problem solving as life skill

Introduction to Problem Solving Skills

What is problem solving and why is it important.

The ability to solve problems is a basic life skill and is essential to our day-to-day lives, at home, at school, and at work. We solve problems every day without really thinking about how we solve them. For example: it’s raining and you need to go to the store. What do you do? There are lots of possible solutions. Take your umbrella and walk. If you don't want to get wet, you can drive, or take the bus. You might decide to call a friend for a ride, or you might decide to go to the store another day. There is no right way to solve this problem and different people will solve it differently.

Problem solving is the process of identifying a problem, developing possible solution paths, and taking the appropriate course of action.

Why is problem solving important? Good problem solving skills empower you not only in your personal life but are critical in your professional life. In the current fast-changing global economy, employers often identify everyday problem solving as crucial to the success of their organizations. For employees, problem solving can be used to develop practical and creative solutions, and to show independence and initiative to employers.

Throughout this case study you will be asked to jot down your thoughts in idea logs. These idea logs are used for reflection on concepts and for answering short questions. When you click on the "Next" button, your responses will be saved for that page. If you happen to close the webpage, you will lose your work on the page you were on, but previous pages will be saved. At the end of the case study, click on the "Finish and Export to PDF" button to acknowledge completion of the case study and receive a PDF document of your idea logs.

What Does Problem Solving Look Like?

The ability to solve problems is a skill, and just like any other skill, the more you practice, the better you get. So how exactly do you practice problem solving? Learning about different problem solving strategies and when to use them will give you a good start. Problem solving is a process. Most strategies provide steps that help you identify the problem and choose the best solution. There are two basic types of strategies: algorithmic and heuristic.

Algorithmic strategies are traditional step-by-step guides to solving problems. They are great for solving math problems (in algebra: multiply and divide, then add or subtract) or for helping us remember the correct order of things (a mnemonic such as “Spring Forward, Fall Back” to remember which way the clock changes for daylight saving time, or “Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey” to remember what direction to turn bolts and screws). Algorithms are best when there is a single path to the correct solution.

But what do you do when there is no single solution for your problem? Heuristic methods are general guides used to identify possible solutions. A popular one that is easy to remember is IDEAL [ Bransford & Stein, 1993 ] :

• I dentify the problem
• D efine the context of the problem
• E xplore possible strategies
• A ct on best solution

IDEAL is just one problem solving strategy. Building a toolbox of problem solving strategies will improve your problem solving skills. With practice, you will be able to recognize and use multiple strategies to solve complex problems.

Watch the video

What is the best way to get a peanut out of a tube that cannot be moved? Watch a chimpanzee solve this problem in the video below [ Geert Stienissen, 2010 ].

[PDF transcript]

Describe the series of steps you think the chimpanzee used to solve this problem.

• [Page 2: What does Problem Solving Look Like?] Describe the series of steps you think the chimpanzee used to solve this problem.

Think of an everyday problem you've encountered recently and describe your steps for solving it.

• [Page 2: What does Problem Solving Look Like?] Think of an everyday problem you've encountered recently and describe your steps for solving it.

Developing Problem Solving Processes

Problem solving is a process that uses steps to solve problems. But what does that really mean? Let's break it down and start building our toolbox of problem solving strategies.

What is the first step of solving any problem? The first step is to recognize that there is a problem and identify the right cause of the problem. This may sound obvious, but similar problems can arise from different events, and the real issue may not always be apparent. To really solve the problem, it's important to find out what started it all. This is called identifying the root cause .

Example: You and your classmates have been working long hours on a project in the school's workshop. The next afternoon, you try to use your student ID card to access the workshop, but discover that your magnetic strip has been demagnetized. Since the card was a couple of years old, you chalk it up to wear and tear and get a new ID card. Later that same week you learn that several of your classmates had the same problem! After a little investigation, you discover that a strong magnet was stored underneath a workbench in the workshop. The magnet was the root cause of the demagnetized student ID cards.

The best way to identify the root cause of the problem is to ask questions and gather information. If you have a vague problem, investigating facts is more productive than guessing a solution. Ask yourself questions about the problem. What do you know about the problem? What do you not know? When was the last time it worked correctly? What has changed since then? Can you diagram the process into separate steps? Where in the process is the problem occurring? Be curious, ask questions, gather facts, and make logical deductions rather than assumptions.

Watch Adam Savage from Mythbusters, describe his problem solving process [ ForaTv, 2010 ]. As you watch this section of the video, try to identify the questions he asks and the different strategies he uses.

Adam Savage shared many of his problem solving processes. List the ones you think are the five most important. Your list may be different from other people in your class—that's ok!

• [Page 3: Developing Problem Solving Processes] Adam Savage shared many of his problem solving processes. List the ones you think are the five most important.

“The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.” — Thomas J. Watson , founder of IBM

Voices From the Field: Solving Problems

In manufacturing facilities and machine shops, everyone on the floor is expected to know how to identify problems and find solutions. Today's employers look for the following skills in new employees: to analyze a problem logically, formulate a solution, and effectively communicate with others.

In this video, industry professionals share their own problem solving processes, the problem solving expectations of their employees, and an example of how a problem was solved.

Meet the Partners:

• Taconic High School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is a comprehensive, fully accredited high school with special programs in Health Technology, Manufacturing Technology, and Work-Based Learning.
• Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, prepares its students with applied manufacturing technical skills, providing hands-on experience at industrial laboratories and manufacturing facilities, and instructing them in current technologies.
• H.C. Starck in Newton, Massachusetts, specializes in processing and manufacturing technology metals, such as tungsten, niobium, and tantalum. In almost 100 years of experience, they hold over 900 patents, and continue to innovate and develop new products.
• Nypro Healthcare in Devens, Massachusetts, specializes in precision injection-molded healthcare products. They are committed to good manufacturing processes including lean manufacturing and process validation.

Making Decisions

Now that you have a couple problem solving strategies in your toolbox, let's practice. In this exercise, you are given a scenario and you will be asked to decide what steps you would take to identify and solve the problem.

Scenario: You are a new employee and have just finished your training. As your first project, you have been assigned the milling of several additional components for a regular customer. Together, you and your trainer, Bill, set up for the first run. Checking your paperwork, you gather the tools and materials on the list. As you are mounting the materials on the table, you notice that you didn't grab everything and hurriedly grab a few more items from one of the bins. Once the material is secured on the CNC table, you load tools into the tool carousel in the order listed on the tool list and set the fixture offsets.

Bill tells you that since this is a rerun of a job several weeks ago, the CAD/CAM model has already been converted to CNC G-code. Bill helps you download the code to the CNC machine. He gives you the go-ahead and leaves to check on another employee. You decide to start your first run.

What problems did you observe in the video?

• [Page 5: Making Decisions] What problems did you observe in the video?
• What do you do next?
• Try to fix it yourself.
• Ask your trainer for help.

As you are cleaning up, you think about what happened and wonder why it happened. You try to create a mental picture of what happened. You are not exactly sure what the end mill hit, but it looked like it might have hit the dowel pin. You wonder if you grabbed the correct dowel pins from the bins earlier.

You can think of two possible next steps. You can recheck the dowel pin length to make sure it is the correct length, or do a dry run using the CNC single step or single block function with the spindle empty to determine what actually happened.

• Check the dowel pins.
• Use the single step/single block function to determine what happened.

You notice that your trainer, Bill, is still on the floor and decide to ask him for help. You describe the problem to him. Bill asks if you know what the end mill ran into. You explain that you are not sure but you think it was the dowel pin. Bill reminds you that it is important to understand what happened so you can fix the correct problem. He suggests that you start all over again and begin with a dry run using the single step/single block function, with the spindle empty, to determine what it hit. Or, since it happened at the end, he mentions that you can also check the G-code to make sure the Z-axis is raised before returning to the home position.

• Run the single step/single block function.
• Edit the G-code to raise the Z-axis.

You finish cleaning up and check the CNC for any damage. Luckily, everything looks good. You check your paperwork and gather the components and materials again. You look at the dowel pins you used earlier, and discover that they are not the right length. As you go to grab the correct dowel pins, you have to search though several bins. For the first time, you are aware of the mess - it looks like the dowel pins and other items have not been put into the correctly labeled bins. You spend 30 minutes straightening up the bins and looking for the correct dowel pins.

Finally finding them, you finish setting up. You load tools into the tool carousel in the order listed on the tool list and set the fixture offsets. Just to make sure, you use the CNC single step/single block function, to do a dry run of the part. Everything looks good! You are ready to create your first part. The first component is done, and, as you admire your success, you notice that the part feels hotter than it should.

You wonder why? You go over the steps of the process to mentally figure out what could be causing the residual heat. You wonder if there is a problem with the CNC's coolant system or if the problem is in the G-code.

• Look at the G-code.

After thinking about the problem, you decide that maybe there's something wrong with the setup. First, you clean up the damaged materials and remove the broken tool. You check the CNC machine carefully for any damage. Luckily, everything looks good. It is time to start over again from the beginning.

You again check your paperwork and gather the tools and materials on the setup sheet. After securing the new materials, you use the CNC single step/single block function with the spindle empty, to do a dry run of the part. You watch carefully to see if you can figure out what happened. It looks to you like the spindle barely misses hitting the dowel pin. You determine that the end mill was broken when it hit the dowel pin while returning to the start position.

After conducting a dry run using the single step/single block function, you determine that the end mill was damaged when it hit the dowel pin on its return to the home position. You discuss your options with Bill. Together, you decide the best thing to do would be to edit the G-code and raise the Z-axis before returning to home. You open the CNC control program and edit the G-code. Just to make sure, you use the CNC single step/single block function, to do another dry run of the part. You are ready to create your first part. It works. You first part is completed. Only four more to go.

As you are cleaning up, you notice that the components are hotter than you expect and the end mill looks more worn than it should be. It dawns on you that while you were milling the component, the coolant didn't turn on. You wonder if it is a software problem in the G-code or hardware problem with the CNC machine.

It's the end of the day and you decide to finish the rest of the components in the morning.

• You decide to look at the G-code in the morning.
• You leave a note on the machine, just in case.

You decide that the best thing to do would be to edit the G-code and raise the Z-axis of the spindle before it returns to home. You open the CNC control program and edit the G-code.

While editing the G-code to raise the Z-axis, you notice that the coolant is turned off at the beginning of the code and at the end of the code. The coolant command error caught your attention because your coworker, Mark, mentioned having a similar issue during lunch. You change the coolant command to turn the mist on.

• You decide to talk with your supervisor.
• You discuss what happened with a coworker over lunch.

As you reflect on the residual heat problem, you think about the machining process and the factors that could have caused the issue. You try to think of anything and everything that could be causing the issue. Are you using the correct tool for the specified material? Are you using the specified material? Is it running at the correct speed? Is there enough coolant? Are there chips getting in the way?

Wait, was the coolant turned on? As you replay what happened in your mind, you wonder why the coolant wasn't turned on. You decide to look at the G-code to find out what is going on.

From the milling machine computer, you open the CNC G-code. You notice that there are no coolant commands. You add them in and on the next run, the coolant mist turns on and the residual heat issues is gone. Now, its on to creating the rest of the parts.

Have you ever used brainstorming to solve a problem? Chances are, you've probably have, even if you didn't realize it.

You notice that your trainer, Bill, is on the floor and decide to ask him for help. You describe the problem with the end mill breaking, and how you discovered that items are not being returned to the correctly labeled bins. You think this caused you to grab the incorrect length dowel pins on your first run. You have sorted the bins and hope that the mess problem is fixed. You then go on to tell Bill about the residual heat issue with the completed part.

Together, you go to the milling machine. Bill shows you how to check the oil and coolant levels. Everything looks good at the machine level. Next, on the CNC computer, you open the CNC G-code. While looking at the code, Bill points out that there are no coolant commands. Bill adds them in and when you rerun the program, it works.

Bill is glad you mentioned the problem to him. You are the third worker to mention G-code issues over the last week. You noticed the coolant problems in your G-code, John noticed a Z-axis issue in his G-code, and Sam had issues with both the Z-axis and the coolant. Chances are, there is a bigger problem and Bill will need to investigate the root cause .

Talking with Bill, you discuss the best way to fix the problem. Bill suggests editing the G-code to raise the Z-axis of the spindle before it returns to its home position. You open the CNC control program and edit the G-code. Following the setup sheet, you re-setup the job and use the CNC single step/single block function, to do another dry run of the part. Everything looks good, so you run the job again and create the first part. It works. Since you need four of each component, you move on to creating the rest of them before cleaning up and leaving for the day.

It's a new day and you have new components to create. As you are setting up, you go in search of some short dowel pins. You discover that the bins are a mess and components have not been put away in the correctly labeled bins. You wonder if this was the cause of yesterday's problem. As you reorganize the bins and straighten up the mess, you decide to mention the mess issue to Bill in your afternoon meeting.

You describe the bin mess and using the incorrect length dowels to Bill. He is glad you mentioned the problem to him. You are not the first person to mention similar issues with tools and parts not being put away correctly. Chances are there is a bigger safety issue here that needs to be addressed in the next staff meeting.

In any workplace, following proper safety and cleanup procedures is always important. This is especially crucial in manufacturing where people are constantly working with heavy, costly and sometimes dangerous equipment. When issues and problems arise, it is important that they are addressed in an efficient and timely manner. Effective communication is an important tool because it can prevent problems from recurring, avoid injury to personnel, reduce rework and scrap, and ultimately, reduce cost, and save money.

You now know that the end mill was damaged when it hit the dowel pin. It seems to you that the easiest thing to do would be to edit the G-code and raise the Z-axis position of the spindle before it returns to the home position. You open the CNC control program and edit the G-code, raising the Z-axis. Starting over, you follow the setup sheet and re-setup the job. This time, you use the CNC single step/single block function, to do another dry run of the part. Everything looks good, so you run the job again and create the first part.

At the end of the day, you are reviewing your progress with your trainer, Bill. After you describe the day's events, he reminds you to always think about safety and the importance of following work procedures. He decides to bring the issue up in the next morning meeting as a reminder to everyone.

In any workplace, following proper procedures (especially those that involve safety) is always important. This is especially crucial in manufacturing where people are constantly working with heavy, costly, and sometimes dangerous equipment. When issues and problems arise, it is important that they are addressed in an efficient and timely manner. Effective communication is an important tool because it can prevent problems from recurring, avoid injury to personnel, reduce rework and scrap, and ultimately, reduce cost, and save money. One tool to improve communication is the morning meeting or huddle.

The next morning, you check the G-code to determine what is wrong with the coolant. You notice that the coolant is turned off at the beginning of the code and also at the end of the code. This is strange. You change the G-code to turn the coolant on at the beginning of the run and off at the end. This works and you create the rest of the parts.

Throughout the day, you keep wondering what caused the G-code error. At lunch, you mention the G-code error to your coworker, John. John is not surprised. He said that he encountered a similar problem earlier this week. You decide to talk with your supervisor the next time you see him.

You are in luck. You see your supervisor by the door getting ready to leave. You hurry over to talk with him. You start off by telling him about how you asked Bill for help. Then you tell him there was a problem and the end mill was damaged. You describe the coolant problem in the G-code. Oh, and by the way, John has seen a similar problem before.

Your supervisor doesn't seem overly concerned, errors happen. He tells you "Good job, I am glad you were able to fix the issue." You are not sure whether your supervisor understood your explanation of what happened or that it had happened before.

The challenge of communicating in the workplace is learning how to share your ideas and concerns. If you need to tell your supervisor that something is not going well, it is important to remember that timing, preparation, and attitude are extremely important.

It is the end of your shift, but you want to let the next shift know that the coolant didn't turn on. You do not see your trainer or supervisor around. You decide to leave a note for the next shift so they are aware of the possible coolant problem. You write a sticky note and leave it on the monitor of the CNC control system.

How effective do you think this solution was? Did it address the problem?

In this scenario, you discovered several problems with the G-code that need to be addressed. When issues and problems arise, it is important that they are addressed in an efficient and timely manner. Effective communication is an important tool because it can prevent problems from recurring and avoid injury to personnel. The challenge of communicating in the workplace is learning how and when to share your ideas and concerns. If you need to tell your co-workers or supervisor that there is a problem, it is important to remember that timing and the method of communication are extremely important.

You are able to fix the coolant problem in the G-code. While you are glad that the problem is fixed, you are worried about why it happened in the first place. It is important to remember that if a problem keeps reappearing, you may not be fixing the right problem. You may only be addressing the symptoms.

You decide to talk to your trainer. Bill is glad you mentioned the problem to him. You are the third worker to mention G-code issues over the last week. You noticed the coolant problems in your G-code, John noticed a Z-axis issue in his G-code, and Sam had issues with both the Z-axis and the coolant. Chances are, there is a bigger problem and Bill will need to investigate the root cause .

Over lunch, you ask your coworkers about the G-code problem and what may be causing the error. Several people mention having similar problems but do not know the cause.

You have now talked to three coworkers who have all experienced similar coolant G-code problems. You make a list of who had the problem, when they had the problem, and what each person told you.

When you see your supervisor later that afternoon, you are ready to talk with him. You describe the problem you had with your component and the damaged bit. You then go on to tell him about talking with Bill and discovering the G-code issue. You show him your notes on your coworkers' coolant issues, and explain that you think there might be a bigger problem.

You supervisor thanks you for your initiative in identifying this problem. It sounds like there is a bigger problem and he will need to investigate the root cause. He decides to call a team huddle to discuss the issue, gather more information, and talk with the team about the importance of communication.

Root Cause Analysis

Root cause analysis ( RCA ) is a method of problem solving that identifies the underlying causes of an issue. Root cause analysis helps people answer the question of why the problem occurred in the first place. RCA uses clear cut steps in its associated tools, like the "5 Whys Analysis" and the "Cause and Effect Diagram," to identify the origin of the problem, so that you can:

• Determine what happened.
• Determine why it happened.
• Fix the problem so it won’t happen again.

RCA works under the idea that systems and events are connected. An action in one area triggers an action in another, and another, and so on. By tracing back these actions, you can discover where the problem started and how it developed into the problem you're now facing. Root cause analysis can prevent problems from recurring, reduce injury to personnel, reduce rework and scrap, and ultimately, reduce cost and save money. There are many different RCA techniques available to determine the root cause of a problem. These are just a few:

• Root Cause Analysis Tools
• 5 Whys Analysis
• Fishbone or Cause and Effect Diagram
• Pareto Analysis

How Huddles Work

Communication is a vital part of any setting where people work together. Effective communication helps employees and managers form efficient teams. It builds trusts between employees and management, and reduces unnecessary competition because each employee knows how their part fits in the larger goal.

One tool that management can use to promote communication in the workplace is the huddle . Just like football players on the field, a huddle is a short meeting where everyone is standing in a circle. A daily team huddle ensures that team members are aware of changes to the schedule, reiterated problems and safety issues, and how their work impacts one another. When done right, huddles create collaboration, communication, and accountability to results. Impromptu huddles can be used to gather information on a specific issue and get each team member's input.

The most important thing to remember about huddles is that they are short, lasting no more than 10 minutes, and their purpose is to communicate and identify. In essence, a huddle’s purpose is to identify priorities, communicate essential information, and discover roadblocks to productivity.

Who uses huddles? Many industries and companies use daily huddles. At first thought, most people probably think of hospitals and their daily patient update meetings, but lots of managers use daily meetings to engage their employees. Here are a few examples:

• Brian Scudamore, CEO of 1-800-Got-Junk? , uses the daily huddle as an operational tool to take the pulse of his employees and as a motivational tool. Watch a morning huddle meeting .
• Fusion OEM, an outsourced manufacturing and production company. What do employees take away from the daily huddle meeting .
• Biz-Group, a performance consulting group. Tips for a successful huddle .

Brainstorming

One tool that can be useful in problem solving is brainstorming . Brainstorming is a creativity technique designed to generate a large number of ideas for the solution to a problem. The method was first popularized in 1953 by Alex Faickney Osborn in the book Applied Imagination . The goal is to come up with as many ideas as you can in a fixed amount of time. Although brainstorming is best done in a group, it can be done individually. Like most problem solving techniques, brainstorming is a process.

• Define a clear objective.
• Have an agreed a time limit.
• During the brainstorming session, write down everything that comes to mind, even if the idea sounds crazy.
• If one idea leads to another, write down that idea too.
• Combine and refine ideas into categories of solutions.
• Assess and analyze each idea as a potential solution.

When used during problem solving, brainstorming can offer companies new ways of encouraging staff to think creatively and improve production. Brainstorming relies on team members' diverse experiences, adding to the richness of ideas explored. This means that you often find better solutions to the problems. Team members often welcome the opportunity to contribute ideas and can provide buy-in for the solution chosen—after all, they are more likely to be committed to an approach if they were involved in its development. What's more, because brainstorming is fun, it helps team members bond.

• Watch Peggy Morgan Collins, a marketing executive at Power Curve Communications discuss How to Stimulate Effective Brainstorming .
• Watch Kim Obbink, CEO of Filter Digital, a digital content company, and her team share their top five rules for How to Effectively Generate Ideas .

Importance of Good Communication and Problem Description

Communication is one of the most frequent activities we engage in on a day-to-day basis. At some point, we have all felt that we did not effectively communicate an idea as we would have liked. The key to effective communication is preparation. Rather than attempting to haphazardly improvise something, take a few minutes and think about what you want say and how you will say it. If necessary, write yourself a note with the key points or ideas in the order you want to discuss them. The notes can act as a reminder or guide when you talk to your supervisor.

Tips for clear communication of an issue:

• Provide a clear summary of your problem. Start at the beginning, give relevant facts, timelines, and examples.
• Avoid including your opinion or personal attacks in your explanation.
• Avoid using words like "always" or "never," which can give the impression that you are exaggerating the problem.
• If this is an ongoing problem and you have collected documentation, give it to your supervisor once you have finished describing the problem.
• Remember to listen to what's said in return; communication is a two-way process.

Not all communication is spoken. Body language is nonverbal communication that includes your posture, your hands and whether you make eye contact. These gestures can be subtle or overt, but most importantly they communicate meaning beyond what is said. When having a conversation, pay attention to how you stand. A stiff position with arms crossed over your chest may imply that you are being defensive even if your words state otherwise. Shoving your hands in your pockets when speaking could imply that you have something to hide. Be wary of using too many hand gestures because this could distract listeners from your message.

The challenge of communicating in the workplace is learning how and when to share your ideas or concerns. If you need to tell your supervisor or co-worker about something that is not going well, keep in mind that good timing and good attitude will go a long way toward helping your case.

Like all skills, effective communication needs to be practiced. Toastmasters International is perhaps the best known public speaking organization in the world. Toastmasters is open to anyone who wish to improve their speaking skills and is willing to put in the time and effort to do so. To learn more, visit Toastmasters International .

