Just like the name seems to suggest, critical thinking refers to the ability of the individual to apply cognitive skills and deciphering the particular choice that makes the most sense among a list of other choices. In this sense, critical thinking requires an innate ability on the part of the individual to make use of the mind through a process of careful analysis and elimination of unwanted or discounted choices due to improbability, while focusing on other choices or a particular choice that makes the most sense in that particular context. As can be seen, critical thinking is indeed a skill that can be developed or improved even for those who already have the necessary building blocks of a high cognitive ability. The best tip for improving critical thinking skills is to always challenge the mind through the process of using it to analyze and dissect situations or problems that require the application of cognitive skills. Another tip for improving critical thinking skills is to constantly study the patterns presented by certain problems with a view to learning how to maneuver over such problems in order to arrive at the solution.
As mentioned, the best tip that can be applied toward improving critical thinking skills is to always challenge the mind by using cognitive skills to analyze problems. Just like other parts of the body, the brain also benefits from constant mental exercises that are often in the form of challenges that tax it in some form. An example of the application of critical thinking skills can be seen in the case of puzzles where the person trying to solve a puzzle must use cognitive skills to eliminate improbabilities in order to arrive at the most likely answer. Apart from abstract puzzles, real-life situations that require constructive thinking also help in improving critical thinking skills. This can be seen in situations where a person may be required to constantly come up with solutions to problems that may occur, probably as a result of his or her job, as may be the case for a manager who must constantly provide constructive solutions to problems in the workplace.
Something else that can help in improving critical thinking skills is a deliberate effort by an individual to study various problem patterns in order to know how best to tackle them the next time they occur. For instance, still using the example of the manager, such a person might dissect previous problems in other to know the best steps to take when similar problems occur in the future. This is an application of critical thinking skills.