Critical Thinking for Managers: Communication, Theories, and Practice

This report delves into the critical role of effective communication in enhancing critical thinking for managers. It emphasizes that managers significantly contribute to organizational well-being, and communication is crucial for building relationships and fostering critical thinking. The report explores the connection between communication and critical thinking, highlighting how clear communication enhances deliberation and thought processes. It discusses the negative impact of poor communication, the importance of listening, and how critical thinking aids in rational decision-making and effective responses. The report further examines 'The Four Argumentative Moves' theory and the pragma-dialectical ideal model as tools for resolving differing opinions and fostering effective workplace communication. It concludes by stressing the importance of integrating critical thinking into organizational culture to improve communication and leadership effectiveness. The reflective section summarizes the key learnings, emphasizing the interconnectedness of critical thinking and communication, and the application of argumentative moves in business settings, concluding that problems require critical thinking and that critical thinking requires a definite way of communication to render information effectively.

Running head: CRITICAL THINKING FOR MANAGERS
Critical Thinking for managers and importance of Four Argumentative moves Theory and
Pragma-Dialectical ideal model
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Transcript:........................................................................................................................................2
Reflective:........................................................................................................................................5
References:......................................................................................................................................8

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Transcript:
We are here to discuss about the importance of ‘effective communication’ in enhancing critical
thinking for the managers. As we know, Managers of any organization contribute largely for the
wellbeing of the organization. We all know that communication is very important for building
relationships be it business, be it life. However, the impact of communication for practising
critical thinking is a wide topic having different concepts and arguments. It is known that critical
thinking helps in enhancing of thoughts and develop hypotheses along with using evidence and
explanations. Communication in business language is a meaningful alteration of information and
critical thinking is the backbone of effective communication. Hence, it can be said that
communication enhances a clarified deliberation process among the individuals and critical
thinking raises the clarity of thought among the individuals. You may know that poor
communication always affects on the amount of involvement among the employees. Often
organisations arrange training programmes to introduce the explicit parts of communication but
this fails because that training does not imply the exact meaning of communication.
Communication introduces the concept of critical thinking to the managers and because of that, it
is observed that they think rationally and try to develop arguments. It can therefore be said that
thinking in a critical manner and communicating with the employees in an organised manner
reduces the amount of ambiguity in the conversation. Communication is not only about
delivering information to someone; it also involves the importance of listening. Listening is the
most effective part of communication because only listening interprets the set of words said by
the sender to the receiver in a meaningful and proper way so that the receiver does not have any
misconception about it. A leader or manager through the means of communication may bring out

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questions or initiate arguments. The concept of critical thinking is important for the managers not
because it helps them in proper decision-making but it helps them to respond in an effective
manner without reacting on the same matter. However, it is identified that listening to yourself is
very important for a communication process and this is because when a person thinks critically it
offers them a control over own beliefs and let them go beyond their biased limitations. Critical
thinking in a person helps them practise an effective communication process with the receiver. If
I take myself as an example, I can say that as I am a critical thinker I have stored arguments,
thoughts in my mind and that is why I am being able to talk about effective communication and
its relation to critical thinking. You must know that being a critical thinker you will always be
able to start conversation with others if you have confidence in yourself and have relevant
arguments in your mind. Therefore, it can be said that communicating is not the only criterion
but adapting proper way of communicating is the most important criterion and critical thinking is
the way that will help a person to structure and deliver your messages in a proper way and with a
growing impact. Critical thinking and communication have a very deep connection among them
because communication always requires adapting of proper way in which the message will gain
more impact and without critical thinking, you cannot be sure about which way it can be done.
While discussing about organisations, it can be said that they can initiate critical thinking as a
part of organisational culture and this is because initiating critical thinking will offer the leaders
and managers of the organisation evaluation of their critical thinking skills. For every
organisation, there must be an initiative taken to improve how the people think and if this
process is done in a proper way then the overall communication process of the organisation will
be improved as well. This will be more precise if a say that if organisation is a car and
communication is the fuel then critical thinking is the driver of the car.