Methods of Communication

Communication of problems and issues in any workplace is important, particularly when safety is involved. It is therefore crucial in manufacturing where people are constantly working with heavy, costly, and sometimes dangerous equipment. As issues and problems arise, they need to be addressed in an efficient and timely manner. Effective communication is an important skill because it can prevent problems from recurring, avoid injury to personnel, reduce rework and scrap, and ultimately, reduce cost and save money.

There are many different ways to communicate: in person, by phone, via email, or written. There is no single method that fits all communication needs, each one has its time and place.

In person: In the workplace, face-to-face meetings should be utilized whenever possible. Being able to see the person you need to speak to face-to-face gives you instant feedback and helps you gauge their response through their body language. Be careful of getting sidetracked in conversation when you need to communicate a problem.

Email: Email has become the communication standard for most businesses. It can be accessed from almost anywhere and is great for things that don’t require an immediate response. Email is a great way to communicate non-urgent items to large amounts of people or just your team members. One thing to remember is that most people's inboxes are flooded with emails every day and unless they are hyper vigilant about checking everything, important items could be missed. For issues that are urgent, especially those around safety, email is not always be the best solution.

Phone: Phone calls are more personal and direct than email. They allow us to communicate in real time with another person, no matter where they are. Not only can talking prevent miscommunication, it promotes a two-way dialogue. You don’t have to worry about your words being altered or the message arriving on time. However, mobile phone use and the workplace don't always mix. In particular, using mobile phones in a manufacturing setting can lead to a variety of problems, cause distractions, and lead to serious injury.

Written: Written communication is appropriate when detailed instructions are required, when something needs to be documented, or when the person is too far away to easily speak with over the phone or in person.

There is no "right" way to communicate, but you should be aware of how and when to use the appropriate form of communication for your situation. When deciding the best way to communicate with a co-worker or manager, put yourself in their shoes, and think about how you would want to learn about the issue. Also, consider what information you would need to know to better understand the issue. Use your good judgment of the situation and be considerate of your listener's viewpoint.

Did you notice any other potential problems in the previous exercise?

• [Page 6:] Did you notice any other potential problems in the previous exercise?

Summary of Strategies

In this exercise, you were given a scenario in which there was a problem with a component you were creating on a CNC machine. You were then asked how you wanted to proceed. Depending on your path through this exercise, you might have found an easy solution and fixed it yourself, asked for help and worked with your trainer, or discovered an ongoing G-code problem that was bigger than you initially thought.

When issues and problems arise, it is important that they are addressed in an efficient and timely manner. Communication is an important tool because it can prevent problems from recurring, avoid injury to personnel, reduce rework and scrap, and ultimately, reduce cost, and save money. Although, each path in this exercise ended with a description of a problem solving tool for your toolbox, the first step is always to identify the problem and define the context in which it happened.

There are several strategies that can be used to identify the root cause of a problem. Root cause analysis (RCA) is a method of problem solving that helps people answer the question of why the problem occurred. RCA uses a specific set of steps, with associated tools like the “5 Why Analysis" or the “Cause and Effect Diagram,” to identify the origin of the problem, so that you can:

Once the underlying cause is identified and the scope of the issue defined, the next step is to explore possible strategies to fix the problem.

If you are not sure how to fix the problem, it is okay to ask for help. Problem solving is a process and a skill that is learned with practice. It is important to remember that everyone makes mistakes and that no one knows everything. Life is about learning. It is okay to ask for help when you don’t have the answer. When you collaborate to solve problems you improve workplace communication and accelerates finding solutions as similar problems arise.

One tool that can be useful for generating possible solutions is brainstorming . Brainstorming is a technique designed to generate a large number of ideas for the solution to a problem. The method was first popularized in 1953 by Alex Faickney Osborn in the book Applied Imagination. The goal is to come up with as many ideas as you can, in a fixed amount of time. Although brainstorming is best done in a group, it can be done individually.

Depending on your path through the exercise, you may have discovered that a couple of your coworkers had experienced similar problems. This should have been an indicator that there was a larger problem that needed to be addressed.

In any workplace, communication of problems and issues (especially those that involve safety) is always important. This is especially crucial in manufacturing where people are constantly working with heavy, costly, and sometimes dangerous equipment. When issues and problems arise, it is important that they be addressed in an efficient and timely manner. Effective communication is an important tool because it can prevent problems from recurring, avoid injury to personnel, reduce rework and scrap, and ultimately, reduce cost and save money.

One strategy for improving communication is the huddle . Just like football players on the field, a huddle is a short meeting with everyone standing in a circle. A daily team huddle is a great way to ensure that team members are aware of changes to the schedule, any problems or safety issues are identified and that team members are aware of how their work impacts one another. When done right, huddles create collaboration, communication, and accountability to results. Impromptu huddles can be used to gather information on a specific issue and get each team member's input.

To learn more about different problem solving strategies, choose an option below. These strategies accompany the outcomes of different decision paths in the problem solving exercise.

• View Problem Solving Strategies Select a strategy below... Root Cause Analysis How Huddles Work Brainstorming Importance of Good Problem Description Methods of Communication

Communication is one of the most frequent activities we engage in on a day-to-day basis. At some point, we have all felt that we did not effectively communicate an idea as we would have liked. The key to effective communication is preparation. Rather than attempting to haphazardly improvise something, take a few minutes and think about what you want say and how you will say it. If necessary, write yourself a note with the key points or ideas in the order you want to discuss them. The notes can act as a reminder or guide during your meeting.

• Provide a clear summary of the problem. Start at the beginning, give relevant facts, timelines, and examples.

In person: In the workplace, face-to-face meetings should be utilized whenever possible. Being able to see the person you need to speak to face-to-face gives you instant feedback and helps you gauge their response in their body language. Be careful of getting sidetracked in conversation when you need to communicate a problem.

There is no "right" way to communicate, but you should be aware of how and when to use the appropriate form of communication for the situation. When deciding the best way to communicate with a co-worker or manager, put yourself in their shoes, and think about how you would want to learn about the issue. Also, consider what information you would need to know to better understand the issue. Use your good judgment of the situation and be considerate of your listener's viewpoint.

"Never try to solve all the problems at once — make them line up for you one-by-one.” — Richard Sloma

Problem Solving: An Important Job Skill

Problem solving improves efficiency and communication on the shop floor. It increases a company's efficiency and profitability, so it's one of the top skills employers look for when hiring new employees. Recent industry surveys show that employers consider soft skills, such as problem solving, as critical to their business’s success.

The 2011 survey, "Boiling Point? The skills gap in U.S. manufacturing ," polled over a thousand manufacturing executives who reported that the number one skill deficiency among their current employees is problem solving, which makes it difficult for their companies to adapt to the changing needs of the industry.

In this video, industry professionals discuss their expectations and present tips for new employees joining the manufacturing workforce.

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What is Problem Solving? (Steps, Techniques, Examples)

By Status.net Editorial Team on May 7, 2023 — 5 minutes to read

What Is Problem Solving?

Definition and importance.

Problem solving is the process of finding solutions to obstacles or challenges you encounter in your life or work. It is a crucial skill that allows you to tackle complex situations, adapt to changes, and overcome difficulties with ease. Mastering this ability will contribute to both your personal and professional growth, leading to more successful outcomes and better decision-making.

Problem-Solving Steps

The problem-solving process typically includes the following steps:

• Identify the issue : Recognize the problem that needs to be solved.
• Analyze the situation : Examine the issue in depth, gather all relevant information, and consider any limitations or constraints that may be present.
• Generate potential solutions : Brainstorm a list of possible solutions to the issue, without immediately judging or evaluating them.
• Evaluate options : Weigh the pros and cons of each potential solution, considering factors such as feasibility, effectiveness, and potential risks.
• Select the best solution : Choose the option that best addresses the problem and aligns with your objectives.
• Implement the solution : Put the selected solution into action and monitor the results to ensure it resolves the issue.
• Review and learn : Reflect on the problem-solving process, identify any improvements or adjustments that can be made, and apply these learnings to future situations.

Defining the Problem

To start tackling a problem, first, identify and understand it. Analyzing the issue thoroughly helps to clarify its scope and nature. Ask questions to gather information and consider the problem from various angles. Some strategies to define the problem include:

• Brainstorming with others
• Asking the 5 Ws and 1 H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How)
• Analyzing cause and effect
• Creating a problem statement

Generating Solutions

Once the problem is clearly understood, brainstorm possible solutions. Think creatively and keep an open mind, as well as considering lessons from past experiences. Consider:

• Creating a list of potential ideas to solve the problem
• Grouping and categorizing similar solutions
• Prioritizing potential solutions based on feasibility, cost, and resources required
• Involving others to share diverse opinions and inputs

Evaluating and Selecting Solutions

Evaluate each potential solution, weighing its pros and cons. To facilitate decision-making, use techniques such as:

• SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
• Decision-making matrices
• Pros and cons lists
• Risk assessments

After evaluating, choose the most suitable solution based on effectiveness, cost, and time constraints.

Implementing and Monitoring the Solution

Implement the chosen solution and monitor its progress. Key actions include:

• Communicating the solution to relevant parties
• Setting timelines and milestones
• Assigning tasks and responsibilities
• Monitoring the solution and making adjustments as necessary
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the solution after implementation

Utilize feedback from stakeholders and consider potential improvements. Remember that problem-solving is an ongoing process that can always be refined and enhanced.

Problem-Solving Techniques

During each step, you may find it helpful to utilize various problem-solving techniques, such as:

• Brainstorming : A free-flowing, open-minded session where ideas are generated and listed without judgment, to encourage creativity and innovative thinking.
• Root cause analysis : A method that explores the underlying causes of a problem to find the most effective solution rather than addressing superficial symptoms.
• SWOT analysis : A tool used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to a problem or decision, providing a comprehensive view of the situation.
• Mind mapping : A visual technique that uses diagrams to organize and connect ideas, helping to identify patterns, relationships, and possible solutions.

Brainstorming

When facing a problem, start by conducting a brainstorming session. Gather your team and encourage an open discussion where everyone contributes ideas, no matter how outlandish they may seem. This helps you:

• Generate a diverse range of solutions
• Encourage all team members to participate
• Foster creative thinking

When brainstorming, remember to:

• Reserve judgment until the session is over
• Encourage wild ideas
• Combine and improve upon ideas

Root Cause Analysis

For effective problem-solving, identifying the root cause of the issue at hand is crucial. Try these methods:

• 5 Whys : Ask “why” five times to get to the underlying cause.
• Fishbone Diagram : Create a diagram representing the problem and break it down into categories of potential causes.
• Pareto Analysis : Determine the few most significant causes underlying the majority of problems.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis helps you examine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to your problem. To perform a SWOT analysis:

• List your problem’s strengths, such as relevant resources or strong partnerships.
• Identify its weaknesses, such as knowledge gaps or limited resources.
• Explore opportunities, like trends or new technologies, that could help solve the problem.
• Recognize potential threats, like competition or regulatory barriers.

SWOT analysis aids in understanding the internal and external factors affecting the problem, which can help guide your solution.

Mind Mapping

A mind map is a visual representation of your problem and potential solutions. It enables you to organize information in a structured and intuitive manner. To create a mind map:

• Write the problem in the center of a blank page.
• Draw branches from the central problem to related sub-problems or contributing factors.
• Add more branches to represent potential solutions or further ideas.

Mind mapping allows you to visually see connections between ideas and promotes creativity in problem-solving.

Examples of Problem Solving in Various Contexts

In the business world, you might encounter problems related to finances, operations, or communication. Applying problem-solving skills in these situations could look like:

• Identifying areas of improvement in your company’s financial performance and implementing cost-saving measures
• Resolving internal conflicts among team members by listening and understanding different perspectives, then proposing and negotiating solutions
• Streamlining a process for better productivity by removing redundancies, automating tasks, or re-allocating resources

In educational contexts, problem-solving can be seen in various aspects, such as:

• Addressing a gap in students’ understanding by employing diverse teaching methods to cater to different learning styles
• Developing a strategy for successful time management to balance academic responsibilities and extracurricular activities
• Seeking resources and support to provide equal opportunities for learners with special needs or disabilities

Everyday life is full of challenges that require problem-solving skills. Some examples include:

• Overcoming a personal obstacle, such as improving your fitness level, by establishing achievable goals, measuring progress, and adjusting your approach accordingly
• Navigating a new environment or city by researching your surroundings, asking for directions, or using technology like GPS to guide you
• Dealing with a sudden change, like a change in your work schedule, by assessing the situation, identifying potential impacts, and adapting your plans to accommodate the change.
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Problem-Solving Mastery: Your Roadmap to Effective Solutions

• Job Skills , Life skills , Soft skills

In today’s rapidly evolving world, problem-solving skills have become more critical. The ability to identify, analyze, and find effective solutions to complex challenges is highly valued across various domains, including education, business, and personal life. Problem-solving skills empower individuals to overcome obstacles, make informed decisions, and confidently navigate uncertain situations. They are key personal and professional success drivers, enabling individuals to adapt to change, innovate, and seize opportunities.

This article will delve into the essential steps for mastering problem-solving skills. We will explore the characteristics of effective problem solvers and highlight the step-by-step process they follow to tackle problems. From defining the problem and gathering information to evaluating solutions and implementing the chosen course of action, we will cover each stage in detail, providing valuable insights and practical strategies. Additionally, we will discuss various techniques and tools that can enhance problem-solving abilities and address common challenges individuals encounter. Whether you are a student, professional, or simply looking to enhance your problem-solving skills, this article will serve as a comprehensive guide to equip you with the necessary knowledge and techniques to become a proficient problem solver.

Understanding Problem Solving

A. definition of problem-solving.

Problem-solving is a fundamental skill applicable across diverse academic, professional, and personal contexts. It plays a crucial role in business, science, engineering, and everyday life, enabling individuals to overcome obstacles, achieve goals, and improve outcomes.

Here are some definitions with sources-

“Problem-solving is the cognitive process of identifying, analyzing, and resolving obstacles or difficulties encountered in order to achieve a desired goal or outcome.”

� Source: – Simon, H. A. (1972). Theories of Bounded Rationality. Decision and Organization, 1(1), 161-176.

� “Problem-solving refers to the systematic approach of finding solutions to challenges by utilizing logical thinking, analytical skills, and creativity.”

Source: – D’Zurilla, T. J., & Nezu, A. M. (2007). Problem-Solving Therapy: A Positive Approach to Clinical Intervention. Springer Publishing Company.

� “Problem-solving is the cognitive process of identifying, analyzing, and overcoming obstacles through the application of problem-solving strategies, critical thinking , and decision-making skills.”

Source: – Fogler, H. S., LeBlanc, S. E., & Rizzo, E. (2020). Strategies for Creative Problem Solving. Pearson.

“Problem-solving involves the ability to define problems, generate potential solutions, evaluate alternatives, and implement the best course of action, resulting in effective decision making and successful resolution of challenges.”

Source: –  Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School : Expanded Edition. National Academies Press.

B. The role of problem-solving in personal and professional life

The Role of Problem-Solving in Personal and Professional Life:

1. Personal Life:

   a. Decision Making: Problem-solving is crucial in making informed decisions about personal matters, such as career choices, relationships, and financial planning.

   b. Resolving Conflicts: Effective problem-solving skills help resolve conflicts and disputes, fostering healthier relationships and communication.

   c. Adaptability: Problem-solving enables individuals to navigate life’s challenges and adapt to changing circumstances, enhancing personal growth and resilience.

   d. Goal Achievement: By identifying obstacles and finding solutions, problem-solving helps individuals overcome barriers and progress towards achieving personal goals.

2. Professional Life:

   a. Innovation and Creativity: Problem-solving is at the core of innovation, enabling individuals to identify opportunities, develop new ideas, and implement creative solutions.

   b. Decision Making: Effective problem-solving skills aid in making sound business decisions, analyzing data, and evaluating options to achieve desired outcomes.

   c. Troubleshooting and Crisis Management : Problem-solving is crucial in addressing workplace issues, identifying root causes, and implementing solutions to operational challenges and crises.

   d. Collaboration and Teamwork: Problem-solving skills facilitate effective collaboration and teamwork, as individuals work together to analyze problems, generate ideas, and implement solutions.

   e. Continuous Improvement: By identifying inefficiencies and finding better solutions, problem-solving drives continuous improvement in processes, products, and services.

   f. Leadership: Strong problem-solving abilities are essential for effective leadership, as leaders navigate complex situations, inspire teams, and drive organizational success.

Overall, problem-solving is vital in personal and professional life, empowering individuals to overcome obstacles, make informed decisions, foster innovation, and achieve desired outcomes. It promotes adaptability, resilience, and growth, enhancing overall success and satisfaction in various aspects of life.

Characteristics of Effective Problem Solvers

Here are some Characteristics of Effective Problem Solvers:

1. Critical Thinking: Effective problem solvers possess strong critical thinking skills. They can analyze situations objectively, evaluate information, identify patterns, and make logical connections to understand the underlying causes of problems.

2. Analytical Skills: Effective problem solvers can break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable components. They can examine each component individually, identify relevant factors, and assess their interrelationships to understand the problem comprehensively.

3. Creativity and Innovative Thinking: Effective problem solvers think outside the box and are open to unconventional ideas and solutions. They approach problems creatively, seeking new perspectives, alternative approaches, and innovative solutions.

4. Persistence and Resilience: Effective problem solvers persevere when facing obstacles and setbacks. They are resilient and maintain a positive attitude, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth and learning rather than insurmountable barriers.

5. Adaptability and Flexibility: Effective problem solvers are adaptable and flexible in their thinking and approach. They are open to adjusting their strategies, considering different viewpoints, and embracing change as they navigate complex problem-solving situations.

6. Systems Thinking: Effective problem solvers consider the larger context and understand the interconnectedness of various factors. They can see how different elements within a system influence each other and recognize the ripple effects of their decisions and actions.

7. Collaboration and Communication: Effective problem solvers are skilled in collaboration and communication. They actively listen to others, seek input and feedback, and can articulate their thoughts and ideas clearly. They can work well in teams, leveraging diverse perspectives and expertise to find optimal solutions.

8. Decision Making: Effective problem solvers are proficient in decision-making . They gather relevant information, weigh different options, assess risks and benefits, and make informed choices based on a logical and rational evaluation process.

9. Continuous Learning: Effective problem solvers have a growth mindset and a thirst for knowledge. They actively seek opportunities to learn new skills, expand their knowledge base, and stay updated on industry trends and advancements.

10. Emotional Intelligence: Effective problem solvers possess emotional intelligence, allowing them to understand and manage their emotions and empathize with others. They can navigate interpersonal dynamics, handle conflicts constructively, and foster positive relationships while solving problems.

These characteristics collectively contribute to the effectiveness of problem solvers, enabling them to approach challenges with a systematic, innovative, and resilient mindset, ultimately leading to successful problem resolution and achieving desired outcomes.

The Problem-Solving Process

Here is The Problem-Solving Process Step by Step:

Step 1: Defining the Problem:

1. Identifying the root cause: To effectively solve a problem, it’s important to identify the underlying cause or causes. This involves digging deeper to understand the factors or circumstances that led to the problem’s occurrence.

2. Clarifying the desired outcome: Clearly defining the desired outcome provides a clear direction for problem-solving. It helps in setting goals and measuring the success of the solution.

Step 2: Gathering information and analyzing the situation:

1. Collecting relevant data and facts: Gathering relevant data and facts about the problem is crucial for making informed decisions. This involves collecting information from reliable sources, conducting surveys, interviews, or analyzing existing data.

2. Conducting research and seeking different perspectives: Researching the problem and seeking different perspectives allows for a comprehensive understanding of the situation. This may involve studying case studies, consulting experts, or getting insights from people who have faced similar challenges.

Step 3: Generating potential solutions:

1. Brainstorming techniques: Brainstorming involves generating many ideas without judgment. It encourages creativity and open-mindedness, allowing for the exploration of various solutions.

2. Considering multiple options: Considering multiple options helps in expanding the range of possibilities. It involves evaluating different approaches, strategies, or alternatives to find the most effective solution.

Step 4: Evaluating and selecting the best solution:

1. Assessing pros and cons: Evaluating the potential solutions involves assessing their advantages and disadvantages. This helps in understanding the potential benefits and drawbacks of each option.

2. Using decision-making tools and techniques: Decision-making tools and techniques, such as decision matrices, cost-benefit analysis, or SWOT analysis, can provide a structured approach to evaluating and comparing different solutions. They help in making an informed decision.

Step 5: Implementing the chosen solution:

1. Developing an action plan: A detailed action plan outlines the steps and tasks needed to implement the chosen solution. It includes setting deadlines, assigning responsibilities, and allocating necessary resources.

2. Overcoming potential obstacles: Anticipating potential obstacles and challenges helps develop contingency plans. By identifying potential barriers in advance, proactive measures can be taken to overcome them and ensure a smoother implementation process.

Step 6: Monitoring and evaluating the outcomes:

1. Assessing the solution’s effectiveness: Regularly monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of the implemented solution is crucial. This involves measuring the results against the desired outcome and assessing whether the solution effectively addresses the problem.

2. Making adjustments if necessary: If the desired outcomes are not achieved or new issues arise, it may be necessary to adjust the solution or implementation plan. This ensures continuous improvement and adaptability throughout the problem-solving process.

By following this step-by-step process, individuals and teams can approach problem-solving systematically and comprehensively, increasing the chances of finding effective solutions and achieving desired outcomes.

Techniques and Strategies for Effective Problem Solving

Here are some Techniques and Strategies for Effective Problem Solving:

A. SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats):

SWOT analysis is a widely used technique for understanding a situation or organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats it faces. It involves identifying and analyzing these four factors to gain insights into the current state and potential future scenarios. One can effectively capitalize on opportunities and mitigate threats by understanding strengths and weaknesses.

B. Root cause analysis:

Root cause analysis is a technique used to identify the underlying cause or causes of a problem. It involves digging deeper into the problem to determine the fundamental reasons for its occurrence. By identifying and addressing the root cause, rather than just treating symptoms, one can prevent the problem from recurring and find long-term solutions.

C. Pareto analysis:

Pareto analysis, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a technique that helps prioritize tasks or issues based on their significance. It involves identifying the vital few (20%) contributing to the majority (80%) of the problem. One can achieve the greatest impact with limited resources by focusing efforts on addressing the most significant factors.

D. Six Thinking Hats technique:

The Six Thinking Hats technique, developed by Edward de Bono, is a method for approaching problem-solving from different perspectives. Each “hat” represents a different thinking mode or mindset, such as logical, creative, critical, etc. By consciously adopting these different perspectives, individuals or teams can explore different angles, consider various factors, and enhance problem-solving.

E. Design thinking approach:

The design thinking approach is a human-centered problem-solving methodology. It emphasizes empathy, collaboration, and experimentation to understand the user’s needs, ideate innovative solutions, and iterate through prototypes. It involves several stages, including empathizing with users, defining the problem, ideating potential solutions, prototyping, and testing. This approach encourages a creative and iterative problem-solving process that delivers solutions meeting user needs.

