3 Thinking Techniques to Improve Your Intellectual Horsepower

Here are 3 simple thinking techniques I tend to use each day. There are some more advanced thinking techniques, but here I’m boiling down to a set of 3 you can use today. In fact, you can even use them while you read this post. I’ll go through the thinking techniques in order from simpler to more complex, so you can use them right away.
For the sake of this exercise, let’s think of "thinking" as simply asking and answering questions. If you want to improve your thinking, ask better questions. Using these techniques will improve your thinking, by improving your questions.
3 Thinking Techniques
Here are 3 thinking techniques I use fairly regularly: * How Might That Be True? * PMI * Six Thinking Hats
How Might That Be True
When you hear something new, or information that conflicts with what you think you already know, ask yourself, "how might that be true?" This simple question will open your curiosity. It can also help you build rapport. This second point is especially important. If you’re quick to prove people wrong, people won’t share information with you. Rather than fight somebody on a point, right from the start, you can help them explore the point.
You don’t have to agree. Instead, you’re exploring possibility. Sometimes people have good information or knowledge, but it’s generalized so it appears to be wrong, but there’s kernels of truth or insight.
PMI
I think of PMI as Edward de Bono’s simplified version of Six Thinking Hats. PMI is simply Plus Points, Minus Points, and Interesting Points. Basically, all you do is ask yourself: 1. What are the plus points? 2. What are the minus points? 3. What are the interesting points?
This helps you expand your thinking. Notice how the plus points are first. This helps find the good first, before shutting it