Critical thinking is an essential skill for success in work and life. Yet many of us struggle to think critically about issues and situations. A key reason is failing to consider context. When we use critical thinking without accounting for context, we miss key details. Our conclusions and decisions suffer as a result.

In this article, we’ll explore how considering context strengthens critical thinking. You’ll learn why context matters, strategies to actively seek it, and tips to apply context at work and in daily life. With practice, you can hone your skills and make better decisions.

Why Context Matters

Context provides the circumstances, background, and details relevant to a situation. For example, the context might include:

• The office setting where a disagreement occurred between colleagues
• The history of the business relationship with a difficult client
• Cultural norms that shape how people communicate indirect feedback
• Personal biases that influence how we judge someone’s abilities

Without understanding context, we view issues in isolation. We rely entirely on the limited information in front of us. As a result, we miss key insights that could inform better solutions. Considering context allows us to think more broadly and spot connections, root causes, and long-term implications we would otherwise overlook. Our thinking becomes more thorough as a result.

Strategies to Seek Context

Actively seeking context should become second nature in your daily life. Here are strategies to help:

• Ask probing questions. Ask who, what, where, when, why, and how to uncover context.
• Talk to people with diverse perspectives. They will highlight factors you hadn’t considered.
• Gather background information. Research the history, culture, trends etc. relevant to the issue.
• Observe the environment. Notice subtle cues about unwritten rules and norms.
• Check your assumptions. Examine them for biases or lack of context.
• Imagine other roles/views. How would this look from another vantage point?

Make it a habit to use these strategies before drawing conclusions or making decisions. Avoid relying solely on your own limited lens.

Applying Context at Work

Consider context in these key work situations:

• Meetings. Ask questions to clarify objectives, history, roles, constraints.
• Projects. Research the customer, users, business goals, and product background.
• Writing. Tailor tone, examples, data, to match audience and medium.
• Proposals.  Factor in team skills, political climate, resources available.
• Interviews.  Study the company culture and role ahead of time.

Make context gathering your first task, not an afterthought. It leads to work products and decisions that align better with organizational needs and audience expectations.

Applying Context in Life

Seeking context also strengthens your thinking as a friend, family member, and community member:

• Discussions. Inquire about people’s experiences and perspectives that shape their views.
• Advice-giving. Consider aspects like someone’s personality, cultural norms, and past when giving advice.
• News stories. Research factors like history, laws, norms to interpret news events.
• Disagreements. Inquire about misunderstandings and each person’s perspective.

You’ll communicate in more empathetic, persuasive ways when you make context part of your routine thinking habits.

The Takeaway

Failing to consider context is a major shortcoming in critical thinking. Without the insights context provides, our thinking narrows. We miss the mark in assessing situations and making optimal decisions. Fortunately, asking key questions and actively gathering information helps reveal the contextual factors at play. Making context a regular part of your critical thinking approach leads to conclusions and choices that better match the situation. With practice, consideration of context becomes second nature and an invaluable asset.