By utilizing these techniques and strategies for effective problem-solving, individuals and teams can enhance their problem-solving capabilities, think more critically and creatively, and arrive at comprehensive and innovative solutions to address various challenges.

Overcoming Common Challenges in Problem-Solving�

Now we discuss how to overcome Common Challenges in Problem-Solving:

A. Emotional barriers and biases:

1. Self-awareness: Recognize and acknowledge your emotions and biases that may hinder the problem-solving process.

2. Objective perspective: Strive to approach problems with an open mind and consider alternative viewpoints.

3. Seek feedback: Involve others in problem-solving to gain diverse perspectives and challenge your biases.

B. Fear of failure and risk aversion:

1. Embrace a growth mindset: View failures as learning opportunities and be open to taking calculated risks.

2. Break problems into smaller steps: Breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable tasks can help reduce the Fear of failure.

3. Experiment and iterate: Implement solutions in iterative stages, allowing for adjustments and learning from setbacks.

C. Lack of communication and collaboration:

1. Active listening: Listen attentively to others’ perspectives, fostering effective communication and understanding.

2. Encourage participation: Create a supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing ideas and insights.

3. Foster teamwork: Promote collaboration and establish clear roles and responsibilities within problem-solving teams.

D. Ineffective time management:

1. Prioritize tasks: Identify the most critical aspects of the problem and allocate time accordingly.

2. Set deadlines and milestones: Establish specific deadlines for each step of the problem-solving process to stay on track.

3. Avoid distractions: Minimize interruptions and focus on the task by creating a conducive work environment.

By addressing these common problem-solving challenges, individuals and teams can enhance their problem-solving effectiveness and achieve better outcomes. Overcoming emotional barriers and biases, embracing risk-taking, fostering effective communication and collaboration, and managing time efficiently are key factors in successful problem-solving endeavors. By developing strategies to tackle these challenges, individuals can unlock their problem-solving potential and approach challenges with confidence and resilience.

Developing Problem-Solving Skills�

Is it possible to develop problem-solving skills? Yes, it is possible. But How?�

A. Continuous learning and skill development:

1. Stay curious: Cultivate a continuous learning mindset by seeking new knowledge, exploring different perspectives, and staying updated on industry trends.

2. Acquire relevant knowledge: Develop a solid foundation in the areas relevant to problem-solving, such as critical thinking, analytical skills, creativity, and decision-making.

3. Pursue professional development: Attend workshops, training programs, and online courses on problem-solving techniques and strategies.

B. Seeking feedback and reflection:

1. Welcome constructive criticism: Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or supervisors to gain insights into areas for improvement in your problem-solving approach.

2. Reflect on past experiences: Evaluate your problem-solving efforts, identify strengths and weaknesses, and learn from your successes and failures.

3. Develop self-awareness: Understand your thinking patterns, biases, and emotional reactions to improve your problem-solving skills.

C. Practicing problem-solving exercises and scenarios:

1. Solve puzzles and brain teasers: Engage in activities that challenge your problem-solving abilities, such as puzzles, riddles, or logic games.

2. Simulate problem-solving scenarios: Create hypothetical problem-solving situations and brainstorm potential solutions to enhance your critical thinking and decision-making skills.

3. Participate in group problem-solving activities: Collaborate with others in problem-solving exercises or workshops to foster teamwork and develop effective communication skills.

D. Engaging in real-life problem-solving experiences:

1. Embrace challenges: Seek opportunities to tackle real-world problems, whether at work, in personal projects, or community initiatives.

2. Apply problem-solving techniques: Utilize the problem-solving process and relevant strategies to address issues encountered in various aspects of life.

3. Learn from experiences: Reflect on your problem-solving approach in real-life situations, identify areas of improvement, and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Developing problem-solving skills is an ongoing process that requires continuous learning, practice, and application in both simulated and real-life scenarios. By investing time and effort in skill development, seeking feedback, reflecting on experiences, and engaging in problem-solving activities, individuals can strengthen their problem-solving abilities and effectively address complex challenges.

Applying Problem-Solving Skills in Different Areas

Now we will discuss Applying Problem-Solving Skills in Different Areas:

A. Problem-solving in the workplace:

Problem-solving skills are highly valuable in the workplace as they enable individuals to address challenges, make informed decisions, and contribute to organizational success. In a professional setting, problem-solving involves identifying and analyzing issues, generating effective solutions, and implementing them to achieve desired outcomes. It often requires collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving techniques. Effective problem-solving in the workplace can lead to increased productivity, improved teamwork, and innovation.

B. Problem-solving in personal relationships:

Problem-solving skills play a crucial role in maintaining healthy and constructive personal relationships. Conflicts and challenges are inevitable with family members, friends, or romantic partners. Applying problem-solving skills in personal relationships involves active listening, empathy, and open communication. It requires identifying and understanding the issues, finding common ground, and working towards mutually beneficial solutions. Problem-solving in personal relationships helps build trust, strengthen connections, and promote harmony.

C. Problem-solving in entrepreneurship:

Problem-solving is an essential skill for entrepreneurs, as it drives innovation and the ability to identify and seize opportunities. Entrepreneurs face various challenges, such as market competition, resource constraints, and changing customer needs. Applying problem-solving skills in entrepreneurship involves identifying market gaps, analyzing customer pain points, and developing innovative solutions. Entrepreneurs must be adaptable, resilient, and creative in finding solutions that address real-world problems and create customer value.

D. Problem-solving in everyday life:

Problem-solving skills are not limited to specific areas but are applicable in everyday life. From simple tasks to complex decisions, problem-solving helps navigate challenges efficiently. Everyday problem-solving involves assessing situations, setting goals, considering available resources, and making informed choices. It can range from troubleshooting technology issues to managing personal finances, resolving conflicts, or finding solutions to logistical problems. Developing problem-solving skills in everyday life leads to increased self-confidence, improved decision-making abilities, and overall personal effectiveness.

In all these areas, applying problem-solving skills enables individuals to approach challenges with a structured and analytical mindset, find practical solutions, and overcome obstacles effectively. It empowers individuals to think critically, adapt to changing circumstances, and positively contribute to various aspects of their lives.

Case Studies of Successful Problem Solving

Here are some Case Studies of Successful Problem Solving:

A. Real-life examples of problem-solving success stories:

1. NASA’s Apollo 13 Mission: The Apollo 13 mission faced a critical problem when an oxygen tank exploded, jeopardizing the lives of the astronauts. Through collaborative problem-solving, the NASA team on the ground and the astronauts in space worked together to develop innovative solutions, such as building a makeshift CO2 filter, conserving power, and navigating a safe return to Earth.

2. Apple’s iPhone Development: Apple faced the challenge of creating a revolutionary smartphone that combined multiple functions in a user-friendly design. Through rigorous problem-solving, Apple’s team developed groundbreaking solutions, such as the touch screen interface, intuitive user experience, and integration of various technologies, leading to the successful launch of the iPhone.

3. Toyota’s Lean Manufacturing System: Toyota encountered production inefficiencies and quality issues. By implementing problem-solving techniques, such as the Toyota Production System, the company focused on waste reduction, continuous improvement, and empowering employees to identify and solve problems. This increased productivity, improved quality, and a competitive advantage in the automotive industry.

B. Analysis of the problem-solving strategies employed:

1. Collaborative Problem-Solving: Successful problem-solving often involves collaboration among individuals or teams. Organizations can tackle complex challenges more effectively by leveraging diverse perspectives, knowledge, and skills.

2. Innovative Thinking: Problem-solving success stories often involve innovative thinking to address issues in novel ways. This may include exploring new technologies, challenging conventional wisdom, or adopting creative approaches that disrupt the status quo.

3. Systematic Approach: Effective problem-solving requires a systematic approach that involves defining the problem, gathering relevant information, analyzing options, and implementing solutions. This structured method provides a comprehensive understanding of the problem and helps identify the most appropriate action.

4. Continuous Improvement: Many successful problem-solving cases are committed to continuous improvement. Organizations embracing a learning and adaptability culture are better equipped to identify and solve problems efficiently, leading to long-term success.

5. Customer-Centric Solutions: Problem-solving strategies that prioritize understanding and meeting customer needs tend to yield successful outcomes. Organizations can develop solutions that deliver value and drive customer satisfaction by placing the customer at the center of problem-solving efforts.

Analyzing the problem-solving strategies employed in these case studies provides valuable insights into the approaches, techniques, and mindsets that contribute to successful problem resolution. It highlights the importance of collaboration, innovation, systematic thinking, continuous improvement, and customer focus in achieving positive outcomes.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, problem-solving skills are vital in various aspects of life, including personal, professional, and entrepreneurial endeavors. Through this article, we have explored the importance of problem-solving, its Definition, its role in different areas, characteristics of effective problem solvers, the problem-solving process, and techniques for effective problem-solving. We have also examined case studies of successful problem-solving and analyzed the strategies employed.

Recap of key points:

1. Problem-solving skills are crucial for personal, professional, and entrepreneurial success.

2. Effective problem solvers possess critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, and perseverance.

3. The problem-solving process involves defining the problem, gathering information, generating solutions, evaluating options, implementing the chosen solution, and monitoring outcomes.

4. Techniques like SWOT analysis, root cause analysis, Pareto analysis, Six Thinking Hats, and design thinking provide valuable frameworks for problem-solving.

As you have learned about the importance and various aspects of problem-solving, I encourage you to apply these skills in your own life. Problem-solving is not a mere intellectual exercise but a practical tool that can lead to personal growth, professional success, and positive societal contributions. Developing and honing your problem-solving abilities allows you to navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and find innovative solutions.

Embrace a continuous improvement mindset and a willingness to think outside the box. Seek opportunities to apply problem-solving skills in your relationships, workplace, entrepreneurial ventures, and everyday life. Remember that each challenge presents an opportunity for growth and learning. You can overcome obstacles and achieve desired outcomes by approaching problems with a structured and analytical mindset, considering multiple perspectives, and employing effective problem-solving techniques.

Incorporate problem-solving into your daily life and encourage others to do the same. By doing so, you contribute to a more proactive and solution-oriented society. Remember, problem-solving is a skill that can be developed and refined through practice and experience. So, take on challenges, embrace creativity, and be a proactive problem solver.

Start applying problem-solving skills today, and you will witness the positive impact it can have on your life and the lives of those around you.

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Overview of the Problem-Solving Mental Process

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

• Identify the Problem
• Define the Problem
• Form a Strategy
• Organize Information
• Allocate Resources
• Monitor Progress
• Evaluate the Results

Frequently Asked Questions

Problem-solving is a mental process that involves discovering, analyzing, and solving problems. The ultimate goal of problem-solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue.

The best strategy for solving a problem depends largely on the unique situation. In some cases, people are better off learning everything they can about the issue and then using factual knowledge to come up with a solution. In other instances, creativity and insight are the best options.

It is not necessary to follow problem-solving steps sequentially, It is common to skip steps or even go back through steps multiple times until the desired solution is reached.

In order to correctly solve a problem, it is often important to follow a series of steps. Researchers sometimes refer to this as the problem-solving cycle. While this cycle is portrayed sequentially, people rarely follow a rigid series of steps to find a solution.

The following steps include developing strategies and organizing knowledge.

1. Identifying the Problem

While it may seem like an obvious step, identifying the problem is not always as simple as it sounds. In some cases, people might mistakenly identify the wrong source of a problem, which will make attempts to solve it inefficient or even useless.

Some strategies that you might use to figure out the source of a problem include :

• Asking questions about the problem
• Breaking the problem down into smaller pieces
• Looking at the problem from different perspectives
• Conducting research to figure out what relationships exist between different variables

2. Defining the Problem

After the problem has been identified, it is important to fully define the problem so that it can be solved. You can define a problem by operationally defining each aspect of the problem and setting goals for what aspects of the problem you will address

At this point, you should focus on figuring out which aspects of the problems are facts and which are opinions. State the problem clearly and identify the scope of the solution.

3. Forming a Strategy

After the problem has been identified, it is time to start brainstorming potential solutions. This step usually involves generating as many ideas as possible without judging their quality. Once several possibilities have been generated, they can be evaluated and narrowed down.

The next step is to develop a strategy to solve the problem. The approach used will vary depending upon the situation and the individual's unique preferences. Common problem-solving strategies include heuristics and algorithms.

• Heuristics are mental shortcuts that are often based on solutions that have worked in the past. They can work well if the problem is similar to something you have encountered before and are often the best choice if you need a fast solution.
• Algorithms are step-by-step strategies that are guaranteed to produce a correct result. While this approach is great for accuracy, it can also consume time and resources.

Heuristics are often best used when time is of the essence, while algorithms are a better choice when a decision needs to be as accurate as possible.

4. Organizing Information

Before coming up with a solution, you need to first organize the available information. What do you know about the problem? What do you not know? The more information that is available the better prepared you will be to come up with an accurate solution.

When approaching a problem, it is important to make sure that you have all the data you need. Making a decision without adequate information can lead to biased or inaccurate results.

5. Allocating Resources

Of course, we don't always have unlimited money, time, and other resources to solve a problem. Before you begin to solve a problem, you need to determine how high priority it is.

If it is an important problem, it is probably worth allocating more resources to solving it. If, however, it is a fairly unimportant problem, then you do not want to spend too much of your available resources on coming up with a solution.

At this stage, it is important to consider all of the factors that might affect the problem at hand. This includes looking at the available resources, deadlines that need to be met, and any possible risks involved in each solution. After careful evaluation, a decision can be made about which solution to pursue.

6. Monitoring Progress

After selecting a problem-solving strategy, it is time to put the plan into action and see if it works. This step might involve trying out different solutions to see which one is the most effective.

It is also important to monitor the situation after implementing a solution to ensure that the problem has been solved and that no new problems have arisen as a result of the proposed solution.

Effective problem-solvers tend to monitor their progress as they work towards a solution. If they are not making good progress toward reaching their goal, they will reevaluate their approach or look for new strategies .

7. Evaluating the Results

After a solution has been reached, it is important to evaluate the results to determine if it is the best possible solution to the problem. This evaluation might be immediate, such as checking the results of a math problem to ensure the answer is correct, or it can be delayed, such as evaluating the success of a therapy program after several months of treatment.

Once a problem has been solved, it is important to take some time to reflect on the process that was used and evaluate the results. This will help you to improve your problem-solving skills and become more efficient at solving future problems.

A Word From Verywell​

It is important to remember that there are many different problem-solving processes with different steps, and this is just one example. Problem-solving in real-world situations requires a great deal of resourcefulness, flexibility, resilience, and continuous interaction with the environment.

Get Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how you can stop dwelling in a negative mindset.

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You can become a better problem solving by:

• Practicing brainstorming and coming up with multiple potential solutions to problems
• Being open-minded and considering all possible options before making a decision
• Breaking down problems into smaller, more manageable pieces
• Asking for help when needed
• Researching different problem-solving techniques and trying out new ones
• Learning from mistakes and using them as opportunities to grow

It's important to communicate openly and honestly with your partner about what's going on. Try to see things from their perspective as well as your own. Work together to find a resolution that works for both of you. Be willing to compromise and accept that there may not be a perfect solution.

Take breaks if things are getting too heated, and come back to the problem when you feel calm and collected. Don't try to fix every problem on your own—consider asking a therapist or counselor for help and insight.

If you've tried everything and there doesn't seem to be a way to fix the problem, you may have to learn to accept it. This can be difficult, but try to focus on the positive aspects of your life and remember that every situation is temporary. Don't dwell on what's going wrong—instead, think about what's going right. Find support by talking to friends or family. Seek professional help if you're having trouble coping.

Davidson JE, Sternberg RJ, editors.  The Psychology of Problem Solving .  Cambridge University Press; 2003. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511615771

Sarathy V. Real world problem-solving .  Front Hum Neurosci . 2018;12:261. Published 2018 Jun 26. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00261

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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• Decision-Making and Problem Solving

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Interpersonal Skills:

• A - Z List of Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment
• Communication Skills
• Emotional Intelligence
• Conflict Resolution and Mediation Skills
• Customer Service Skills
• Team-Working, Groups and Meetings

Decision-Making and Problem-Solving

• Effective Decision Making
• Decision-Making Framework
• Introduction to Problem Solving

Identifying and Structuring Problems

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The SkillsYouNeed Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Making decisions and solving problems are two key areas in life, whether you are at home or at work. Whatever you’re doing, and wherever you are, you are faced with countless decisions and problems, both small and large, every day.

Many decisions and problems are so small that we may not even notice them. Even small decisions, however, can be overwhelming to some people. They may come to a halt as they consider their dilemma and try to decide what to do.

Small and Large Decisions

In your day-to-day life you're likely to encounter numerous 'small decisions', including, for example:

Tea or coffee?

What shall I have in my sandwich? Or should I have a salad instead today?

What shall I wear today?

Larger decisions may occur less frequently but may include:

Should we repaint the kitchen? If so, what colour?

Should we relocate?

Should I propose to my partner? Do I really want to spend the rest of my life with him/her?

These decisions, and others like them, may take considerable time and effort to make.

The relationship between decision-making and problem-solving is complex. Decision-making is perhaps best thought of as a key part of problem-solving: one part of the overall process.

Our approach at Skills You Need is to set out a framework to help guide you through the decision-making process. You won’t always need to use the whole framework, or even use it at all, but you may find it useful if you are a bit ‘stuck’ and need something to help you make a difficult decision.

Decision Making

Effective Decision-Making

This page provides information about ways of making a decision, including basing it on logic or emotion (‘gut feeling’). It also explains what can stop you making an effective decision, including too much or too little information, and not really caring about the outcome.

A Decision-Making Framework

This page sets out one possible framework for decision-making.

The framework described is quite extensive, and may seem quite formal. But it is also a helpful process to run through in a briefer form, for smaller problems, as it will help you to make sure that you really do have all the information that you need.

Problem Solving

Introduction to Problem-Solving

This page provides a general introduction to the idea of problem-solving. It explores the idea of goals (things that you want to achieve) and barriers (things that may prevent you from achieving your goals), and explains the problem-solving process at a broad level.

The first stage in solving any problem is to identify it, and then break it down into its component parts. Even the biggest, most intractable-seeming problems, can become much more manageable if they are broken down into smaller parts. This page provides some advice about techniques you can use to do so.

Sometimes, the possible options to address your problem are obvious. At other times, you may need to involve others, or think more laterally to find alternatives. This page explains some principles, and some tools and techniques to help you do so.

Having generated solutions, you need to decide which one to take, which is where decision-making meets problem-solving. But once decided, there is another step: to deliver on your decision, and then see if your chosen solution works. This page helps you through this process.

‘Social’ problems are those that we encounter in everyday life, including money trouble, problems with other people, health problems and crime. These problems, like any others, are best solved using a framework to identify the problem, work out the options for addressing it, and then deciding which option to use.

This page provides more information about the key skills needed for practical problem-solving in real life.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

The Skills You Need Guide to Interpersonal Skills eBooks.

Develop your interpersonal skills with our series of eBooks. Learn about and improve your communication skills, tackle conflict resolution, mediate in difficult situations, and develop your emotional intelligence.

Guiding you through the key skills needed in life

As always at Skills You Need, our approach to these key skills is to provide practical ways to manage the process, and to develop your skills.

Neither problem-solving nor decision-making is an intrinsically difficult process and we hope you will find our pages useful in developing your skills.

Start with: Decision Making Problem Solving

See also: Improving Communication Interpersonal Communication Skills Building Confidence

What Are Problem-Solving Skills? (Examples Included)

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By Mike Simpson

Problem-solving skills are important not just for work. In the words of Karl Popper , “All life is problem-solving.”

What on earth does that mean? Simply that being alive means facing challenges. With problem-solving skills, you can navigate issues with greater ease, making hard times, well, less hard.

But what are problem-solving skills? How do you know if you have them or not? Why do they matter to your job search? And what should you do if you don’t feel yours are up to snuff? Luckily, we’re about to get into all of that.

If you’re curious about the world of problem-solving skills, here’s what you need to know.

What Are Problem-Solving Skills?

Before we dig into any examples, let’s focus first on an important question: what are problem-solving skills.

To answer that question, let’s start with the barebones basics. According to Merriam-Webster , problem-solving is “the process or act of finding a solution to a problem.” Why does that matter? Well, because it gives you insight into what problem-solving skills are.

Any skill that helps you find solutions to problems can qualify. And that means problem-solving skills aren’t just one capability, but a toolbox filled with soft skills and hard skills that come together during your time of need.

The ability to solve problems is relevant to any part of your life. Whether your writing a grocery list or dealing with a car that won’t start, you’re actually problem-solving.

The same is true at work, too. Most tasks actually involve a degree of problem-solving. Really? Really.

Think about it this way; when you’re given an assignment, you’re being asked, “Can you do this thing?” Doing that thing is the problem.

Then, you have to find a path that lets you accomplish what you need to do. That is problem-solving.

Yes, sometimes what you need to handle isn’t “challenging” in the difficulty sense. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t count.

Besides, some of what you need to do will legitimately be hard. Maybe you’re given a new responsibility, or something goes wrong during a project. When that happens, you’ll have to navigate unfamiliar territory, gather new information, and think outside of the box. That’s problem-solving, too.

That’s why hiring managers favor candidates with problem-solving skills. They make you more effective in your role, increasing the odds that you can find solutions whenever the need arises.

How Are Problem-Solving Skills Relevant to a Job Search?

Alright, you probably have a good idea of what problem-solving skills are. Now, it’s time to talk about why they matter to your job search.

We’ve already touched on one major point: hiring managers prefer candidates with strong problem-solving skills. That alone makes these capabilities a relevant part of the equation. If you don’t show the hiring manager you’ve got what it takes to excel, you may struggle to land a position.

But that isn’t the only reason these skills matter. Problem-solving skills can help you during the entire job search process. After all, what’s a job search but a problem – or a series of problems – that needs an answer.

You need a new job; that’s the core problem you’re solving. But every step is its own unique challenge. Finding an opening that matches your skills, creating a resume that resonates with the hiring manager, nailing the interview, and negotiating a salary … those are all smaller problems that are part of the bigger one.

So, problem-solving skills really are at the core of the job search experience. By having strong capabilities in this area, you may find a new position faster than you’d expect.

Okay, you may be thinking, “If hiring managers prefer candidates with problem-solving skills, which ones are they after? Are certain problem-solving capabilities more important today? Is there something I should be going out of my way to showcase?”

While any related skills are worth highlighting, some may get you further than others. Analysis, research, creativity, collaboration , organization, and decision-making are all biggies. With those skills, you can work through the entire problem-solving process, making them worthwhile additions to your resume.

But that doesn’t mean you have to focus there solely. Don’t shy away from showcasing everything you bring to the table. That way, if a particular hiring manager is looking for a certain capability, you’re more likely to tap on what they’re after.