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This discussion will be more precise when it is explained using ‘The Four Argumentative
Moves’ theory. This theory is incomplete without the mention of pragma-dialectical ideal
model. Critical thinking always requires the help of some models and theories among which the
argumentative moves is very common one. This is a certain type of communication, which helps
in resolving the problem of different opinion by providing both process and results together.
When the managers uses this kind of theory they will be able to place their words in front of the
employees as well as know what arguments the employees can raise in the discussion.
Critical thinking with argumentative moves will help the employees to communicate about new
ideas with the managers. This is because critical thinking does not allow fake assumptions; it
helps in building an efficient work place with an effective communication. Effective
communication is very important for practising critical thinking in an organisation and that is
why every organisation must enhance critical thinking in their culture and introduce to the
employees the importance of effective communication. However, this discussion ends here but
still I think I have made myself clear about how communication and critical thinking is
interrelated and how an organisation will gain help from both the two concepts together. Critical
thinking will not come out without the help of communication and communication will not be
successful without critical thinking. Argumentative moves is an important tool used throughout
the speech for making it more appropriate.

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Reflective:
While discussing importance of effective communication using the theory of Dilts’
logical levels for practising critical thinking I came to know about the role of communication and
critical thinking. I have also known that these two concepts are correlated to each other and for
every organisation, absence of one leads to problem. Effective communication is very important
for business and critical thinking is the most important concept that helps in having an effective
communication. I have learned that critical thinking establishes the process in an individual with
the help of which they are able to think about issues in a deep way and tries to solve problems.
However, problem solving cannot be done without proper communication. The goal of every
organisation is to use the knowledge of critical thinking and communicate well to increase their
good fame. I came to know while learning about the importance of critical thinking and
communication that critical thinking in an organisation depends on many factors, which are the
event, the recognition of the event, the alternative response identification, the selection of the
response and the implementation and last but not the least the trigger that creates the
implementation. I have gained a lot of knowledge about the importance of critical thinking and
communication in workplace, I know that Critical thinking, and communication has an inbuilt
relationship. Argumentative moves are another type of critical discourse analysis tool that is used
throughout the speech.
This is because communication always requires adapting of proper way in which the delivered
message will gather responses that are more positive and without critical thinking, it cannot be
made sure about which way it can be done. About organisations, it can be said that they needs to
have critical thinking as an integral part of organisational culture so that it offers the leaders and

6CRITICAL THINKING FOR MANAGERS
managers of the organisation evaluation of their critical thinking skills. Symbolism is another
language trick that made me understood the fact that for every organisation, there must be an
initiative taken to improve how the people think and to turn this process towards positive results
the overall communication process of the organisation needs improvement as well. Now I know
that Communication has few principles and if an individual understands that principles it will be
better to get the required solution. The principles are through proper communication grammar
and language rules are understood, the information is clearly understood, the medium is
accessible, there is an introduction to the will of communication, there is a confirmation that the
information is properly received. However, I have noted that normal communication is different
from business communication and this is because business communication builds relationship
with other businesses. Now I can say that critical thinking and communication works as the
foundation of relationships. They both comprises of the ability using which they can identify a
problem, think about it, raise arguments, informs others, gathers the relevant information and
explore the required solutions. Every communication requires critical thinking as without it no
conversation is established. I came to know that Critical thinking is very important for
establishing a proper communication. This topic also made me understood that communication
itself is not enough for practising critical thinking by the managers because they also have to find
a way using which they will be able to communicate properly so that the results are worthy.
While learning about the topic I also learned that in the last few decades, critical thinking has
established itself as a development and culture that every organisation must practise. Managers
of every organisation communicates with the employees after critically thinking on any matter
and this is because critical thinking helps them identify the problem in a wide manner and think
in a rational and unbiased way. I have learnt many more things like critical thinking in business

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helps in analysing the problem with diverse perspectives and then communicate those in a clear
and precise manner. However, I noticed that critical thinking is very important for business and
this is because without critical thinking the business can often take bad decisions and lead to
huge loss. I noticed that when a manager critically thinks over a matter they are able to
communicate with the employees in a better way and practise good communication with the
employees as well. Critical thinking often relates to the elements of thought and determines the
purpose, arguments, assumptions, information, concepts, thoughts and lastly the conclusions. I
understood that enhancing critical thinking in an organisation is a long process and it can be
possible by the involvement of both the employees and employer. In every organisation, Critical
thinking will help the employees to communicate about new and innovative ideas with their
managers or leaders. The reason behind this is that critical thinking does not allow false
assumptions; it encourages the building of an efficient work place with an effective
communication process in it. Effective communication plays a very vital role for practising
critical thinking in an organisation and that is the reason that every organisation enhances the
concept of critical thinking in their list of organisational culture and introduces to the employees
the importance of effective communication in the workplace. Both for business or for life,
communication and critical thinking are very vital and this is because not only they are
correlated but also because every matter needs critical thinking and every conversation needs
arguments for continuation. Hence, I precisely understood that if I say that problems require
critical thinking and critical thinking requires a definite way of communication to render
information in an effective manner.

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