Thinking Through Problem Solving

Think Through The Problem To The Solution
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Communication skills are one of the most important tools you can develop if you want to accelerate your advancement in your career. Since the most valuable tool you have is your mind, it makes sense that one of the most important things you can do in business is solve problems and make decisions. This does for the business world as well as for your personal life.

One of the most used types of communication in the business world is that used in meetings for solving problems or making decision. Since this is a group effort, it will benefit everyone in the group of you choose a method to guide you through the efforts to solve your problem or to make the decision. This keeps everyone on the same track and allows for a systematic process for accomplishing the goal of the meeting.

Get a Vivid Mental Image Of The Problem
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before you start jumping to conclusions and making all kinds of assumptions, be sure to collect as many of the facts as possible and work to explain the problem in as clear a manner as possible. Most of the problems you will face will be resolved by simply bringing the real problem into the light.

Focus On The Future
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When solving a problem or making a decision be sure to ask a few questions to help you plan for the future and not doom yourself to repeat the past. “What is the next step?”, “Where do we go now?”, and “What else could we do?” are all questions that will help you to focus on the future – which is the only thing you can change. The past is already history.

Make The Solution Your Focus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another thing to remember when you are trying to solve that problem or make that decision is to think and talk about the possible solutions rather than focusing on the problem. In a group setting, there is a tendency to state the “obvious problem” and to point the blame to someone. However, our focus should be on what we can do now, where we can go from here, and how we can do better the next time.

When people talk about solutions it is generally a positive thing. If negativity and judging are removed from a group meeting and positive encouragement and feedback are added, the resulting positive environment will cause the creativity of each group member to flourish which will allow the group to produce results that are more than just the sum of each member’s creativity. On the other hand, if the positive things are neglected and negativity is allowed to control the meeting, the creativity of each member and the group as a whole will be killed.

You can choose to be a positive thinker. You do this by deciding to focus more on solutions than on problems. Every time a problem confronts you, think of it as another opportunity to be more positive. Every time a problem confronts you, think of it as another opportunity to be more positive. If you help everyone in your group to start focusing on solutions, the resulting increase in the quality and quantity of ideas will surprise you.

How Can I Put This To Use Today
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Start by getting that clear definition of the problem. Think about or discuss how your ideal decision or solution would look and what would happen. Focus more on the solution and stop dwelling so much on the current situation.

Then, keep the conversation focused on solutions. Think about what you can do for the future. Remember that positive thoughts and attitudes release, and even enhance creativity.

Copyright © 2006