How to Highlight Problem-Solving Skills for Job Search

At this point, it’s ridiculously clear that problem-solving skills are valuable in the eyes of hiring managers. So, how do you show them that you’ve got all of the capabilities they are after? By using the right approach.

When you’re writing your resume or cover letter , your best bet is to highlight achievements that let you put your problem-solving skills to work. That way, you can “show” the hiring manager you have what it takes.

Showing is always better than telling. Anyone can write down, “I have awesome problem-solving skills.” The thing is, that doesn’t really prove that you do. With a great example, you offer up some context, and that makes a difference.

How do you decide on which skills to highlight on your resume or cover letter? By having a great strategy. With the Tailoring Method , it’s all about relevancy. The technique helps you identify skills that matter to that particular hiring manager, allowing you to speak directly to their needs.

Plus, you can use the Tailoring Method when you answer job interview questions . With that approach, you’re making sure those responses are on-point, too.

But when do you talk about your problem-solving capabilities during an interview? Well, there’s a good chance you’ll get asked problem-solving interview questions during your meeting. Take a look at those to see the kinds of questions that are perfect for mentioning these skills.

However, you don’t have to stop there. If you’re asked about your greatest achievement or your strengths, those could be opportunities, too. Nearly any open-ended question could be the right time to discuss those skills, so keep that in mind as you practice for your interview.

How to Develop Problem-Solving Skills If You Don’t Have Them

Developing problem-solving skills may seem a bit tricky on the surface, especially if you think you don’t have them. The thing is, it doesn’t actually have to be hard. You simply need to use the right strategy.

First, understand that you probably do have problem-solving skills; you simply may not have realized it. After all, life is full of challenges that you have to tackle, so there’s a good chance you’ve developed some abilities along the way.

Now, let’s reframe the question and focus on how to improve your problem-solving skills. Here’s how to go about it.

Understand the Problem-Solving Process

In many cases, problem-solving is all about the process. You:

• Identify the problem
• Analyze the key elements
• Look for potential solutions
• Examine the options for viability and risk
• Decide on an approach
• Review the outcome for lessons

By understanding the core process, you can apply it more effectively. That way, when you encounter an issue, you’ll know how to approach it, increasing the odds you’ll handle the situation effectively.

Try Puzzles and Games

Any activity that lets you take the steps listed above could help you hone your problem-solving skills. For example, brainteasers, puzzles, and logic-based games can be great places to start.

Whether it’s something as straightforward – but nonetheless challenging – as Sudoku or a Rubik’s Cube, or something as complex as Settlers of Catan, it puts your problem-solving skills to work. Plus, if you enjoy the activity, it makes skill-building fun, making it a win-win.

Look for Daily Opportunities

If you’re looking for a practical approach, you’re in luck. You can also look at the various challenges you face during the day and think about how to overcome them.

For example, if you always experience a mid-day energy slump that hurts your productivity, take a deep dive into that problem. Define what’s happening, think about why it occurs, consider various solutions, pick one to try, and analyze the results.

By using the problem-solving approach more often in your life, you’ll develop those skills further and make using these capabilities a habit. Plus, you may find ways to improve your day-to-day living, which is a nice bonus.

Volunteer for “Stretch” Projects

If you’re currently employed, volunteering for projects that push you slightly outside of your comfort zone can help you develop problem-solving skills, too. You’ll encounter the unknown and have to think outside of the box, both of which can boost critical problem-solving-related skills.

Plus, you may gain other capabilities along the way, like experience with new technologies or tools. That makes the project an even bigger career booster, which is pretty awesome.

List of Problem-Solving Skills

Alright, we’ve taken a pretty deep dive into what problem-solving skills are. Now, it’s time for some problem-solving skills examples.

As we mentioned above, there are a ton of capabilities and traits that can support better problem-solving. By understanding what they are, you can showcase the right abilities during your job search.

So, without further ado, here is a quick list of problem-solving skill examples:

• Collaboration
• Organization
• Decision-Making
• Troubleshooting
• Self-Reliance
• Self-Motivation
• Communication
• Attention to Detail
• Brainstorming
• Forecasting
• Active Listening
• Accountability
• Open-Mindedness
• Critical Thinking
• Flexibility

Do you have to showcase all of those skills during your job search individually? No, not necessarily. Instead, you want to highlight a range of capabilities based on what the hiring manager is after. If you’re using the Tailoring Method, you’ll know which ones need to make their way into your resume, cover letter, and interview answers.

Now, are there other skills that support problem-solving? Yes, there certainly can be.

Essentially any skill that helps you go from the problem to the solution can, in its own right, be a problem-solving skill.

All of the skills above can be part of the equation. But, if you have another capability that helps you flourish when you encounter an obstacle, it can count, too.

Reflect on your past experience and consider how you’ve navigated challenges in the past. If a particular skill helped you do that, then it’s worth highlighting during a job search.

If you would like to find out more about skills to put on a resume , we’ve taken a close look at the topic before. Along with problem-solving skills, we dig into a variety of other areas, helping you choose what to highlight so that you can increase your odds of landing your perfect job.

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, problem-solving skills are essential for professionals in any kind of field. By honing your capabilities and showcasing them during your job search, you can become a stronger candidate and employee. In the end, that’s all good stuff, making it easier for you to keep your career on track today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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Home » Job Tips » Career Advice » Your Complete Guide to Effective Problem Solving Skills [Tips & Techniques]

Your Complete Guide to Effective Problem Solving Skills [Tips & Techniques]

Having effective problem solving skills can be a big boon for your professional life. Most employers look for candidates who are capable of solving problems the right way with less supervision.

Possessing the capacity to confidently and quickly tackle complex issues requires having several key abilities at your disposal. With study and practice, you can learn how best to approach difficult problems in order to solve them successfully.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the importance of problem-solving skills, effective problem-solving strategies, and ways to develop and refine your problem-solving techniques.

Table of Contents

What are Problem-Solving Skills?

Problem-solving skills are techniques that enable you to solve any problem effectively. With good problem-solving skills, individuals can adequately determine the source of problems and proffer solutions. This empowers an individual to approach issues from different viable perspectives.

Effective problem solvers are critical thinkers, perceptive, and knowledgeable, which enables them to break down challenging circumstances into manageable components. To excel in your career you need to hone, build, and develop adequate problem-solving skills. You can build personal development skills in order to develop competent problem-solving abilities.

Must-Have Problem-Solving Techniques

To be an effective problem solver, you must have other creative and smart abilities, below are a few smart and creative skills you can use when solving a problem:

1. Strong Research Skills

To fully understand a problem and create viable solutions, a problem solver must be able to locate and identify the root cause of a problem. As a problem solver, you might need to conduct research using a lot of problem solving methods. You can start by asking your peers for input and using web resources to conduct thorough research.

2. Analyzing and Evaluation

The ability to analyze and evaluate solutions is a typical example of a problem-solving skill. This skill will allow you to investigate several solutions and select the most suitable one for your problem.

3. Effective Communication and Active Listening

After determining the best solution to the problem, the next step would be to communicate it to the relevant stakeholders and develop a plan of action for implementing the solution. The ability to adequately solve a problem requires strong communication skills.

Possessing strong communication skills implies that one should have clear goals and deadlines for addressing a problem. Communication should also include any effects the solution may have on other parts of the organization or external stakeholders.

4. Reliability

As a problem solver, being reliable and adaptable is a trait prized by employers. Those who have the problem solving ability to identify issues, implement solutions efficiently, and do so in a timely manner are held in high regard. It is paramount for problem-solvers to possess adaptability as well because it assures that tasks will be carried out with accuracy and creativity.

Effective Problem-Solving Steps

The following tips will help you develop effective problem-solving skills that any employer would value.

1. Identification and Definition of Problem

To become an effective problem solver, you must know how to identify and recognize problems. Identifying a problem can be tough. You may find yourself asking questions like, “Is there even an issue here?” and if so, “What is its nature?”

To get the clearest understanding possible of any potential problems, take some time to really define exactly what the problems are. Doing this will not only help you grasp them better but also allow you to explain them accurately when communicating with others.

2. Gather Information and Organise the Problem

Once a problem has been identified and defined, it is ideal to gather more facts and information about the problem to get a better understanding of the problem. Gaining additional knowledge about a problem allows you to come up with various approaches to it as well as potential solutions. It involves observing, analyzing, and structuring the issue or situation at hand. During this phase, it is important to gather as much evidence about the problem and its causes in order to make sound judgments when selecting a course of action.

3. Generate Varieties of Potential Solutions to the Problem

Once you have successfully identified and gathered information on the existing problem, your next course of action will be brainstorming and developing different viable solutions to the problem. It is important to consider the perspectives of other teammates because different people in organizations will have diverse skills and perceptions about a problem and, thus, will have different solutions.

4. Careful Analysis and Taking Decision

Before making decisions, you should analyze all the solutions generated and then select the best course of action. To successfully make the right decision, the complexity of decision-making should be considered. This is because many circumstances can prevent a decision from being successful, even if it is the right one.

Remember that while some solutions might seem appropriate, they may not be appropriate to adopt at the stipulated time frame. This might be due to other variables like a lack of resources, the culture of the organization, a limited time frame, etc.

5. Implementing the Decision

After a thorough analysis has been made, and you have finally made a decision, the next step is to act on the decision you have chosen. It is important to note that more issues could develop during implementation. Especially if the identification or structuring of the original problem wasn’t done thoroughly.

6. Evaluate the Outcomes of the Decision

Verifying that the decision taken was effective is the focus of this phase of problem-solving. Asking those who were impacted by the changes of an outcome and how they felt about it is an effective way to evaluate the outcome of a decision.

Further, keeping track of results and any extra issues that come up is a good way to hone your problem solving skills. To effectively evaluate the outcome of your decision consider answering these questions below:

• Have you achieved the objectives of the decision taken?
• Did any unplanned or unforeseen situation arise in your decision-making process?

7. Improve and Reiterate

To master the art of problem-solving, look for other situations that permit you to use techniques and skills for solving problems. Find more chances to put the skills into action. Also when solving a problem make sure the issue won’t recur and share the lessons learned. This will enhance your problem solving skills. An ideal way to cultivate good problem solving skills is to take on challenging jobs that require cognitive processing such as business marketing or work-from-home jobs in data entry .

How Can I Demonstrate My Problem-Solving Skills?

Employers can learn more about how you might contribute to their team more quickly if you demonstrate your problem-solving abilities in your resume and cover letter.

1. How to Demonstrate Problem Solving Skills on a Resume?

In the ‘Achievements’ section of your resume, it is beneficial to provide concrete examples of how you have successfully solved problems. Emphasize how your knowledge and strategic thinking positively impacted a business situation or project outcome instead of simply saying that you are great at problem-solving.

The ‘Experience’ section allows for more expansion about any relevant projects where your problem-solving abilities were beneficial in completion or success rates. Conversely, if there was an unsuccessful result due to poor decision making then explain what corrective actions were taken as well as lessons learned.

2. How to Demonstrate Problem Solving Skills on Cover Letter?

Your cover letter is an incredible opportunity to expand on your problem solving capabilities. Here, you can give a concise example of when you efficiently handled a difficulty. On the other hand, you might recognize an issue that this potential employer wants to solve and explain how exactly you would address it. For instance, if there’s evidence in a job vacancy concerning improving brand awareness, then identifying ways where you could help promote awareness about the brand through various means will be an advantage for you.

Having problem solving skills is a huge advantage that can be extremely beneficial in both your personal and professional life. Problem-solving gives you the tools to make better decisions, identify solutions for roadblocks, and reach desired goals more easily. To effectively improve your problem solving skills consider taking a human resource management course .

We hope these tips will help build and improve your problem handling skills, let us know in the comment section the different problem you have solved at your workplace.

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Harshita is an English Literature graduate from the University of Delhi with 3 years of experience in Content Writing and Editing. Dedicated to her craft, she loves creating magic with words. She is a big fan of hoarding cute planners and journals and can be seen watching FRIENDS (almost EVERYTIME) in her spare time. Her meticulous attention to detail makes her stand out from the crowd. A typo epidemic is her worst nightmare!

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How to Train Your Problem-Solving Skills

From the hiccups that disrupt your morning routines to the hurdles that define your professional paths, there is always a problem to be solved. 

The good news is that every obstacle is an opportunity to develop problem-solving skills and become the best version of yourself. That’s right: It turns out you can get better at problem-solving, which will help you increase success in daily life and long-term goals.  

Read on to learn how to improve your problem-solving abilities through scientific research and practical strategies.

Understanding Problem-Solving Skills

You may be surprised to learn that your problem-solving skills go beyond just trying to find a solution. Problem-solving skills involve cognitive abilities such as analytical thinking, creativity, decision-making, logical reasoning, and memory. 

Strong problem-solving skills boost critical thinking, spark creativity, and hone decision-making abilities. For you or anyone looking to improve their mental fitness , these skills are necessary for career advancement, personal growth, and positive interpersonal relationships. 

Core Components of Problem-Solving Skills Training

To effectively train your problem-solving skills, it’s important to practice all of the steps required to solve the problem. Think of it this way: Before attempting to solve a problem, your brain has already been hard at work evaluating the situation and picking the best action plan. After you’ve worked hard preparing, you’ll need to implement your plan and assess the outcome by following these steps:  

• Identify and define problems: Recognizing and clearly articulating issues is the foundational step in solving them.
• Generate solutions: Employing brainstorming techniques helps you develop multiple potential solutions.
• Evaluate and select solutions: Using specific criteria to assess solutions helps you choose the most effective one.
• Implement solutions: Developing and executing action plans, including preparing for potential obstacles, guides you to positive outcomes.
• Review and learn from outcomes: Assessing the success of solutions and learning from the results for future improvement facilitates future success. 

Strategies for Developing Problem-Solving Skills

There are many practical exercises and activities that can improve problem-solving abilities.

Cultivate a Problem-Solving Mindset

• Adopt a growth mindset: A growth mindset involves transforming phrases like “I can’t” into “I can’t yet.” Believing in the capacity to improve your skills through effort and perseverance can lead to greater success in problem-solving.
• Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness can enhance cognitive flexibility , allowing you to view problems from multiple perspectives and find creative solutions.

Enhance Core Cognitive Skills 

• Strengthen your memory: Engage in activities that challenge your memory since accurately recalling information is crucial in problem-solving. Techniques such as mnemonic devices or memory palaces can be particularly effective.
• Build your critical thinking: Regularly question assumptions, evaluate arguments, and engage in activities that require reasoning, such as strategy games or debates.

Apply Structured Problem-Solving Techniques

• Use the STOP method: This stands for Stop , Think , Observe , and Plan . It's a simple yet effective way to approach any problem methodically, ensuring you consider all aspects before taking action.
• Try reverse engineering: Start with the desired outcome and work backward to understand the steps needed to achieve that result. This approach can be particularly useful for complex problems with unclear starting points.

Incorporate Technology into Your Training

• Engage with online courses and workshops: Many platforms offer courses specifically designed to enhance problem-solving skills, ranging from critical thinking to creative problem-solving techniques.
• Use cognitive training apps: Apps like Elevate provide targeted, research-backed games and workouts to improve cognitive skills including attention, processing speed, and more. 

Practice with Real-World Applications and Learn from Experience

• Tackle daily challenges: Use everyday issues as opportunities to practice problem-solving. Whether figuring out a new recipe or managing a tight budget, applying your skills in real-world situations can reinforce learning.
• Keep a problem-solving journal: Record the challenges you face, the strategies you employ, and the outcomes you achieve. Reflecting on your problem-solving process over time can provide insights into your strengths and areas for improvement.

Embracing Problem-Solving as a Lifelong Journey

Since problems arise daily, it’s important to feel confident in solving them. 

And you can do just that by downloading the Elevate brain training app. Elevate offers 40+ games and activities designed to improve problem-solving, communication, and other cognitive skills in a personalized way that’s backed by science. Pretty cool, right? 

Consider downloading the Elevate app on Android or iOS now—it’ll be the easiest problem you solve all day. 

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How Problem-Solving Games Can Boost Your Brain

• Discover why problem-solving games are fun and effective ways to train your brain. 

Improving Your Problem-Solving Skills

• Discover how to improve your problem-solving skills and make logical, informed decisions.  

Best Ways to Boost Your Mental Fitness

• Mental fitness refers to your ability to sustain your overall well-being. Learn tips to improve yours.  

How to improve your problem solving skills and build effective problem solving strategies

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Effective problem solving is all about using the right process and following a plan tailored to the issue at hand. Recognizing your team or organization has an issue isn’t enough to come up with effective problem solving strategies. 

To truly understand a problem and develop appropriate solutions, you will want to follow a solid process, follow the necessary problem solving steps, and bring all of your problem solving skills to the table.  

We’ll first guide you through the seven step problem solving process you and your team can use to effectively solve complex business challenges. We’ll also look at what problem solving strategies you can employ with your team when looking for a way to approach the process. We’ll then discuss the problem solving skills you need to be more effective at solving problems, complete with an activity from the SessionLab library you can use to develop that skill in your team.

Let’s get to it! 

What is a problem solving process?

• What are the problem solving steps I need to follow?

Problem solving strategies

What skills do i need to be an effective problem solver, how can i improve my problem solving skills.

Solving problems is like baking a cake. You can go straight into the kitchen without a recipe or the right ingredients and do your best, but the end result is unlikely to be very tasty!

Using a process to bake a cake allows you to use the best ingredients without waste, collect the right tools, account for allergies, decide whether it is a birthday or wedding cake, and then bake efficiently and on time. The result is a better cake that is fit for purpose, tastes better and has created less mess in the kitchen. Also, it should have chocolate sprinkles. Having a step by step process to solve organizational problems allows you to go through each stage methodically and ensure you are trying to solve the right problems and select the most appropriate, effective solutions.

What are the problem solving steps I need to follow? 

All problem solving processes go through a number of steps in order to move from identifying a problem to resolving it.

Depending on your problem solving model and who you ask, there can be anything between four and nine problem solving steps you should follow in order to find the right solution. Whatever framework you and your group use, there are some key items that should be addressed in order to have an effective process.

We’ve looked at problem solving processes from sources such as the American Society for Quality and their four step approach , and Mediate ‘s six step process. By reflecting on those and our own problem solving processes, we’ve come up with a sequence of seven problem solving steps we feel best covers everything you need in order to effectively solve problems.

1. Problem identification 

The first stage of any problem solving process is to identify the problem or problems you might want to solve. Effective problem solving strategies always begin by allowing a group scope to articulate what they believe the problem to be and then coming to some consensus over which problem they approach first. Problem solving activities used at this stage often have a focus on creating frank, open discussion so that potential problems can be brought to the surface.

2. Problem analysis 

Though this step is not a million miles from problem identification, problem analysis deserves to be considered separately. It can often be an overlooked part of the process and is instrumental when it comes to developing effective solutions.

The process of problem analysis means ensuring that the problem you are seeking to solve is the right problem . As part of this stage, you may look deeper and try to find the root cause of a specific problem at a team or organizational level.

Remember that problem solving strategies should not only be focused on putting out fires in the short term but developing long term solutions that deal with the root cause of organizational challenges. 

Whatever your approach, analyzing a problem is crucial in being able to select an appropriate solution and the problem solving skills deployed in this stage are beneficial for the rest of the process and ensuring the solutions you create are fit for purpose.

3. Solution generation

Once your group has nailed down the particulars of the problem you wish to solve, you want to encourage a free flow of ideas connecting to solving that problem. This can take the form of problem solving games that encourage creative thinking or problem solving activities designed to produce working prototypes of possible solutions. 

The key to ensuring the success of this stage of the problem solving process is to encourage quick, creative thinking and create an open space where all ideas are considered. The best solutions can come from unlikely places and by using problem solving techniques that celebrate invention, you might come up with solution gold. 

4. Solution development

No solution is likely to be perfect right out of the gate. It’s important to discuss and develop the solutions your group has come up with over the course of following the previous problem solving steps in order to arrive at the best possible solution. Problem solving games used in this stage involve lots of critical thinking, measuring potential effort and impact, and looking at possible solutions analytically. 

During this stage, you will often ask your team to iterate and improve upon your frontrunning solutions and develop them further. Remember that problem solving strategies always benefit from a multitude of voices and opinions, and not to let ego get involved when it comes to choosing which solutions to develop and take further.

Finding the best solution is the goal of all problem solving workshops and here is the place to ensure that your solution is well thought out, sufficiently robust and fit for purpose. 

5. Decision making 

Nearly there! Once your group has reached consensus and selected a solution that applies to the problem at hand you have some decisions to make. You will want to work on allocating ownership of the project, figure out who will do what, how the success of the solution will be measured and decide the next course of action.

The decision making stage is a part of the problem solving process that can get missed or taken as for granted. Fail to properly allocate roles and plan out how a solution will actually be implemented and it less likely to be successful in solving the problem.

Have clear accountabilities, actions, timeframes, and follow-ups. Make these decisions and set clear next-steps in the problem solving workshop so that everyone is aligned and you can move forward effectively as a group. 

Ensuring that you plan for the roll-out of a solution is one of the most important problem solving steps. Without adequate planning or oversight, it can prove impossible to measure success or iterate further if the problem was not solved. 

6. Solution implementation 

This is what we were waiting for! All problem solving strategies have the end goal of implementing a solution and solving a problem in mind. 

Remember that in order for any solution to be successful, you need to help your group through all of the previous problem solving steps thoughtfully. Only then can you ensure that you are solving the right problem but also that you have developed the correct solution and can then successfully implement and measure the impact of that solution.

Project management and communication skills are key here – your solution may need to adjust when out in the wild or you might discover new challenges along the way.

7. Solution evaluation 

So you and your team developed a great solution to a problem and have a gut feeling its been solved. Work done, right? Wrong. All problem solving strategies benefit from evaluation, consideration, and feedback. You might find that the solution does not work for everyone, might create new problems, or is potentially so successful that you will want to roll it out to larger teams or as part of other initiatives. 

None of that is possible without taking the time to evaluate the success of the solution you developed in your problem solving model and adjust if necessary.

Remember that the problem solving process is often iterative and it can be common to not solve complex issues on the first try. Even when this is the case, you and your team will have generated learning that will be important for future problem solving workshops or in other parts of the organization. 

It’s worth underlining how important record keeping is throughout the problem solving process. If a solution didn’t work, you need to have the data and records to see why that was the case. If you go back to the drawing board, notes from the previous workshop can help save time. Data and insight is invaluable at every stage of the problem solving process and this one is no different.

Problem solving workshops made easy

Problem solving strategies are methods of approaching and facilitating the process of problem-solving with a set of techniques , actions, and processes. Different strategies are more effective if you are trying to solve broad problems such as achieving higher growth versus more focused problems like, how do we improve our customer onboarding process?

Broadly, the problem solving steps outlined above should be included in any problem solving strategy though choosing where to focus your time and what approaches should be taken is where they begin to differ. You might find that some strategies ask for the problem identification to be done prior to the session or that everything happens in the course of a one day workshop.

