• Abstraction
 Uses of Patterns
• Grouping

• Grouping and classifying allow us to make

certain predictions about things
 Uses of Patterns
• Grouping
 Uses of Patterns
• Analysis

• Breakdown a complex problem to familiar and

recognizable patterns.
Patterns and Perceptions
• Machines can be easily programmed to match
patterns with current technology - medical
diagnosis, facial recognition, navigation, etc

• However, perception is a different matter for

machines - the Tesla car accident
Thinking Tools
 Thinking Tools
• Attention directing tools

• Thinking tools could be learnt and practiced

• Without thinking tools used for attention directing

our thinking follows a pattern laid by experience
and we remain trapped.
 PMI

P Plus

M Minus

I Interesting
 PMI
• Plus - good points

• Minus - bad points

• Interesting - Neither positive nor negative points

• Use when - There is indecision, when decision

seems instant (pre-judged)

• PMI force us to scan the situation

 PMI Exercises
• Give Rs. 500 for each student a day for
attending school.

• Marriage is a 5 year expiry contract.

• All cars are painted Yellow

 APC

A Alternatives

P Possibilities

C Choices
Alternatives
 Looking for Alternatives
• If you don’t intensionally find alternatives, the mind would wander off
on a pre-decided familiar path without finding better solutions - you
will be trapped in the past.

• If you generate alternatives, you can always reject them if not

superior to the existing ways of doing things.

• Generating alternatives open up possibilities.

• Education - By nature education is not programmed to look for

alternatives - It seeks to give certainty.

• Science - we stay with one hypothesis until its rejected. If we stay with
the same hypothesis without looking for alternatives, then we don’t
improve further. - Light travel on a straight line - Newton, Einstein
Exercise - Generate Alternatives

• A glass is filled with water on table. Methods to

empty the glass without breaking or tilting.
 Situations to use APC
• Explanation

• Young man pouring cans of beer into a petrol

tank of a car.

• Hypothesis

• To confirm a hypothesis

• Although men smoke less, women smoke

more
 Situations to use APC
• Perception

• To change the perception towards an

accepted idea.

• Too many restrictions and regulations in the

banking industry - take as a negative point,
Due to regulations there are less new entrants
and less competition.
 Situations to use APC
• Problems

• First define the problem properly

• Find several alternative solutions to a problem

without trying to find the best solution.

• How to stop spread of COVID

 Situations to use APC
• Review

• Improve an existing process

• Look for alternatives to make something better

• Improve quality of Software - Unit testing, QA,

automation, etc.
 Situations to use APC
• Design

• In design we are asked to create something

that is going to achieve some purpose.

• APC can be used to improve an existing

design.

• Alternatives - chair, phone

 Situations to use APC
• Decision

• Generate alternatives to confirm or alter the

decision.

• A competitor undercut the price of a product -

should you also lower the prices.
 Experience Scan
• Experience makes us better thinkers

• Our experience is not available to us instantly when solving

problems

• Point-to-point thinking - mind drift from point-to-point without

any systematic scan.

• We need to direct our attention carefully over our

experience in order to pick out what we need to think about.

• Experience scan tools is part of general broadening of

perception that has more to do with wisdom than with
cleverness.
Experience Scan Tool - C A F

C Consider

A All

F Factors
Experience Scan Tool - C A F
• Carefully list out ALL factors that have to be
considered in a situation - always emphasize on
what is left out.

• E.g. Factors to consider when buying the ideal

bed.

• Give a gift to a friend

Experience Scan Tool - C & S

C Consequence

&
S Sequel
Experience Scan Tool - C & S
• What happens next

• Deliberately consider all consequences of an

action

• Short, Mid and Long terms.

• Focus on a frame of moment at a time.

Experience Scan Tool - C & S
• Exercises

• School exams are abolished

• Everyone shares a job with one other person

• Petrol become extremely expensive

• Life is discovered somewhere in space

• An anti-gravity machine become possible

• Marriage last only 5 years

Flaws of Traditional Thinking

• Backup and existing opinion - first impression

• Prejudice - Pride

• Tradition is right - so it should be wrong to think

otherwise

• I’m right, you are wrong attitude

• Intelligence trap - There are intelligent people

who think they are right - so no need to explore
 Summary
• Intelligence and Thinking

• Intelligence Trap

• Perception and Patterns

• Thinking tools

• Break the habitual patterns - start thinking

Thinking Tools

END

Chaminda Ranasinghe

[References: Edward de Bono]