Well…I suppose that’s ONE way to solve the problem!
Problem solving skills seem to be a big thing in…well…the world. Problem solving created the new inventions and innovations that forward our world. Think about it. We couldn’t see at night? Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb. We wanted to travel long distances quickly? Karl Benz invented the automobile. These two men solved their problems and created new movements in the world.
In terms of the specific skills associated with problem solving…here’s a pretty picture:
To compress that into simpler terms, the ability to problem solve depends on your effectiveness to:
a) Know what your problem is
b) Gather information surrounding your problem
c) Develop ideas for solving the problem, and critique them
d) Decide on the best course of action
e) Carry out the solution
Seems pretty simple, right?
White text to make sure my spacing is nice.
In terms of knowing what your problem is, I can safely say that I’ve always found this fairly straightforward.
What is the problem?
I can’t find my glasses.
I need a job.
I’m thirsty.
You get my point.
The next step is basically elaborating on the problem, figuring out what specifically is the issue. This will help you better understand what kind of solution you need. This again has never really been an issue for me. I like to elaborate, as you may have noticed from my blogs that go on far too long.
Explain the problem:
I can’t find my glasses because I currently cannot see clearly and everything around me is blurry. I know I put them down somewhere in my room, but I can’t exactly remember where it was. I know that nobody could have taken them because I haven’t left my room in six hours.
This next part is probably my favourite, because it’s where the brainstorming comes in. Developing solutions to your problem can be amusing sometimes because you can imagine both the simplest and the most outlandish of solutions. Again, I’ve had a fairly easy time with this because I tend to have quite the imagination.
What are the solutions to my problem?
#1: I could painstakingly examine every inch of my room in my blurry haze of impaired vision.
#2: I could go the rest of the day without wearing glasses.
#3: Heck, I could go for the rest of my life without wearing glasses…who needs vision?
#4: I could purchase contacts so I wouldn’t have to worry about losing my glasses.
#5: I could find a friend that can see clearly and ask them to help me out.
The next step can be disappointing, because it can throw away some of your best and most brilliant ideas. I can sometimes have trouble with this because I don’t enjoy critiquing my own ideas. I find it very easy to critique others, but it’s hard having to throw away your own ideas because you’d like to believe that they’re amazingly genius. However, this is usually NOT the case.
What are the issues with my solutions?
#1: Seriously? I don’t have time for this.
#2: Really Julia? I think you’d like to be able to see what you’re doing.
#3: I can’t believe you wrote that one down. It’s stupid.
#4: I already own contacts, but I can’t find them because I can’t see!
#5: This doesn’t seem like a terrible idea. I might not have any friends that are home though!
Finally, it gets to the part that you’ve been working for: the decision regarding what you’re actually going to do to solve this problem. Sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes not so much. As most people probably do, I have trouble with this, especially when I’ve narrowed it down to two good ideas. I find that in a case like this, I just bite the bullet and pick one. In the case of my imaginary scenario, it’s a fairly easy solution.
Which solution is the best solution for my problem?
#5 obviously.
And then, you carry that solution out. Easiest part of the whole process.
*knocks on friend’s door*
“Hey Sam! Could you help me look for my glasses please?”
“They’re on your head, silly”
“Oh….thank you…”
*walks away in shame*
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Signing off in 3…2…1…
*click*
Julia Wice 