The key similarity is that all good problem solving strategies are structured and designed. Four hours of open discussion is never going to be as productive as a four-hour workshop designed to lead a group through a problem solving process.

Good problem solving strategies are tailored to the team, organization and problem you will be attempting to solve. Here are some example problem solving strategies you can learn from or use to get started.

Use a workshop to lead a team through a group process

Often, the first step to solving problems or organizational challenges is bringing a group together effectively. Most teams have the tools, knowledge, and expertise necessary to solve their challenges – they just need some guidance in how to use leverage those skills and a structure and format that allows people to focus their energies.

Facilitated workshops are one of the most effective ways of solving problems of any scale. By designing and planning your workshop carefully, you can tailor the approach and scope to best fit the needs of your team and organization. 

Problem solving workshop

• Creating a bespoke, tailored process
• Tackling problems of any size
• Building in-house workshop ability and encouraging their use

Workshops are an effective strategy for solving problems. By using tried and test facilitation techniques and methods, you can design and deliver a workshop that is perfectly suited to the unique variables of your organization. You may only have the capacity for a half-day workshop and so need a problem solving process to match. 

By using our session planner tool and importing methods from our library of 700+ facilitation techniques, you can create the right problem solving workshop for your team. It might be that you want to encourage creative thinking or look at things from a new angle to unblock your groups approach to problem solving. By tailoring your workshop design to the purpose, you can help ensure great results.

One of the main benefits of a workshop is the structured approach to problem solving. Not only does this mean that the workshop itself will be successful, but many of the methods and techniques will help your team improve their working processes outside of the workshop. 

We believe that workshops are one of the best tools you can use to improve the way your team works together. Start with a problem solving workshop and then see what team building, culture or design workshops can do for your organization!

Run a design sprint

Great for: 

• aligning large, multi-discipline teams
• quickly designing and testing solutions
• tackling large, complex organizational challenges and breaking them down into smaller tasks

By using design thinking principles and methods, a design sprint is a great way of identifying, prioritizing and prototyping solutions to long term challenges that can help solve major organizational problems with quick action and measurable results.

Some familiarity with design thinking is useful, though not integral, and this strategy can really help a team align if there is some discussion around which problems should be approached first. 

The stage-based structure of the design sprint is also very useful for teams new to design thinking.  The inspiration phase, where you look to competitors that have solved your problem, and the rapid prototyping and testing phases are great for introducing new concepts that will benefit a team in all their future work. 

It can be common for teams to look inward for solutions and so looking to the market for solutions you can iterate on can be very productive. Instilling an agile prototyping and testing mindset can also be great when helping teams move forwards – generating and testing solutions quickly can help save time in the long run and is also pretty exciting!

Break problems down into smaller issues

Organizational challenges and problems are often complicated and large scale in nature. Sometimes, trying to resolve such an issue in one swoop is simply unachievable or overwhelming. Try breaking down such problems into smaller issues that you can work on step by step. You may not be able to solve the problem of churning customers off the bat, but you can work with your team to identify smaller effort but high impact elements and work on those first.

This problem solving strategy can help a team generate momentum, prioritize and get some easy wins. It’s also a great strategy to employ with teams who are just beginning to learn how to approach the problem solving process. If you want some insight into a way to employ this strategy, we recommend looking at our design sprint template below!

Use guiding frameworks or try new methodologies

Some problems are best solved by introducing a major shift in perspective or by using new methodologies that encourage your team to think differently.

Props and tools such as Methodkit , which uses a card-based toolkit for facilitation, or Lego Serious Play can be great ways to engage your team and find an inclusive, democratic problem solving strategy. Remember that play and creativity are great tools for achieving change and whatever the challenge, engaging your participants can be very effective where other strategies may have failed.

LEGO Serious Play

• Improving core problem solving skills
• Thinking outside of the box
• Encouraging creative solutions

LEGO Serious Play is a problem solving methodology designed to get participants thinking differently by using 3D models and kinesthetic learning styles. By physically building LEGO models based on questions and exercises, participants are encouraged to think outside of the box and create their own responses. 

Collaborate LEGO Serious Play exercises are also used to encourage communication and build problem solving skills in a group. By using this problem solving process, you can often help different kinds of learners and personality types contribute and unblock organizational problems with creative thinking. 

Problem solving strategies like LEGO Serious Play are super effective at helping a team solve more skills-based problems such as communication between teams or a lack of creative thinking. Some problems are not suited to LEGO Serious Play and require a different problem solving strategy.

Card Decks and Method Kits

• New facilitators or non-facilitators 
• Approaching difficult subjects with a simple, creative framework
• Engaging those with varied learning styles

Card decks and method kids are great tools for those new to facilitation or for whom facilitation is not the primary role. Card decks such as the emotional culture deck can be used for complete workshops and in many cases, can be used right out of the box. Methodkit has a variety of kits designed for scenarios ranging from personal development through to personas and global challenges so you can find the right deck for your particular needs.

Having an easy to use framework that encourages creativity or a new approach can take some of the friction or planning difficulties out of the workshop process and energize a team in any setting. Simplicity is the key with these methods. By ensuring everyone on your team can get involved and engage with the process as quickly as possible can really contribute to the success of your problem solving strategy.

Source external advice

Looking to peers, experts and external facilitators can be a great way of approaching the problem solving process. Your team may not have the necessary expertise, insights of experience to tackle some issues, or you might simply benefit from a fresh perspective. Some problems may require bringing together an entire team, and coaching managers or team members individually might be the right approach. Remember that not all problems are best resolved in the same manner.

If you’re a solo entrepreneur, peer groups, coaches and mentors can also be invaluable at not only solving specific business problems, but in providing a support network for resolving future challenges. One great approach is to join a Mastermind Group and link up with like-minded individuals and all grow together. Remember that however you approach the sourcing of external advice, do so thoughtfully, respectfully and honestly. Reciprocate where you can and prepare to be surprised by just how kind and helpful your peers can be!

Mastermind Group

• Solo entrepreneurs or small teams with low capacity
• Peer learning and gaining outside expertise
• Getting multiple external points of view quickly

Problem solving in large organizations with lots of skilled team members is one thing, but how about if you work for yourself or in a very small team without the capacity to get the most from a design sprint or LEGO Serious Play session? 

A mastermind group – sometimes known as a peer advisory board – is where a group of people come together to support one another in their own goals, challenges, and businesses. Each participant comes to the group with their own purpose and the other members of the group will help them create solutions, brainstorm ideas, and support one another. 

Mastermind groups are very effective in creating an energized, supportive atmosphere that can deliver meaningful results. Learning from peers from outside of your organization or industry can really help unlock new ways of thinking and drive growth. Access to the experience and skills of your peers can be invaluable in helping fill the gaps in your own ability, particularly in young companies.

A mastermind group is a great solution for solo entrepreneurs, small teams, or for organizations that feel that external expertise or fresh perspectives will be beneficial for them. It is worth noting that Mastermind groups are often only as good as the participants and what they can bring to the group. Participants need to be committed, engaged and understand how to work in this context. 

Coaching and mentoring

• Focused learning and development
• Filling skills gaps
• Working on a range of challenges over time

Receiving advice from a business coach or building a mentor/mentee relationship can be an effective way of resolving certain challenges. The one-to-one format of most coaching and mentor relationships can really help solve the challenges those individuals are having and benefit the organization as a result.

A great mentor can be invaluable when it comes to spotting potential problems before they arise and coming to understand a mentee very well has a host of other business benefits. You might run an internal mentorship program to help develop your team’s problem solving skills and strategies or as part of a large learning and development program. External coaches can also be an important part of your problem solving strategy, filling skills gaps for your management team or helping with specific business issues. 

Now we’ve explored the problem solving process and the steps you will want to go through in order to have an effective session, let’s look at the skills you and your team need to be more effective problem solvers.

Problem solving skills are highly sought after, whatever industry or team you work in. Organizations are keen to employ people who are able to approach problems thoughtfully and find strong, realistic solutions. Whether you are a facilitator , a team leader or a developer, being an effective problem solver is a skill you’ll want to develop.

Problem solving skills form a whole suite of techniques and approaches that an individual uses to not only identify problems but to discuss them productively before then developing appropriate solutions.

Here are some of the most important problem solving skills everyone from executives to junior staff members should learn. We’ve also included an activity or exercise from the SessionLab library that can help you and your team develop that skill. 

If you’re running a workshop or training session to try and improve problem solving skills in your team, try using these methods to supercharge your process!

Active listening

Active listening is one of the most important skills anyone who works with people can possess. In short, active listening is a technique used to not only better understand what is being said by an individual, but also to be more aware of the underlying message the speaker is trying to convey. When it comes to problem solving, active listening is integral for understanding the position of every participant and to clarify the challenges, ideas and solutions they bring to the table.

Some active listening skills include:

• Paying complete attention to the speaker.
• Removing distractions.
• Avoid interruption.
• Taking the time to fully understand before preparing a rebuttal.
• Responding respectfully and appropriately.
• Demonstrate attentiveness and positivity with an open posture, making eye contact with the speaker, smiling and nodding if appropriate. Show that you are listening and encourage them to continue.
• Be aware of and respectful of feelings. Judge the situation and respond appropriately. You can disagree without being disrespectful.   
• Observe body language. 
• Paraphrase what was said in your own words, either mentally or verbally.
• Remain neutral. 
• Reflect and take a moment before responding.
• Ask deeper questions based on what is said and clarify points where necessary.   

Active Listening   #hyperisland   #skills   #active listening   #remote-friendly   This activity supports participants to reflect on a question and generate their own solutions using simple principles of active listening and peer coaching. It’s an excellent introduction to active listening but can also be used with groups that are already familiar with it. Participants work in groups of three and take turns being: “the subject”, the listener, and the observer.

Analytical skills

All problem solving models require strong analytical skills, particularly during the beginning of the process and when it comes to analyzing how solutions have performed.

Analytical skills are primarily focused on performing an effective analysis by collecting, studying and parsing data related to a problem or opportunity. 

It often involves spotting patterns, being able to see things from different perspectives and using observable facts and data to make suggestions or produce insight. 

Analytical skills are also important at every stage of the problem solving process and by having these skills, you can ensure that any ideas or solutions you create or backed up analytically and have been sufficiently thought out.

Nine Whys   #innovation   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   With breathtaking simplicity, you can rapidly clarify for individuals and a group what is essentially important in their work. You can quickly reveal when a compelling purpose is missing in a gathering and avoid moving forward without clarity. When a group discovers an unambiguous shared purpose, more freedom and more responsibility are unleashed. You have laid the foundation for spreading and scaling innovations with fidelity.

Collaboration

Trying to solve problems on your own is difficult. Being able to collaborate effectively, with a free exchange of ideas, to delegate and be a productive member of a team is hugely important to all problem solving strategies.

Remember that whatever your role, collaboration is integral, and in a problem solving process, you are all working together to find the best solution for everyone. 

Marshmallow challenge with debriefing   #teamwork   #team   #leadership   #collaboration   In eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needs to be on top. The Marshmallow Challenge was developed by Tom Wujec, who has done the activity with hundreds of groups around the world. Visit the Marshmallow Challenge website for more information. This version has an extra debriefing question added with sample questions focusing on roles within the team.

Communication  

Being an effective communicator means being empathetic, clear and succinct, asking the right questions, and demonstrating active listening skills throughout any discussion or meeting. 

In a problem solving setting, you need to communicate well in order to progress through each stage of the process effectively. As a team leader, it may also fall to you to facilitate communication between parties who may not see eye to eye. Effective communication also means helping others to express themselves and be heard in a group.

Bus Trip   #feedback   #communication   #appreciation   #closing   #thiagi   #team   This is one of my favourite feedback games. I use Bus Trip at the end of a training session or a meeting, and I use it all the time. The game creates a massive amount of energy with lots of smiles, laughs, and sometimes even a teardrop or two.

Creative problem solving skills can be some of the best tools in your arsenal. Thinking creatively, being able to generate lots of ideas and come up with out of the box solutions is useful at every step of the process. 

The kinds of problems you will likely discuss in a problem solving workshop are often difficult to solve, and by approaching things in a fresh, creative manner, you can often create more innovative solutions.

Having practical creative skills is also a boon when it comes to problem solving. If you can help create quality design sketches and prototypes in record time, it can help bring a team to alignment more quickly or provide a base for further iteration.

The paper clip method   #sharing   #creativity   #warm up   #idea generation   #brainstorming   The power of brainstorming. A training for project leaders, creativity training, and to catalyse getting new solutions.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is one of the fundamental problem solving skills you’ll want to develop when working on developing solutions. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, rationalize and evaluate while being aware of personal bias, outlying factors and remaining open-minded.

Defining and analyzing problems without deploying critical thinking skills can mean you and your team go down the wrong path. Developing solutions to complex issues requires critical thinking too – ensuring your team considers all possibilities and rationally evaluating them. 

Agreement-Certainty Matrix   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   #problem solving   You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic .  A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate.  It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably.  A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail.  Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward.  A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”  The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Data analysis 

Though it shares lots of space with general analytical skills, data analysis skills are something you want to cultivate in their own right in order to be an effective problem solver.

Being good at data analysis doesn’t just mean being able to find insights from data, but also selecting the appropriate data for a given issue, interpreting it effectively and knowing how to model and present that data. Depending on the problem at hand, it might also include a working knowledge of specific data analysis tools and procedures. 

Having a solid grasp of data analysis techniques is useful if you’re leading a problem solving workshop but if you’re not an expert, don’t worry. Bring people into the group who has this skill set and help your team be more effective as a result.

Decision making

All problems need a solution and all solutions require that someone make the decision to implement them. Without strong decision making skills, teams can become bogged down in discussion and less effective as a result. 

Making decisions is a key part of the problem solving process. It’s important to remember that decision making is not restricted to the leadership team. Every staff member makes decisions every day and developing these skills ensures that your team is able to solve problems at any scale. Remember that making decisions does not mean leaping to the first solution but weighing up the options and coming to an informed, well thought out solution to any given problem that works for the whole team.

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)   #action   #decision making   #problem solving   #issue analysis   #innovation   #design   #remote-friendly   The problem with anything that requires creative thinking is that it’s easy to get lost—lose focus and fall into the trap of having useless, open-ended, unstructured discussions. Here’s the most effective solution I’ve found: Replace all open, unstructured discussion with a clear process. What to use this exercise for: Anything which requires a group of people to make decisions, solve problems or discuss challenges. It’s always good to frame an LDJ session with a broad topic, here are some examples: The conversion flow of our checkout Our internal design process How we organise events Keeping up with our competition Improving sales flow

Dependability

Most complex organizational problems require multiple people to be involved in delivering the solution. Ensuring that the team and organization can depend on you to take the necessary actions and communicate where necessary is key to ensuring problems are solved effectively.

Being dependable also means working to deadlines and to brief. It is often a matter of creating trust in a team so that everyone can depend on one another to complete the agreed actions in the agreed time frame so that the team can move forward together. Being undependable can create problems of friction and can limit the effectiveness of your solutions so be sure to bear this in mind throughout a project. 

Team Purpose & Culture   #team   #hyperisland   #culture   #remote-friendly   This is an essential process designed to help teams define their purpose (why they exist) and their culture (how they work together to achieve that purpose). Defining these two things will help any team to be more focused and aligned. With support of tangible examples from other companies, the team members work as individuals and a group to codify the way they work together. The goal is a visual manifestation of both the purpose and culture that can be put up in the team’s work space.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is an important skill for any successful team member, whether communicating internally or with clients or users. In the problem solving process, emotional intelligence means being attuned to how people are feeling and thinking, communicating effectively and being self-aware of what you bring to a room. 

There are often differences of opinion when working through problem solving processes, and it can be easy to let things become impassioned or combative. Developing your emotional intelligence means being empathetic to your colleagues and managing your own emotions throughout the problem and solution process. Be kind, be thoughtful and put your points across care and attention. 

Being emotionally intelligent is a skill for life and by deploying it at work, you can not only work efficiently but empathetically. Check out the emotional culture workshop template for more!

Facilitation

As we’ve clarified in our facilitation skills post, facilitation is the art of leading people through processes towards agreed-upon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership, and creativity by all those involved. While facilitation is a set of interrelated skills in itself, the broad definition of facilitation can be invaluable when it comes to problem solving. Leading a team through a problem solving process is made more effective if you improve and utilize facilitation skills – whether you’re a manager, team leader or external stakeholder.

The Six Thinking Hats   #creative thinking   #meeting facilitation   #problem solving   #issue resolution   #idea generation   #conflict resolution   The Six Thinking Hats are used by individuals and groups to separate out conflicting styles of thinking. They enable and encourage a group of people to think constructively together in exploring and implementing change, rather than using argument to fight over who is right and who is wrong.

Flexibility 

Being flexible is a vital skill when it comes to problem solving. This does not mean immediately bowing to pressure or changing your opinion quickly: instead, being flexible is all about seeing things from new perspectives, receiving new information and factoring it into your thought process.

Flexibility is also important when it comes to rolling out solutions. It might be that other organizational projects have greater priority or require the same resources as your chosen solution. Being flexible means understanding needs and challenges across the team and being open to shifting or arranging your own schedule as necessary. Again, this does not mean immediately making way for other projects. It’s about articulating your own needs, understanding the needs of others and being able to come to a meaningful compromise.

The Creativity Dice   #creativity   #problem solving   #thiagi   #issue analysis   Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

Working in any group can lead to unconscious elements of groupthink or situations in which you may not wish to be entirely honest. Disagreeing with the opinions of the executive team or wishing to save the feelings of a coworker can be tricky to navigate, but being honest is absolutely vital when to comes to developing effective solutions and ensuring your voice is heard. 

Remember that being honest does not mean being brutally candid. You can deliver your honest feedback and opinions thoughtfully and without creating friction by using other skills such as emotional intelligence. 

Explore your Values   #hyperisland   #skills   #values   #remote-friendly   Your Values is an exercise for participants to explore what their most important values are. It’s done in an intuitive and rapid way to encourage participants to follow their intuitive feeling rather than over-thinking and finding the “correct” values. It is a good exercise to use to initiate reflection and dialogue around personal values.

Initiative 

The problem solving process is multi-faceted and requires different approaches at certain points of the process. Taking initiative to bring problems to the attention of the team, collect data or lead the solution creating process is always valuable. You might even roadtest your own small scale solutions or brainstorm before a session. Taking initiative is particularly effective if you have good deal of knowledge in that area or have ownership of a particular project and want to get things kickstarted.

That said, be sure to remember to honor the process and work in service of the team. If you are asked to own one part of the problem solving process and you don’t complete that task because your initiative leads you to work on something else, that’s not an effective method of solving business challenges.

15% Solutions   #action   #liberating structures   #remote-friendly   You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference.  15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change.  With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

Impartiality

A particularly useful problem solving skill for product owners or managers is the ability to remain impartial throughout much of the process. In practice, this means treating all points of view and ideas brought forward in a meeting equally and ensuring that your own areas of interest or ownership are not favored over others. 

There may be a stage in the process where a decision maker has to weigh the cost and ROI of possible solutions against the company roadmap though even then, ensuring that the decision made is based on merit and not personal opinion. 

Empathy map   #frame insights   #create   #design   #issue analysis   An empathy map is a tool to help a design team to empathize with the people they are designing for. You can make an empathy map for a group of people or for a persona. To be used after doing personas when more insights are needed.

Being a good leader means getting a team aligned, energized and focused around a common goal. In the problem solving process, strong leadership helps ensure that the process is efficient, that any conflicts are resolved and that a team is managed in the direction of success.

It’s common for managers or executives to assume this role in a problem solving workshop, though it’s important that the leader maintains impartiality and does not bulldoze the group in a particular direction. Remember that good leadership means working in service of the purpose and team and ensuring the workshop is a safe space for employees of any level to contribute. Take a look at our leadership games and activities post for more exercises and methods to help improve leadership in your organization.

Leadership Pizza   #leadership   #team   #remote-friendly   This leadership development activity offers a self-assessment framework for people to first identify what skills, attributes and attitudes they find important for effective leadership, and then assess their own development and initiate goal setting.

In the context of problem solving, mediation is important in keeping a team engaged, happy and free of conflict. When leading or facilitating a problem solving workshop, you are likely to run into differences of opinion. Depending on the nature of the problem, certain issues may be brought up that are emotive in nature. 

Being an effective mediator means helping those people on either side of such a divide are heard, listen to one another and encouraged to find common ground and a resolution. Mediating skills are useful for leaders and managers in many situations and the problem solving process is no different.

Conflict Responses   #hyperisland   #team   #issue resolution   A workshop for a team to reflect on past conflicts, and use them to generate guidelines for effective conflict handling. The workshop uses the Thomas-Killman model of conflict responses to frame a reflective discussion. Use it to open up a discussion around conflict with a team.

Planning 

Solving organizational problems is much more effective when following a process or problem solving model. Planning skills are vital in order to structure, deliver and follow-through on a problem solving workshop and ensure your solutions are intelligently deployed.

Planning skills include the ability to organize tasks and a team, plan and design the process and take into account any potential challenges. Taking the time to plan carefully can save time and frustration later in the process and is valuable for ensuring a team is positioned for success.

3 Action Steps   #hyperisland   #action   #remote-friendly   This is a small-scale strategic planning session that helps groups and individuals to take action toward a desired change. It is often used at the end of a workshop or programme. The group discusses and agrees on a vision, then creates some action steps that will lead them towards that vision. The scope of the challenge is also defined, through discussion of the helpful and harmful factors influencing the group.

Prioritization

As organisations grow, the scale and variation of problems they face multiplies. Your team or is likely to face numerous challenges in different areas and so having the skills to analyze and prioritize becomes very important, particularly for those in leadership roles.

A thorough problem solving process is likely to deliver multiple solutions and you may have several different problems you wish to solve simultaneously. Prioritization is the ability to measure the importance, value, and effectiveness of those possible solutions and choose which to enact and in what order. The process of prioritization is integral in ensuring the biggest challenges are addressed with the most impactful solutions.

Impact and Effort Matrix   #gamestorming   #decision making   #action   #remote-friendly   In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

Project management

Some problem solving skills are utilized in a workshop or ideation phases, while others come in useful when it comes to decision making. Overseeing an entire problem solving process and ensuring its success requires strong project management skills. 

While project management incorporates many of the other skills listed here, it is important to note the distinction of considering all of the factors of a project and managing them successfully. Being able to negotiate with stakeholders, manage tasks, time and people, consider costs and ROI, and tie everything together is massively helpful when going through the problem solving process. 

Record keeping

Working out meaningful solutions to organizational challenges is only one part of the process.  Thoughtfully documenting and keeping records of each problem solving step for future consultation is important in ensuring efficiency and meaningful change. 

For example, some problems may be lower priority than others but can be revisited in the future. If the team has ideated on solutions and found some are not up to the task, record those so you can rule them out and avoiding repeating work. Keeping records of the process also helps you improve and refine your problem solving model next time around!

Personal Kanban   #gamestorming   #action   #agile   #project planning   Personal Kanban is a tool for organizing your work to be more efficient and productive. It is based on agile methods and principles.

Research skills

Conducting research to support both the identification of problems and the development of appropriate solutions is important for an effective process. Knowing where to go to collect research, how to conduct research efficiently, and identifying pieces of research are relevant are all things a good researcher can do well. 

In larger groups, not everyone has to demonstrate this ability in order for a problem solving workshop to be effective. That said, having people with research skills involved in the process, particularly if they have existing area knowledge, can help ensure the solutions that are developed with data that supports their intention. Remember that being able to deliver the results of research efficiently and in a way the team can easily understand is also important. The best data in the world is only as effective as how it is delivered and interpreted.

Customer experience map   #ideation   #concepts   #research   #design   #issue analysis   #remote-friendly   Customer experience mapping is a method of documenting and visualizing the experience a customer has as they use the product or service. It also maps out their responses to their experiences. To be used when there is a solution (even in a conceptual stage) that can be analyzed.

Risk management

Managing risk is an often overlooked part of the problem solving process. Solutions are often developed with the intention of reducing exposure to risk or solving issues that create risk but sometimes, great solutions are more experimental in nature and as such, deploying them needs to be carefully considered. 

Managing risk means acknowledging that there may be risks associated with more out of the box solutions or trying new things, but that this must be measured against the possible benefits and other organizational factors. 

Be informed, get the right data and stakeholders in the room and you can appropriately factor risk into your decision making process. 

Decisions, Decisions…   #communication   #decision making   #thiagi   #action   #issue analysis   When it comes to decision-making, why are some of us more prone to take risks while others are risk-averse? One explanation might be the way the decision and options were presented.  This exercise, based on Kahneman and Tversky’s classic study , illustrates how the framing effect influences our judgement and our ability to make decisions . The participants are divided into two groups. Both groups are presented with the same problem and two alternative programs for solving them. The two programs both have the same consequences but are presented differently. The debriefing discussion examines how the framing of the program impacted the participant’s decision.

Team-building 

No single person is as good at problem solving as a team. Building an effective team and helping them come together around a common purpose is one of the most important problem solving skills, doubly so for leaders. By bringing a team together and helping them work efficiently, you pave the way for team ownership of a problem and the development of effective solutions. 

In a problem solving workshop, it can be tempting to jump right into the deep end, though taking the time to break the ice, energize the team and align them with a game or exercise will pay off over the course of the day.

Remember that you will likely go through the problem solving process multiple times over an organization’s lifespan and building a strong team culture will make future problem solving more effective. It’s also great to work with people you know, trust and have fun with. Working on team building in and out of the problem solving process is a hallmark of successful teams that can work together to solve business problems.

9 Dimensions Team Building Activity   #ice breaker   #teambuilding   #team   #remote-friendly   9 Dimensions is a powerful activity designed to build relationships and trust among team members. There are 2 variations of this icebreaker. The first version is for teams who want to get to know each other better. The second version is for teams who want to explore how they are working together as a team.

Time management 

The problem solving process is designed to lead a team from identifying a problem through to delivering a solution and evaluating its effectiveness. Without effective time management skills or timeboxing of tasks, it can be easy for a team to get bogged down or be inefficient.

By using a problem solving model and carefully designing your workshop, you can allocate time efficiently and trust that the process will deliver the results you need in a good timeframe.

Time management also comes into play when it comes to rolling out solutions, particularly those that are experimental in nature. Having a clear timeframe for implementing and evaluating solutions is vital for ensuring their success and being able to pivot if necessary.

Improving your skills at problem solving is often a career-long pursuit though there are methods you can use to make the learning process more efficient and to supercharge your problem solving skillset.

Remember that the skills you need to be a great problem solver have a large overlap with those skills you need to be effective in any role. Investing time and effort to develop your active listening or critical thinking skills is valuable in any context. Here are 7 ways to improve your problem solving skills.

Share best practices

Remember that your team is an excellent source of skills, wisdom, and techniques and that you should all take advantage of one another where possible. Best practices that one team has for solving problems, conducting research or making decisions should be shared across the organization. If you have in-house staff that have done active listening training or are data analysis pros, have them lead a training session. 

Your team is one of your best resources. Create space and internal processes for the sharing of skills so that you can all grow together. 

Ask for help and attend training

Once you’ve figured out you have a skills gap, the next step is to take action to fill that skills gap. That might be by asking your superior for training or coaching, or liaising with team members with that skill set. You might even attend specialized training for certain skills – active listening or critical thinking, for example, are business-critical skills that are regularly offered as part of a training scheme.

Whatever method you choose, remember that taking action of some description is necessary for growth. Whether that means practicing, getting help, attending training or doing some background reading, taking active steps to improve your skills is the way to go.

Learn a process 

Problem solving can be complicated, particularly when attempting to solve large problems for the first time. Using a problem solving process helps give structure to your problem solving efforts and focus on creating outcomes, rather than worrying about the format. 

Tools such as the seven-step problem solving process above are effective because not only do they feature steps that will help a team solve problems, they also develop skills along the way. Each step asks for people to engage with the process using different skills and in doing so, helps the team learn and grow together. Group processes of varying complexity and purpose can also be found in the SessionLab library of facilitation techniques . Using a tried and tested process and really help ease the learning curve for both those leading such a process, as well as those undergoing the purpose.

Effective teams make decisions about where they should and shouldn’t expend additional effort. By using a problem solving process, you can focus on the things that matter, rather than stumbling towards a solution haphazardly. 

Create a feedback loop

Some skills gaps are more obvious than others. It’s possible that your perception of your active listening skills differs from those of your colleagues. 

It’s valuable to create a system where team members can provide feedback in an ordered and friendly manner so they can all learn from one another. Only by identifying areas of improvement can you then work to improve them. 

Remember that feedback systems require oversight and consideration so that they don’t turn into a place to complain about colleagues. Design the system intelligently so that you encourage the creation of learning opportunities, rather than encouraging people to list their pet peeves.

While practice might not make perfect, it does make the problem solving process easier. If you are having trouble with critical thinking, don’t shy away from doing it. Get involved where you can and stretch those muscles as regularly as possible. 

Problem solving skills come more naturally to some than to others and that’s okay. Take opportunities to get involved and see where you can practice your skills in situations outside of a workshop context. Try collaborating in other circumstances at work or conduct data analysis on your own projects. You can often develop those skills you need for problem solving simply by doing them. Get involved!

Use expert exercises and methods

Learn from the best. Our library of 700+ facilitation techniques is full of activities and methods that help develop the skills you need to be an effective problem solver. Check out our templates to see how to approach problem solving and other organizational challenges in a structured and intelligent manner.

There is no single approach to improving problem solving skills, but by using the techniques employed by others you can learn from their example and develop processes that have seen proven results. 

Try new ways of thinking and change your mindset

Using tried and tested exercises that you know well can help deliver results, but you do run the risk of missing out on the learning opportunities offered by new approaches. As with the problem solving process, changing your mindset can remove blockages and be used to develop your problem solving skills.

Most teams have members with mixed skill sets and specialties. Mix people from different teams and share skills and different points of view. Teach your customer support team how to use design thinking methods or help your developers with conflict resolution techniques. Try switching perspectives with facilitation techniques like Flip It! or by using new problem solving methodologies or models. Give design thinking, liberating structures or lego serious play a try if you want to try a new approach. You will find that framing problems in new ways and using existing skills in new contexts can be hugely useful for personal development and improving your skillset. It’s also a lot of fun to try new things. Give it a go!

Encountering business challenges and needing to find appropriate solutions is not unique to your organization. Lots of very smart people have developed methods, theories and approaches to help develop problem solving skills and create effective solutions. Learn from them!

Books like The Art of Thinking Clearly , Think Smarter, or Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow are great places to start, though it’s also worth looking at blogs related to organizations facing similar problems to yours, or browsing for success stories. Seeing how Dropbox massively increased growth and working backward can help you see the skills or approach you might be lacking to solve that same problem. Learning from others by reading their stories or approaches can be time-consuming but ultimately rewarding.

A tired, distracted mind is not in the best position to learn new skills. It can be tempted to burn the candle at both ends and develop problem solving skills outside of work. Absolutely use your time effectively and take opportunities for self-improvement, though remember that rest is hugely important and that without letting your brain rest, you cannot be at your most effective. 

Creating distance between yourself and the problem you might be facing can also be useful. By letting an idea sit, you can find that a better one presents itself or you can develop it further. Take regular breaks when working and create a space for downtime. Remember that working smarter is preferable to working harder and that self-care is important for any effective learning or improvement process.

Want to design better group processes?

Over to you

Now we’ve explored some of the key problem solving skills and the problem solving steps necessary for an effective process, you’re ready to begin developing more effective solutions and leading problem solving workshops.

Need more inspiration? Check out our post on problem solving activities you can use when guiding a group towards a great solution in your next workshop or meeting. Have questions? Did you have a great problem solving technique you use with your team? Get in touch in the comments below. We’d love to chat!

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• Types Of Life Skills

Table of Contents

A set of psychological and interpersonal skills interconnected with each other are known as life skills. These life skills help us to develop adaptive and positive behavior to cope with the challenges of life.

• Life Skills

Defining Life Skills

The mental well-being of people shows how positively and adaptively they can behave when interacting with others, with their cultures, and with their environments. An individual can learn to deal with difficult challenges effectively with the help of life skills or psychosocial competency. The term is used for describing a bunch of basic social, cognitive, and interpersonal capabilities 1 Rezayat, A. A., Niroumand, S., Shiehzadeh, E., Saghebi, A., Oskooie, R. R., & Dadgarmoghaddam, M. (2017). Assessment of life skills of medical students in Mashhad, Iran, in 2015. Electronic physician, 9(10), 5536–5540. https://doi.org/10.19082/5536 acquired through direct life experiences or learning. These skills are mostly based on certain executive functions and enable individuals to effectively handle issues that they encounter in their everyday life.

Among this group of essential skills, certain capabilities are specially designed for performing better in a working environment and some provide extremely crucial knowledge about dealing with every situation effectively, interacting with others, identifying and processing emotions. A 2012 study 2 Sahebalzamani, M., Farahani, H., & Feizi, F. (2012). Efficacy of life skills training on general health in students. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 17(7), 553–555. has shown that people can educate the youth about various health-related issues with the help of different life skill approaches. A 2010 research paper 3 Srikala, B., & Kishore, K. K. (2010). Empowering adolescents with life skills education in schools – School mental health program: Does it work?. Indian journal of psychiatry, 52(4), 344–349. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.74310 has reported that education about these skills can prevent school dropout cases and violence among young people.

Although there is no comprehensive list of such skills, certain skills are essential for living a productive and satisfying life. The relevance of these skills depends on people’s life circumstances that include culture, belief, geographical location, and the like. Some of the most important life skills that one should learn to perform better in everyday life include:

1. Effective Communication

It refers to the process of exchanging knowledge, ideas, perspectives, information, thoughts in the best possible manner. One can communicate both verbally and non-verbally. Effective communication is more about listening than talking, it is more than just exchanging information. It does not only help one to understand the words the other person is saying but also the emotions the speaker is trying to convey.

A 2010 research paper has described communication as an art and process of creating and sharing ideas. Effective communication depends largely on the richness of these ideas. Communication is all about expressing one’s desires, feelings, needs, and also fears. It is not a very difficult thing to do, but communicating effectively sets an individual apart from the rest of other people.

Effective communication requires learning certain important aspects such as –

• Good presentation skill
• Public speaking
• Written communication
• Body language
• Nonverbal communication
• Active listening skill

It doesn’t matter whether someone is communicating with his/her family, friends, colleagues, or clients, learning these skills can deepen both personal and professional connections. Excessive stress, lack of focus, out-of-control emotions, negative and inconsistent body language may create barriers to effective communication. This skill also provides knowledge about the difference between face-to-face communication, digital communication, and phone communication.

2. Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal relationships refer to the strong association between people based on inference, love, solidarity, common business interactions, and other social commitments. These relationships can be of great importance for one’s mental and social well-being. Such skills involve qualities and behaviors that people exhibit while communicating with others.

Lack of interpersonal skills often leads to conflicts with people and makes it critical to be good at getting along with others. A 2004 research paper 4 McConnell C. R. (2004). Interpersonal skills. What they are, how to improve them, and how to apply them. The health care manager, 23(2), 177–187. https://doi.org/10.1097/00126450-200404000-00012 explained that one has to work conscientiously to develop this competence by doing the right things repeatedly until they become ingrained. Good interpersonal skills add smoothness and pleasantness to the normal regular interactions. It allows people to build better and long-lasting relationships both personally and professionally.

Interpersonal skills include certain other significant life skills also as most of the important skills are interlinked with each other. Interpersonal skills consist of:

• Nonverbal and verbal communication
• Conflict management
• Leadership skills
• Good listening skills
• Positive Attitude

3. Decision-making

Making good decisions is a skill that people must learn. This skill is not something with which people are innately born. Decision making skill is a step-by-step process that one can ascertain from different life experiences. In a simple sense, it is about selecting one course of action from several alternatives. It is one of the skills that are essential both in and out of the workplace.

According to research 5 Walker, D. (n.d.). Improving Decision-Making Skills. Research and Extension | Kansas State University. https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/MF873.pdf , it is extremely important to understand the environment, its limitations, opportunities, and the possibilities for change for making beneficial decisions. One needs to make decisions that can be well-implemented on a personal and organizational level. Firm decision-making requires a certain level of intellect and confidence.

It also helps one to avoid any situations that may lead to second-guessing. These skills include a few other skills such as –

• Time management
• Creative thinking
• Prioritization
• Problem-solving
• Logical reasoning

4. Problem-solving

Problem-solving is a soft skill that can’t be learned through education or training. Studies have explained that the process of problem-solving refers to a process of resolving a known difficulty. It requires quick identification and understanding of the issue and implementation of a solution. Stressful situations and unresolved significant problems can have consequences for health. The primary step to solve a problem is to identify it and determine the root that causes it. Finding and implementing multiple solutions can lead to various opportunities.

Problem-solving skill helps one to evaluate situations and divide them into manageable facts. This skill is not an impossible challenge rather it discovers certain strengths and capabilities in people that they might never have known before. Problem-solving skill includes certain other important skills as well that are:

• Active listening
• Brainstorming
• Prioritizing

5. Creative thinking

Thinking creatively consists of four components, namely fluency, flexibility, elaboration & originality. Thinking creatively adds value to people’s lives and makes them more confident and reliable. A 2008 research paper 6 Creative thinking and critical thinking. (n.d.). Dublin City University. https://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/students/studentlearning/creativeandcritical.pdf explained that this skill requires some risk-taking as there is a chance that people may make mistakes or not come up with an answer at all.

One needs to be prepared to cope with the resultant risk and confusion. The ability of employees to think creatively makes an organization and department more productive. This skill is not limited to only artists, anyone can nurture and develop it. One can be a creative thinker by developing creative courage, adopting leadership qualities, listening to feedback and utilizing those in work, considering the obvious solution, brainstorming other solutions, and apply those.

6. Critical thinking

A 2007 study 7 What Is Critical Thinking? (n.d.). Higher Education | Pearson. https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/0/1/3/8/0138132429.pdf has described critical thinking as a type of skillful and responsible thinking that is conducive to good judgment. It takes significant time, enough practice, and a lot of patience to be a critical thinker. In a simple sense, critical thinking refers to the ability to analyze information and make a reasonable judgment. A critical thinker is capable of recognizing the factors that influence values, the media, and peer pressure.

He/she can draw meaningful conclusions from a bunch of information. One has to be an active learner and not a passive recipient of information to adopt this skill. Being objective is an essential quality to be a successful critical thinker. Another quality of critical thinkers is that they work in groups but solve problems independently. Some significant steps to be a successful critical thinker include –

• Identifying the problem
• Investigating the opinions and arguments
• Evaluating information factually
• Being open-minded
• Communicating the findings and outcomes

7. Self-awareness

Most people tend to believe that they are self-aware while true self-awareness is an exceptionally rare quality. Self-awareness refers to the capability of focusing on oneself and how an individual’s actions, emotions, thoughts, feelings align or not align with the internal standard. According to a 2016 research paper 8 Sutton A. (2016). Measuring the Effects of Self-Awareness: Construction of the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire. Europe’s journal of psychology, 12(4), 645–658. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i4.1178 , the concept of self-awareness is generally related to positive psychological well-being. This skill makes people more confident and creative, helps them to make better decisions, build healthy relationships, and interact more effectively. This skill often includes –

• Interpersonal skills
• Effective communication skills
• The skill of developing empathy

According to a recent study 9 Hardee J. T. (2003). An Overview of Empathy. The Permanente Journal, 7(4), 51–54 . , empathy is described as the emotional appreciation of another person’s feelings. This study states that empathy plays a key role in the understanding of people’s feelings, sufferings, and behaviors with a significant link to compassion. This skill involves other’s perspectives, enabling prosocial and helping behavior that comes from within a person. It requires immense patience to express genuine concern for another person and help them to solve their issues. The process of communication becomes one-way traffic without empathy. Empathy development in people makes them more cooperative and helps them to connect with others and make moral decisions.

Read More About Empathy Here.

9. Flexibility

It’s a kind of thinking skill that makes people improvise, adapt to new situations, and shift strategies to achieve success. As the world is constantly and rapidly changing, adjustment and adaptation are extremely important for success. Thus, the most essential characteristic a person requires to have is flexibility. It helps develop a mindset of readiness, reduces unnecessary stress, and exposes new experiences. Flexibility includes certain important aspects as well. They are:

• Open-mindedness
• Assertiveness
• Adaptability

10. Emotional intelligence

A 2009 research paper has suggested that emotional intelligence refers to the capability of identifying, accessing, and managing the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups. The development of emotional intelligence helps an individual to become more productive and successful at what he/she does and helps others become more productive and successful too. Being academically brilliant is not enough for people to achieve success in life, one needs to adopt this skill to manage stress and emotions. Emotional intelligence is often associated with four attributes such as –

• Social and self-awareness
• Maintaining relationships
• Self-management

Read More About Emotional Intelligence Here.

11. Time management

A 2011 study has mentioned that proper time management skill always results in contentment and satisfaction in daily life. The ability to manage time effectively is extremely crucial for people. Proficiency in this skill leads to improved efficiency and productivity. These skills create an extremely positive impact on personal and professional life. It also helps one to eliminate excessive stress, offers extra time, introduces more beneficial opportunities, and provides the ability to realize the goals. A person’s happiness depends on how he/she manages the time beneficially.

Read More About Time management Here.

12. Assertiveness

Assertiveness refers to the ability to stand up for oneself and protect their and other people’s rights in a positive and effective way. But it doesn’t include any kind of aggressive or insulting behavior. This skill helps a person to put across his/her perspective across without letting down others or becoming upset with themselves. Studies 10 Garner, E. (n.d.). Assertiveness. :: Gabinete de Estágios e Saídas Profissionais – Instituto Politécnico da Guarda. https://www.gesp.ipg.pt/files/assertiveness.pdf suggested that it allows people to have meaningful and productive communication in their personal life and at the workplace. This skill is related to the following –

• Self-control
• Accountability

13. Resilience

A 2013 research paper 11 Wu, G., Feder, A., Cohen, H., Kim, J. J., Calderon, S., Charney, D. S., & Mathé, A. A. (2013). Understanding resilience. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 7, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00010 has defined resilience as a successful adaptation that relies on effective responses to environmental challenges and ultimate resistance to the deleterious effects of stress. In a simple sense, resilience refers to something that offers people the psychological strength to deal with stress and hardship. Resilient people are more likely to handle adversity and develop their lives after a struggle. This skill helps one to face life’s difficulties effectively instead of falling into despair and adapting certain unhealthy coping strategies.

14. Handling criticism

People need to accept the fact that nobody is perfect and at times they can make mistakes. However, it is essential to accept constructive criticism positively. One can develop and improve professionally only by feedback and criticism. These specific skills include –

• Good communication skills
• Listening skills
• Self-awareness
• Desire for improvement

15. Self-management

The definition of self-management has its roots in the emotional intelligence theory in which the capability may also be referred to as self-regulation. Self-management is considered to be people’s ability to manage their behaviors, emotions, thoughts in a conscious and productive way. Research has suggested that self-Management involves doing something different now in order to accomplish a goal later. Strong self-management skill teaches one to act according to different situations. It makes people understand their personal responsibility in different aspects of life. These specific skills include few significant attributes such as –

• Self-motivation
• Stress management
• Goal setting

16. Cooperation

One needs to get along with others in life. The skill to cooperate is very important in life as our communal development relies on our ability to collaborate as a family unit, work as a team, and as contributing members of society. It is also important in the workplace as employees have to perform in other collaborative settings. Cooperation skill requires a person to improve:

• Conflict management skills
• Emotional intelligence
• Decision making
• Flexibility
• Creative and critical thinking
• Communication skills

Learning Life Skills

The interpersonal capabilities termed ‘life skills’ help people to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and even the opportunities available for them . Life skills contribute hugely to the basic education process that includes gender equality, democracy, quality and equality of education system, child care and protection, the importance of peace, the quality of life, good citizenship, and the value of lifelong learning. Thus, it is extremely important to learn these skills to adapt to all circumstances and succeed in the renaissance and prosperity of society.

References:

• 1 Rezayat, A. A., Niroumand, S., Shiehzadeh, E., Saghebi, A., Oskooie, R. R., & Dadgarmoghaddam, M. (2017). Assessment of life skills of medical students in Mashhad, Iran, in 2015. Electronic physician, 9(10), 5536–5540. https://doi.org/10.19082/5536
• 2 Sahebalzamani, M., Farahani, H., & Feizi, F. (2012). Efficacy of life skills training on general health in students. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 17(7), 553–555.
• 3 Srikala, B., & Kishore, K. K. (2010). Empowering adolescents with life skills education in schools – School mental health program: Does it work?. Indian journal of psychiatry, 52(4), 344–349. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.74310
• 4 McConnell C. R. (2004). Interpersonal skills. What they are, how to improve them, and how to apply them. The health care manager, 23(2), 177–187. https://doi.org/10.1097/00126450-200404000-00012
• 5 Walker, D. (n.d.). Improving Decision-Making Skills. Research and Extension | Kansas State University. https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/MF873.pdf
• 6 Creative thinking and critical thinking. (n.d.). Dublin City University. https://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/students/studentlearning/creativeandcritical.pdf
• 7 What Is Critical Thinking? (n.d.). Higher Education | Pearson. https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/0/1/3/8/0138132429.pdf
• 8 Sutton A. (2016). Measuring the Effects of Self-Awareness: Construction of the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire. Europe’s journal of psychology, 12(4), 645–658. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i4.1178
• 9 Hardee J. T. (2003). An Overview of Empathy. The Permanente Journal, 7(4), 51–54 .
• 10 Garner, E. (n.d.). Assertiveness. :: Gabinete de Estágios e Saídas Profissionais – Instituto Politécnico da Guarda. https://www.gesp.ipg.pt/files/assertiveness.pdf
• 11 Wu, G., Feder, A., Cohen, H., Kim, J. J., Calderon, S., Charney, D. S., & Mathé, A. A. (2013). Understanding resilience. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 7, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00010

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7 Problem Solving Skills That Aren’t Just Buzzwords (+ Resume Example)

• Julia Mlcuchova , 
• Updated April 8, 2024 9 min read

Problem-solving skills are something everybody should include on their resume, yet only a few seem to understand what these skills actually are. If you've always felt that the term "problem-solving skills" is rather vague and wanted to know more, you've come to the right place.

In this article, we're going to explain what problem-solving skills really mean. We'll talk about what makes up good problem-solving skills and give you tips on how to get better at them. You'll also find out how to make your problem-solving abilities look more impressive to those who might want to hire you.

Sounds good, right? Curious to learn more? 

In this article we’ll show you:

• What are problem solving skills;
• Why are they important; 
• Specific problem solving skills examples;
• How to develop your problem solving skills;
• And, how to showcase them on your resume.

Table of Contents

Click on a section to skip

What are problem solving skills?

Why are problem solving skills important, the best 7 problem solving skills examples, how to develop problem solving skills, problem solving skills resume example, key takeaways: problem solving skills.

First of all, they're more than just a buzzword!

Problem-solving skills are a set of specific abilities that allow you to deal with unexpected situations in the workplace, whether it be job related or team related. 

It's a complex process that involves several “sub skills” or “sub steps,” namely:

• Recognizing and identifying the issue at hand.
• Breaking the problem down into smaller parts and analyzing how they relate to one another. 
• Creating potential solutions to the problem, evaluating them and picking the best one.  
• Applying the chosen solution and assessing its outcome. 
• Learning from the whole process to deal with future problems more effectively. 

As you can see, it's not just about solving problems that are right in front of us, but also about predicting potential issues and being prepared to deal with them before they arise.  

Despite what you may believe, problem-solving skills aren't just for managers . 

Think about it this way: Why do employers hire employees in the first place? To solve problems for them!

And, as we all know, problems don't discriminate. In other words, it doesn't matter whether you're just an intern, an entry-level professional, or a seasoned veteran, you'll constantly face some kind of challenges. And the only difference is in how complex they will get.

This is also reflected in the way employers assess suitability of potential job candidates. 

In fact, research shows that the ability to deal with unexpected complications is prioritized by an overwhelming 60% of employers across all industries, making it one of the most compelling skills on your resume.

So, regardless of your job description or your career level, you're always expected to find solutions for problems, either independently or as a part of a team. 

And that's precisely what makes problem-solving skills so invaluable and universal ! 

Wondering how good is your resume?

Find out with our AI Resume Checker! Just upload your resume and see what can be improved.

As we've said before, problem-solving isn't really just one single skill. 

Instead, your ability to handle workplace issues with composure depends on several different “sub-skills”. 

So, which specific skills make an employee desirable even for the most demanding of recruiters? 

In no particular order, you should focus on these 7 skills : 

• Analytical skills
• Research skills
• Critical thinking 
• Decision-making
• Collaboration
• Having a growth mindset

Let's have a look at each of them in greater detail!

#1 Analytical skills

Firstly, to truly understand complex problems, you need to break them down into more manageable parts . Then, you observe them closely and ask yourself: “ Which parts work and which don't,” How do these parts contribute to the problem as a whole,” and "What exactly needs to be fixed?” In other words, you gather data , you study it, and compare it - all to pinpoint the cause of the issue as closely as possible.

#2 Research skills

Another priceless tool is your research skills (sometimes relying on just one source of information isn't enough). Besides, to make a truly informed decision , you'll have to dig a little deeper. Being a good researcher means looking for potential solutions to a problem in a wider context. For example: going through team reports, customer feedback, quarterly sales or current market trends.  

#3 Critical thinking

Every employer wants to hire people who can think critically. Yet, the ability to evaluate situations objectively and from different perspectives , is actually pretty hard to come by. But as long as you stay open-minded, inquisitive, and with a healthy dose of skepticism, you'll be able to assess situations based on facts and evidence more successfully. Plus, critical thinking comes in especially handy when you need to examine your own actions and processes. 

 #4 Creativity

Instead of following the old established processes that don't work anymore, you should feel comfortable thinking outside the box. The thing is, problems have a nasty habit of popping up unexpectedly and rapidly. And sometimes, you have to get creative in order to solve them fast. Especially those that have no precedence. But this requires a blend of intuition, industry knowledge, and quick thinking - a truly rare combination. 

#5 Decision-making

The analysis, research, and brainstorming are done. Now, you need to look at the possible solutions, and make the final decision (informed, of course). And not only that, you also have to stand by it ! Because once the train gets moving, there's no room for second guessing. Also, keep in mind that you need to be prepared to take responsibility for all decisions you make. That's no small feat! 

#6 Collaboration

Not every problem you encounter can be solved by yourself alone. And this is especially true when it comes to complex projects. So, being able to actively listen to your colleagues, take their ideas into account, and being respectful of their opinions enables you to solve problems together. Because every individual can offer a unique perspective and skill set. Yes, democracy is hard, but at the end of the day, it's teamwork that makes the corporate world go round. 

#7 Having a growth mindset

Let's be honest, no one wants their work to be riddled with problems. But facing constant challenges and changes is inevitable. And that can be scary! However, when you're able to see these situations as opportunities to grow instead of issues that hold you back, your problem solving skills reach new heights. And the employers know that too!

Now that we've shown you the value problem-solving skills can add to your resume, let's ask the all-important question: “How can I learn them?”

Well…you can't. At least not in the traditional sense of the word. 

Let us explain: Since problem-solving skills fall under the umbrella of soft skills , they can't be taught through formal education, unlike computer skills for example. There's no university course that you can take and graduate as a professional problem solver. 

But, just like other interpersonal skills, they can be nurtured and refined over time through practice and experience. 

Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all approach, but the following tips can offer you inspiration on how to improve your problem solving skills:

• Cultivate a growth mindset. Remember what we've said before? Your attitude towards obstacles is the first step to unlocking your problem-solving potential. 
• Gain further knowledge in your specialized field. Secondly, it's a good idea to delve a little deeper into your chosen profession. Because the more you read on a subject, the easier it becomes to spot certain patterns and relations.  
• Start with small steps. Don't attack the big questions straight away — you'll only set yourself up for failure. Instead, start with more straightforward tasks and work your way up to more complex problems. 
• Break problems down into more digestible pieces. Complex issues are made up of smaller problems. And those can be further divided into even smaller problems, and so on. Until you're left with only the basics. 
• Don't settle for a single solution. Instead, keep on exploring other possible answers.
• Accept failure as a part of the learning process. Finally, don't let your failures discourage you. After all, you're bound to misstep a couple of times before you find your footing. Just keep on practicing. 

How to improve problem solving skills with online courses

While it’s true that formal education won’t turn you into a master problem solver, you can still hone your skills with courses and certifications offered by online learning platforms :

• Analytical skills. You can sharpen your analytical skills with Data Analytics Basics for Everyone from IBM provided by edX (Free); or Decision Making and Analytical Thinking: Fortune 500 provided by Udemy (＄21,74).
• Creativity. And, to unlock your inner creative mind, you can try Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success from the Imperial College London provided by Coursera (Free).
• Critical thinking. Try Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization from Duke University provided by Coursera (Free); or Logical and Critical Thinking offered by The University of Auckland via FutureLearn.  
• Decision-making. Or, you can learn how to become more confident when it's time to make a decision with Decision-Making Strategies and Executive Decision-Making both offered by LinkedIn Learning (1 month free trial).
• Communication skills . Lastly, to improve your collaborative skills, check out Communicating for Influence and Impact online at University of Cambridge. 

The fact that everybody and their grandmothers put “ problem-solving skills ” on their CVs has turned the phrase into a cliche. 

But there's a way to incorporate these skills into your resume without sounding pretentious and empty. Below, we've prepared a mock-up resume that manages to do just that.

FYI, if you like this design, you can use the template to create your very own resume. Just click the red button and fill in your information (or let the AI do it for you).

Problem solving skills on resume example

This resume was written by our experienced resume writers specifically for this profession.

Why this example works?

• Firstly, the job description itself is neatly organized into bullet points .  
• Instead of simply listing soft skills in a skills section , you can incorporate them into the description of your work experience entry.  
• Also, the language here isn't vague . This resume puts each problem-solving skill into a real-life context by detailing specific situations and obstacles. 
• And, to highlight the impact of each skill on your previous job position, we recommend quantifying your results whenever possible. 
• Finally, starting each bullet point with an action verb (in bold) makes you look more dynamic and proactive.

To sum it all up, problem-solving skills continue gaining popularity among employers and employees alike. And for a good reason!

Because of them, you can overcome any obstacles that stand in the way of your professional life more efficiently and systematically. 

In essence, problem-solving skills refer to the ability to recognize a challenge, identify its root cause, think of possible solutions , and then implement the most effective one. 

Believing that these skills are all the same would be a serious misconception. In reality, this term encompasses a variety of different abilities , including:

In short, understanding, developing, and showcasing these skills, can greatly boost your chances at getting noticed by the hiring managers. So, don't hesitate and start working on your problem-solving skills right now!

Julia has recently joined Kickresume as a career writer. From helping people with their English to get admitted to the uni of their dreams to advising them on how to succeed in the job market. It would seem that her career is on a steadfast trajectory. Julia holds a degree in Anglophone studies from Metropolitan University in Prague, where she also resides. Apart from creative writing and languages, she takes a keen interest in literature and theatre.

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10 Best Problem-Solving Therapy Worksheets & Activities

Cognitive science tells us that we regularly face not only well-defined problems but, importantly, many that are ill defined (Eysenck & Keane, 2015).

Sometimes, we find ourselves unable to overcome our daily problems or the inevitable (though hopefully infrequent) life traumas we face.

Problem-Solving Therapy aims to reduce the incidence and impact of mental health disorders and improve wellbeing by helping clients face life’s difficulties (Dobson, 2011).

This article introduces Problem-Solving Therapy and offers techniques, activities, and worksheets that mental health professionals can use with clients.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

What is problem-solving therapy, 14 steps for problem-solving therapy, 3 best interventions and techniques, 7 activities and worksheets for your session, fascinating books on the topic, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Problem-Solving Therapy assumes that mental disorders arise in response to ineffective or maladaptive coping. By adopting a more realistic and optimistic view of coping, individuals can understand the role of emotions and develop actions to reduce distress and maintain mental wellbeing (Nezu & Nezu, 2009).

“Problem-solving therapy (PST) is a psychosocial intervention, generally considered to be under a cognitive-behavioral umbrella” (Nezu, Nezu, & D’Zurilla, 2013, p. ix). It aims to encourage the client to cope better with day-to-day problems and traumatic events and reduce their impact on mental and physical wellbeing.

Clinical research, counseling, and health psychology have shown PST to be highly effective in clients of all ages, ranging from children to the elderly, across multiple clinical settings, including schizophrenia, stress, and anxiety disorders (Dobson, 2011).

Can it help with depression?

PST appears particularly helpful in treating clients with depression. A recent analysis of 30 studies found that PST was an effective treatment with a similar degree of success as other successful therapies targeting depression (Cuijpers, Wit, Kleiboer, Karyotaki, & Ebert, 2020).

Other studies confirm the value of PST and its effectiveness at treating depression in multiple age groups and its capacity to combine with other therapies, including drug treatments (Dobson, 2011).

The major concepts

Effective coping varies depending on the situation, and treatment typically focuses on improving the environment and reducing emotional distress (Dobson, 2011).

PST is based on two overlapping models:

Social problem-solving model

This model focuses on solving the problem “as it occurs in the natural social environment,” combined with a general coping strategy and a method of self-control (Dobson, 2011, p. 198).

The model includes three central concepts:

• Social problem-solving
• The problem
• The solution

The model is a “self-directed cognitive-behavioral process by which an individual, couple, or group attempts to identify or discover effective solutions for specific problems encountered in everyday living” (Dobson, 2011, p. 199).

Relational problem-solving model

The theory of PST is underpinned by a relational problem-solving model, whereby stress is viewed in terms of the relationships between three factors:

• Stressful life events
• Emotional distress and wellbeing
• Problem-solving coping

Therefore, when a significant adverse life event occurs, it may require “sweeping readjustments in a person’s life” (Dobson, 2011, p. 202).

• Enhance positive problem orientation
• Decrease negative orientation
• Foster ability to apply rational problem-solving skills
• Reduce the tendency to avoid problem-solving
• Minimize the tendency to be careless and impulsive

D’Zurilla’s and Nezu’s model includes (modified from Dobson, 2011):

• Initial structuring Establish a positive therapeutic relationship that encourages optimism and explains the PST approach.
• Assessment Formally and informally assess areas of stress in the client’s life and their problem-solving strengths and weaknesses.
• Obstacles to effective problem-solving Explore typically human challenges to problem-solving, such as multitasking and the negative impact of stress. Introduce tools that can help, such as making lists, visualization, and breaking complex problems down.
• Problem orientation – fostering self-efficacy Introduce the importance of a positive problem orientation, adopting tools, such as visualization, to promote self-efficacy.
• Problem orientation – recognizing problems Help clients recognize issues as they occur and use problem checklists to ‘normalize’ the experience.
• Problem orientation – seeing problems as challenges Encourage clients to break free of harmful and restricted ways of thinking while learning how to argue from another point of view.
• Problem orientation – use and control emotions Help clients understand the role of emotions in problem-solving, including using feelings to inform the process and managing disruptive emotions (such as cognitive reframing and relaxation exercises).
• Problem orientation – stop and think Teach clients how to reduce impulsive and avoidance tendencies (visualizing a stop sign or traffic light).
• Problem definition and formulation Encourage an understanding of the nature of problems and set realistic goals and objectives.
• Generation of alternatives Work with clients to help them recognize the wide range of potential solutions to each problem (for example, brainstorming).
• Decision-making Encourage better decision-making through an improved understanding of the consequences of decisions and the value and likelihood of different outcomes.
• Solution implementation and verification Foster the client’s ability to carry out a solution plan, monitor its outcome, evaluate its effectiveness, and use self-reinforcement to increase the chance of success.
• Guided practice Encourage the application of problem-solving skills across multiple domains and future stressful problems.
• Rapid problem-solving Teach clients how to apply problem-solving questions and guidelines quickly in any given situation.

Success in PST depends on the effectiveness of its implementation; using the right approach is crucial (Dobson, 2011).

Problem-solving therapy – Baycrest

The following interventions and techniques are helpful when implementing more effective problem-solving approaches in client’s lives.

First, it is essential to consider if PST is the best approach for the client, based on the problems they present.

Is PPT appropriate?

It is vital to consider whether PST is appropriate for the client’s situation. Therapists new to the approach may require additional guidance (Nezu et al., 2013).

Therapists should consider the following questions before beginning PST with a client (modified from Nezu et al., 2013):

• Has PST proven effective in the past for the problem? For example, research has shown success with depression, generalized anxiety, back pain, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and supporting caregivers (Nezu et al., 2013).
• Is PST acceptable to the client?
• Is the individual experiencing a significant mental or physical health problem?

All affirmative answers suggest that PST would be a helpful technique to apply in this instance.

Five problem-solving steps

The following five steps are valuable when working with clients to help them cope with and manage their environment (modified from Dobson, 2011).

Ask the client to consider the following points (forming the acronym ADAPT) when confronted by a problem:

• Attitude Aim to adopt a positive, optimistic attitude to the problem and problem-solving process.
• Define Obtain all required facts and details of potential obstacles to define the problem.
• Alternatives Identify various alternative solutions and actions to overcome the obstacle and achieve the problem-solving goal.
• Predict Predict each alternative’s positive and negative outcomes and choose the one most likely to achieve the goal and maximize the benefits.
• Try out Once selected, try out the solution and monitor its effectiveness while engaging in self-reinforcement.

If the client is not satisfied with their solution, they can return to step ‘A’ and find a more appropriate solution.

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Positive self-statements

When dealing with clients facing negative self-beliefs, it can be helpful for them to use positive self-statements.

Use the following (or add new) self-statements to replace harmful, negative thinking (modified from Dobson, 2011):

• I can solve this problem; I’ve tackled similar ones before.
• I can cope with this.
• I just need to take a breath and relax.
• Once I start, it will be easier.
• It’s okay to look out for myself.
• I can get help if needed.
• Other people feel the same way I do.
• I’ll take one piece of the problem at a time.
• I can keep my fears in check.
• I don’t need to please everyone.

5 Worksheets and workbooks

Problem-solving self-monitoring form.

Answering the questions in the Problem-Solving Self-Monitoring Form provides the therapist with necessary information regarding the client’s overall and specific problem-solving approaches and reactions (Dobson, 2011).

Ask the client to complete the following:

• Describe the problem you are facing.
• What is your goal?
• What have you tried so far to solve the problem?
• What was the outcome?

Reactions to Stress

It can be helpful for the client to recognize their own experiences of stress. Do they react angrily, withdraw, or give up (Dobson, 2011)?

The Reactions to Stress worksheet can be given to the client as homework to capture stressful events and their reactions. By recording how they felt, behaved, and thought, they can recognize repeating patterns.

What Are Your Unique Triggers?

Helping clients capture triggers for their stressful reactions can encourage emotional regulation.

When clients can identify triggers that may lead to a negative response, they can stop the experience or slow down their emotional reaction (Dobson, 2011).

The What Are Your Unique Triggers ? worksheet helps the client identify their triggers (e.g., conflict, relationships, physical environment, etc.).

Problem-Solving worksheet

Imagining an existing or potential problem and working through how to resolve it can be a powerful exercise for the client.

Use the Problem-Solving worksheet to state a problem and goal and consider the obstacles in the way. Then explore options for achieving the goal, along with their pros and cons, to assess the best action plan.

Getting the Facts

Clients can become better equipped to tackle problems and choose the right course of action by recognizing facts versus assumptions and gathering all the necessary information (Dobson, 2011).

Use the Getting the Facts worksheet to answer the following questions clearly and unambiguously:

• Who is involved?
• What did or did not happen, and how did it bother you?
• Where did it happen?
• When did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• How did you respond?

2 Helpful Group Activities

While therapists can use the worksheets above in group situations, the following two interventions work particularly well with more than one person.

Generating Alternative Solutions and Better Decision-Making

A group setting can provide an ideal opportunity to share a problem and identify potential solutions arising from multiple perspectives.

Use the Generating Alternative Solutions and Better Decision-Making worksheet and ask the client to explain the situation or problem to the group and the obstacles in the way.

Once the approaches are captured and reviewed, the individual can share their decision-making process with the group if they want further feedback.

Visualization

Visualization can be performed with individuals or in a group setting to help clients solve problems in multiple ways, including (Dobson, 2011):

• Clarifying the problem by looking at it from multiple perspectives
• Rehearsing a solution in the mind to improve and get more practice
• Visualizing a ‘safe place’ for relaxation, slowing down, and stress management

Guided imagery is particularly valuable for encouraging the group to take a ‘mental vacation’ and let go of stress.

Ask the group to begin with slow, deep breathing that fills the entire diaphragm. Then ask them to visualize a favorite scene (real or imagined) that makes them feel relaxed, perhaps beside a gently flowing river, a summer meadow, or at the beach.

The more the senses are engaged, the more real the experience. Ask the group to think about what they can hear, see, touch, smell, and even taste.

Encourage them to experience the situation as fully as possible, immersing themselves and enjoying their place of safety.

Such feelings of relaxation may be able to help clients fall asleep, relieve stress, and become more ready to solve problems.

We have included three of our favorite books on the subject of Problem-Solving Therapy below.

1. Problem-Solving Therapy: A Treatment Manual – Arthur Nezu, Christine Maguth Nezu, and Thomas D’Zurilla

This is an incredibly valuable book for anyone wishing to understand the principles and practice behind PST.

Written by the co-developers of PST, the manual provides powerful toolkits to overcome cognitive overload, emotional dysregulation, and the barriers to practical problem-solving.

Find the book on Amazon .

2. Emotion-Centered Problem-Solving Therapy: Treatment Guidelines – Arthur Nezu and Christine Maguth Nezu

Another, more recent, book from the creators of PST, this text includes important advances in neuroscience underpinning the role of emotion in behavioral treatment.

Along with clinical examples, the book also includes crucial toolkits that form part of a stepped model for the application of PST.

3. Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies – Keith Dobson and David Dozois

This is the fourth edition of a hugely popular guide to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies and includes a valuable and insightful section on Problem-Solving Therapy.

This is an important book for students and more experienced therapists wishing to form a high-level and in-depth understanding of the tools and techniques available to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists.

For even more tools to help strengthen your clients’ problem-solving skills, check out the following free worksheets from our blog.

• Case Formulation Worksheet This worksheet presents a four-step framework to help therapists and their clients come to a shared understanding of the client’s presenting problem.
• Understanding Your Default Problem-Solving Approach This worksheet poses a series of questions helping clients reflect on their typical cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to problems.
• Social Problem Solving: Step by Step This worksheet presents a streamlined template to help clients define a problem, generate possible courses of action, and evaluate the effectiveness of an implemented solution.

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While we are born problem-solvers, facing an incredibly diverse set of challenges daily, we sometimes need support.

Problem-Solving Therapy aims to reduce stress and associated mental health disorders and improve wellbeing by improving our ability to cope. PST is valuable in diverse clinical settings, ranging from depression to schizophrenia, with research suggesting it as a highly effective treatment for teaching coping strategies and reducing emotional distress.

Many PST techniques are available to help improve clients’ positive outlook on obstacles while reducing avoidance of problem situations and the tendency to be careless and impulsive.

The PST model typically assesses the client’s strengths, weaknesses, and coping strategies when facing problems before encouraging a healthy experience of and relationship with problem-solving.

Why not use this article to explore the theory behind PST and try out some of our powerful tools and interventions with your clients to help them with their decision-making, coping, and problem-solving?

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Cuijpers, P., Wit, L., Kleiboer, A., Karyotaki, E., & Ebert, D. (2020). Problem-solving therapy for adult depression: An updated meta-analysis. European P sychiatry ,  48 (1), 27–37.
• Dobson, K. S. (2011). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
• Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2021). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies  (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
• Eysenck, M. W., & Keane, M. T. (2015). Cognitive psychology: A student’s handbook . Psychology Press.
• Nezu, A. M., & Nezu, C. M. (2009). Problem-solving therapy DVD . Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.apa.org/pubs/videos/4310852
• Nezu, A. M., & Nezu, C. M. (2018). Emotion-centered problem-solving therapy: Treatment guidelines. Springer.
• Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., & D’Zurilla, T. J. (2013). Problem-solving therapy: A treatment manual . Springer.

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Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

26 Good Examples of Problem Solving (Interview Answers)

By Biron Clark

Published: November 15, 2023

Employers like to hire people who can solve problems and work well under pressure. A job rarely goes 100% according to plan, so hiring managers will be more likely to hire you if you seem like you can handle unexpected challenges while staying calm and logical in your approach.

But how do they measure this?

They’re going to ask you interview questions about these problem solving skills, and they might also look for examples of problem solving on your resume and cover letter. So coming up, I’m going to share a list of examples of problem solving, whether you’re an experienced job seeker or recent graduate.

Then I’ll share sample interview answers to, “Give an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem?”

Problem-Solving Defined

It is the ability to identify the problem, prioritize based on gravity and urgency, analyze the root cause, gather relevant information, develop and evaluate viable solutions, decide on the most effective and logical solution, and plan and execute implementation. 

Problem-solving also involves critical thinking, communication, listening, creativity, research, data gathering, risk assessment, continuous learning, decision-making, and other soft and technical skills.

Solving problems not only prevent losses or damages but also boosts self-confidence and reputation when you successfully execute it. The spotlight shines on you when people see you handle issues with ease and savvy despite the challenges. Your ability and potential to be a future leader that can take on more significant roles and tackle bigger setbacks shine through. Problem-solving is a skill you can master by learning from others and acquiring wisdom from their and your own experiences. 

It takes a village to come up with solutions, but a good problem solver can steer the team towards the best choice and implement it to achieve the desired result.

Watch: 26 Good Examples of Problem Solving

Examples of problem solving scenarios in the workplace.

• Correcting a mistake at work, whether it was made by you or someone else
• Overcoming a delay at work through problem solving and communication
• Resolving an issue with a difficult or upset customer
• Overcoming issues related to a limited budget, and still delivering good work through the use of creative problem solving
• Overcoming a scheduling/staffing shortage in the department to still deliver excellent work
• Troubleshooting and resolving technical issues
• Handling and resolving a conflict with a coworker
• Solving any problems related to money, customer billing, accounting and bookkeeping, etc.
• Taking initiative when another team member overlooked or missed something important
• Taking initiative to meet with your superior to discuss a problem before it became potentially worse
• Solving a safety issue at work or reporting the issue to those who could solve it
• Using problem solving abilities to reduce/eliminate a company expense
• Finding a way to make the company more profitable through new service or product offerings, new pricing ideas, promotion and sale ideas, etc.
• Changing how a process, team, or task is organized to make it more efficient
• Using creative thinking to come up with a solution that the company hasn’t used before
• Performing research to collect data and information to find a new solution to a problem
• Boosting a company or team’s performance by improving some aspect of communication among employees
• Finding a new piece of data that can guide a company’s decisions or strategy better in a certain area

Problem Solving Examples for Recent Grads/Entry Level Job Seekers

• Coordinating work between team members in a class project
• Reassigning a missing team member’s work to other group members in a class project
• Adjusting your workflow on a project to accommodate a tight deadline
• Speaking to your professor to get help when you were struggling or unsure about a project
• Asking classmates, peers, or professors for help in an area of struggle
• Talking to your academic advisor to brainstorm solutions to a problem you were facing
• Researching solutions to an academic problem online, via Google or other methods
• Using problem solving and creative thinking to obtain an internship or other work opportunity during school after struggling at first

You can share all of the examples above when you’re asked questions about problem solving in your interview. As you can see, even if you have no professional work experience, it’s possible to think back to problems and unexpected challenges that you faced in your studies and discuss how you solved them.

Interview Answers to “Give an Example of an Occasion When You Used Logic to Solve a Problem”

Now, let’s look at some sample interview answers to, “Give me an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem,” since you’re likely to hear this interview question in all sorts of industries.

Example Answer 1:

At my current job, I recently solved a problem where a client was upset about our software pricing. They had misunderstood the sales representative who explained pricing originally, and when their package renewed for its second month, they called to complain about the invoice. I apologized for the confusion and then spoke to our billing team to see what type of solution we could come up with. We decided that the best course of action was to offer a long-term pricing package that would provide a discount. This not only solved the problem but got the customer to agree to a longer-term contract, which means we’ll keep their business for at least one year now, and they’re happy with the pricing. I feel I got the best possible outcome and the way I chose to solve the problem was effective.

Example Answer 2:

In my last job, I had to do quite a bit of problem solving related to our shift scheduling. We had four people quit within a week and the department was severely understaffed. I coordinated a ramp-up of our hiring efforts, I got approval from the department head to offer bonuses for overtime work, and then I found eight employees who were willing to do overtime this month. I think the key problem solving skills here were taking initiative, communicating clearly, and reacting quickly to solve this problem before it became an even bigger issue.

Example Answer 3:

In my current marketing role, my manager asked me to come up with a solution to our declining social media engagement. I assessed our current strategy and recent results, analyzed what some of our top competitors were doing, and then came up with an exact blueprint we could follow this year to emulate our best competitors but also stand out and develop a unique voice as a brand. I feel this is a good example of using logic to solve a problem because it was based on analysis and observation of competitors, rather than guessing or quickly reacting to the situation without reliable data. I always use logic and data to solve problems when possible. The project turned out to be a success and we increased our social media engagement by an average of 82% by the end of the year.

Answering Questions About Problem Solving with the STAR Method

When you answer interview questions about problem solving scenarios, or if you decide to demonstrate your problem solving skills in a cover letter (which is a good idea any time the job description mention problem solving as a necessary skill), I recommend using the STAR method to tell your story.

STAR stands for:

It’s a simple way of walking the listener or reader through the story in a way that will make sense to them. So before jumping in and talking about the problem that needed solving, make sure to describe the general situation. What job/company were you working at? When was this? Then, you can describe the task at hand and the problem that needed solving. After this, describe the course of action you chose and why. Ideally, show that you evaluated all the information you could given the time you had, and made a decision based on logic and fact.

Finally, describe a positive result you got.

Whether you’re answering interview questions about problem solving or writing a cover letter, you should only choose examples where you got a positive result and successfully solved the issue.

Example answer:

Situation : We had an irate client who was a social media influencer and had impossible delivery time demands we could not meet. She spoke negatively about us in her vlog and asked her followers to boycott our products. (Task : To develop an official statement to explain our company’s side, clarify the issue, and prevent it from getting out of hand). Action : I drafted a statement that balanced empathy, understanding, and utmost customer service with facts, logic, and fairness. It was direct, simple, succinct, and phrased to highlight our brand values while addressing the issue in a logical yet sensitive way.   We also tapped our influencer partners to subtly and indirectly share their positive experiences with our brand so we could counter the negative content being shared online.  Result : We got the results we worked for through proper communication and a positive and strategic campaign. The irate client agreed to have a dialogue with us. She apologized to us, and we reaffirmed our commitment to delivering quality service to all. We assured her that she can reach out to us anytime regarding her purchases and that we’d gladly accommodate her requests whenever possible. She also retracted her negative statements in her vlog and urged her followers to keep supporting our brand.

What Are Good Outcomes of Problem Solving?

Whenever you answer interview questions about problem solving or share examples of problem solving in a cover letter, you want to be sure you’re sharing a positive outcome.

Below are good outcomes of problem solving:

• Saving the company time or money
• Making the company money
• Pleasing/keeping a customer
• Obtaining new customers
• Solving a safety issue
• Solving a staffing/scheduling issue
• Solving a logistical issue
• Solving a company hiring issue
• Solving a technical/software issue
• Making a process more efficient and faster for the company
• Creating a new business process to make the company more profitable
• Improving the company’s brand/image/reputation
• Getting the company positive reviews from customers/clients

Every employer wants to make more money, save money, and save time. If you can assess your problem solving experience and think about how you’ve helped past employers in those three areas, then that’s a great start. That’s where I recommend you begin looking for stories of times you had to solve problems.

Tips to Improve Your Problem Solving Skills

Throughout your career, you’re going to get hired for better jobs and earn more money if you can show employers that you’re a problem solver. So to improve your problem solving skills, I recommend always analyzing a problem and situation before acting. When discussing problem solving with employers, you never want to sound like you rush or make impulsive decisions. They want to see fact-based or data-based decisions when you solve problems.

Next, to get better at solving problems, analyze the outcomes of past solutions you came up with. You can recognize what works and what doesn’t. Think about how you can get better at researching and analyzing a situation, but also how you can get better at communicating, deciding the right people in the organization to talk to and “pull in” to help you if needed, etc.

Finally, practice staying calm even in stressful situations. Take a few minutes to walk outside if needed. Step away from your phone and computer to clear your head. A work problem is rarely so urgent that you cannot take five minutes to think (with the possible exception of safety problems), and you’ll get better outcomes if you solve problems by acting logically instead of rushing to react in a panic.

You can use all of the ideas above to describe your problem solving skills when asked interview questions about the topic. If you say that you do the things above, employers will be impressed when they assess your problem solving ability.

If you practice the tips above, you’ll be ready to share detailed, impressive stories and problem solving examples that will make hiring managers want to offer you the job. Every employer appreciates a problem solver, whether solving problems is a requirement listed on the job description or not. And you never know which hiring manager or interviewer will ask you about a time you solved a problem, so you should always be ready to discuss this when applying for a job.

Related interview questions & answers:

• How do you handle stress?
• How do you handle conflict?
• Tell me about a time when you failed

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

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Problem Solving Life Skills for University Students: A Comprehensive Guide

This comprehensive guide provides practical tips and strategies for developing problem solving life skills , including specific scenarios and practical examples.

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Detailed Description of Problem Solving Life Skills
• 1.2 Practical Tips and Strategies for Developing Problem Solving Life Skills
• 1.3 Specific Scenarios and Practical Examples of Problem Solving Life Skills
• 2.1 Call to Action
• 2.2 FAQs [Frequently Asked Question] for Problem Solving Life Skills for University Students: A Comprehensive Guide.

Introduction

Problem-solving life skills are essential for university students as they help them navigate through their academic and personal lives.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore what problem-solving life skills are, their benefits and importance for university students.

Detailed Description of Problem Solving Life Skills

Problem-solving life skills refer to the ability to identify problems, develop possible solution paths, and take appropriate courses of action.

These skills are critical in both personal and professional lives as they empower individuals to make informed decisions and solve complex problems.

Benefits and Importance of Problem Solving Life Skills for University Students

Problem-solving life skills are essential for university students as they help them develop critical thinking skills, which are necessary for academic success.

These skills also help students navigate through their personal lives by enabling them to make informed decisions and solve complex problems.

Practical Tips and Strategies for Developing Problem Solving Life Skills

Developing problem-solving life skills requires practice and patience. The following are practical tips and strategies that can help you develop these skills:

1. Identify the problem – Identify an area of your life where you feel stuck. 2. Describe in detail what you're experiencing – Write down your thoughts and feelings about the problem. 3. Brainstorm possible solutions – Think of as many solutions as possible. 4. Evaluate each solution – Consider the pros and cons of each solution. 5. Choose the best solution – Select the solution that best fits your needs.

Specific Scenarios and Practical Examples of Problem Solving Life Skills

These are some practical examples of problem-solving life skills for university students:

1. Brainstorming : Brainstorming is a creative process that can generate many potential solutions to an issue. When brainstorming, involve yourself in creating lists.

2. Thought simulation: Thought simulation involves imagining different scenarios and outcomes for a particular problem.

3. Role-play: Role-playing can help you understand different perspectives and develop empathy for others.

4. Strategy card analysis: Strategy card analysis involves analyzing different strategies and their potential outcomes.

5. Venn Diagrams: Venn diagrams can help you visualize different relationships between different variables.

6. Maps: Maps can help you visualize different spatial relationships between different variables.

7. Moral dilemmas: Interestingly, Moral dilemmas can help you develop ethical decision-making skills.

8. Compare and contrast: Comparing and contrasting can help you understand the similarities and differences between different variables.

Adopting and implementing the practical tips and strategies discussed in this guide; you can develop problem solving skills and become a successful university student.

Call to Action

Develop your problem-solving life skills today by using these practical tips and strategies!

Remember that problem-solving life skills are essential for university students as they help them navigate through complex academic and personal challenges.

Start developing your problem-solving life skills today and become a successful university student!

FAQs [Frequently Asked Question] for Problem Solving Life Skills for University Students: A Comprehensive Guide.

Q: Why are problem-solving life skills important for university students?

A: Problem-solving life skills are essential for university students as they enhance critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities, which are crucial for academic success and navigating personal challenges.

Q: How can problem-solving life skills benefit university students?

A: Problem-solving life skills benefit university students by enabling them to make informed decisions, solve complex problems, enhance creativity, adaptability, and resilience, and effectively manage academic and personal challenges.

Q: What are some practical tips for developing problem-solving life skills?

A: Some practical tips for developing problem-solving life skills include identifying the problem, describing it in detail, brainstorming possible solutions, evaluating each solution, and choosing the best one based on individual needs and circumstances.

Q: What are specific scenarios where problem-solving life skills can be applied by university students?

A: University students can apply problem-solving life skills in various scenarios such as brainstorming sessions, thought simulation exercises, role-playing activities, strategy card analysis, Venn diagrams, maps, moral dilemmas, and compare and contrast exercises.

Q: How can brainstorming contribute to problem-solving life skills for university students?

A: Brainstorming is a creative process that can generate multiple potential solutions to a problem. It encourages university students to think outside the box, explore different perspectives, and come up with innovative solutions.

Q: How does role-playing help develop problem-solving life skills for university students?

A: Role-playing allows university students to understand different perspectives, empathize with others, and develop effective communication and problem-solving skills by simulating real-life situations and interactions.

Q: What is the significance of strategy card analysis in problem-solving life skills for university students?

A: Strategy card analysis involves evaluating different strategies and their potential outcomes. It helps university students analyze complex situations, assess alternative approaches, and make informed decisions based on the potential consequences of each strategy.

Q: How can Venn diagrams assist university students in problem-solving life skills?

A: Venn diagrams provide a visual representation of relationships between variables, helping university students analyze similarities, differences, and overlapping aspects. They can aid in organizing information, identifying patterns, and developing structured problem-solving approaches.

Q: How do moral dilemmas contribute to the development of problem-solving life skills in university students?

A: Moral dilemmas present university students with ethical decision-making challenges, allowing them to reflect on their values, consider different perspectives, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities when faced with complex and conflicting choices.

Q: How can university students start developing their problem-solving life skills today?

 A: University students can start developing their problem-solving life skills today by implementing the practical tips and strategies discussed in the comprehensive guide. They can actively engage in problem-solving exercises, seek opportunities for critical thinking, and practice decision-making in both academic and personal contexts.

Q: Can problem-solving life skills be improved over time?

A: Yes, problem-solving life skills can be improved through practice, experience, and learning from past challenges. The more you engage in problem-solving activities and apply different strategies, the more refined your skills will become.

Q: Are problem-solving life skills only applicable to academic situations?

A: No, problem-solving life skills are applicable to various aspects of life. While they are beneficial for academic success, these skills also help in personal relationships, career development, and decision-making in everyday situations.

Q: How can problem-solving life skills contribute to future career success?

A: Problem-solving life skills are highly valued in the professional world. They allow individuals to analyze complex situations, come up with innovative solutions, and adapt to changing circumstances, which are essential qualities for career advancement and success.

Q: Are there any resources or tools available to further develop problem-solving life skills?

A: Yes, there are resources and tools available to enhance problem-solving life skills. These include online courses, workshops, books, and interactive problem-solving exercises that provide practical guidance and help individuals refine their problem-solving abilities.

Q: Can problem-solving life skills be taught and learned collaboratively?

A: Yes, problem-solving life skills can be effectively taught and learned through collaborative efforts. Group activities, discussions, and teamwork provide opportunities to engage with diverse perspectives, share ideas, and collectively solve problems, thereby enhancing problem-solving skills.

Q: How can problem-solving life skills positively impact personal growth and self-confidence?

A: Developing problem-solving life skills fosters personal growth and self-confidence by enabling individuals to overcome challenges, make effective decisions, and achieve desired outcomes. This sense of accomplishment boosts self-esteem and motivates further personal development.

Q: Are problem-solving life skills transferable to different academic disciplines?

A: Yes, problem-solving life skills are transferable across academic disciplines. The ability to analyze, evaluate, and solve problems is applicable to various fields, including sciences, humanities, business, and engineering, among others.

Q: How can problem-solving life skills help in managing time and resources effectively?

A: Problem-solving life skills equip individuals with the ability to prioritize tasks, identify efficient strategies, and allocate resources effectively. These skills contribute to better time management , organization, and productivity, enhancing overall efficiency.

Q: Can problem-solving life skills improve resilience and adaptability?

A: Absolutely. Problem-solving life skills promote resilience and adaptability by enabling individuals to view challenges as opportunities for growth, analyze different options, and adjust their approach based on changing circumstances. This flexibility enhances the ability to bounce back from setbacks and thrive in diverse environments.

Q: Is it possible to measure or assess problem-solving life skills?

A: Yes, problem-solving life skills can be assessed through various means, including observation, performance-based tasks, self-reflection, and feedback from mentors or peers. These assessments help individuals identify areas for improvement and track their progress in problem-solving abilities.

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A scoping review of life skills development and transfer in emerging adults

Associated data.

Publicly available datasets were analyzed in this study. This data can be found here: Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/gmk8w/ .

Emerging adulthood is a unique and sensitive life period during which most psychiatric conditions emerge. Development of life skills and transfer of these skills between contexts may be considered essential for transitioning from emerging adulthood to young adulthood. In the present scoping review of 83 articles published between 2010 and 2022, we address the state of research on life skills development and transfer in emerging adults aged 18–30. Specifically, we were interested in how life skills are defined, which specific life skills are proposed and how life skills transfer is conceptualized for this age group, with an emphasis on cognitive, personal, and interpersonal components. The results show that only a small minority of the reviewed studies defined the term life skills and an even smaller number mentioned the concept of life skills transfer, with only one study actually mentioning transfer components. Life skills research for emerging adults strongly focuses on vulnerable populations (e.g., developmental and contextual vulnerabilities, and sexually transmittable infections treatment and prevention) with the five most frequently mentioned life skills being budgeting/ finances, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and emotional regulation. We discuss these results in light of future research directions and the lessons learned for life skills development and transfer research in emerging adults.

Systematic review registration

All analyzed articles are available at: https://osf.io/gmk8w/ .

Introduction

Emerging adulthood is a unique and sensitive life period during which most psychiatric conditions emerge. The median age of onset for many major mental health conditions such as anxiety disorder, personality disorders, substance abuse disorders, and depressive disorders ranges from the late teens to the late twenties ( Kessler et al., 2007 ; Solmi et al., 2022 ). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that during the COVID-19 pandemic, vital services in the mental health sector were either severely disrupted or temporarily halted in 93% of the countries worldwide, while demand for them was just increasing ( UNICEF, 2021 ). A knowledge mapping analysis of 8,856 articles published worldwide during the pandemic revealed that the most common psychological problems were anxiety and depression ( Zhou et al., 2022 ). Research into the mental health effects of the pandemic further shows that adolescents who were approaching the median age range of onset for major mental health disorders, as well as young adults already in this age group were particularly affected by the pandemic ( Salmon et al., 2022 ). More specifically, it has been found that persons aged 20 to 29 years were especially susceptible to increased feelings of loneliness and associated depressive symptoms ( Lee et al., 2020 ) as well as COVID-19 related post-traumatic stress disorder ( Benatov et al., 2022 ). These conditions do not simply fade away post-pandemic and they may become chronic without adequate support. Thus, it is important to develop programs post-pandemic to address the generally worsened mental health in this age group. Life skills have been suggested to promote mental health in this age group in general ( Sobhi-Gharamaleki and Rajabi, 2010 ; Savoji and Ganji, 2013 ) and in the context of COVID-19 in particular ( Velasco et al., 2021 ). A general framework for life skills education and its importance has been developed by WHO and UNICEF.

Who and UNICEF life skills framework

In 1998, a United Nations inter-agency meeting between WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was held with the aim “to generate consensus among United Nations agencies as to the broad definition and objectives of life skills education and strategies for its implementation” ( WHO, 1999 , preamble). Following the meeting, WHO (1999) published a document detailing the main conclusions. While admitting that the term is “open to wide interpretation” (p. 3), WHO identified five key areas of life skills that are sought to be relevant across cultures: decision-making and problem-solving, creative and critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, self-awareness and empathy, and coping with emotions and stress. These key areas were grouped under the term psychosocial skills by WHO. More recently, UNICEF (2012) admitted that life skills was still a highly elastic concept that lacks a full and widely accepted definition. To fill this void, UNICEF stated that much discourse points “toward their importance to our protection and well-being and our ability to live productive, meaningful and fulfilling lives” (p. 7). Building upon the work by WHO and other agencies, UNICEF then identified three broad categories of generic life skills: cognitive (critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making), personal (awareness, drive, self-management), and interpersonal (communication, negotiation, cooperation, teamwork, empathy, and advocacy). These life skills “are considered generic and empowering in their own right” (p. 9).

Existing life skills teaching research: a brief overview

Regarding the existing frameworks, much research has been conducted within the UNICEF and WHO on how life skills can be taught. UNICEF (2012) itself highlights the role of the parental home and family life, stating that this “environment has been identified as an important factor in establishing the foundations for skills, attitudes and values relating to society” (p. 11). At the same time, UNICEF acknowledged that wider societal structures such as prevailing religious and cultural attitudes play a role.

Such structures and attitudes may also manifest themselves in the classroom, which constitutes another context in which life skills teaching has been studied. For example, Wurdinger and Rudolph (2009) praise a student-centered approach consisting of project-based learning where high school students can determine their own projects and work at their own pace. According to the authors, such an approach allows for developing life skills such as (time) management, problem solving, and responsibility. In their case study, Wurdinger and Rudolph found that 50% of the alumni from a school implementing such an approach graduated from college, which was considerably higher than the US national average. Other activities that have been suggested for teaching life skills in the classroom include classroom discussions, debates, brainstorming, educational games, and story-telling ( Prajapati et al., 2017 ). Within the school environment, it has also been researched how life skills can be developed through school-based sport programs. For example, Danish et al. (2005) developed a sports-based life skills program in schools based on physical and mental skills improvement, emphasizing that “sport-based life skills programs implemented in schools are designed to help the student learn both sport and life skills. Therefore, what is learned in the sport must be able to be transferred to nonsport settings” (p. 54).

Research about the teaching and transfer of life skills through sports has received much attention in general. Based on a plethora of prior research on life skills development in sports (e.g., Turnnidge et al., 2014 ; Bean et al., 2018 ; Camiré et al., 2022 ; DeJaeghere and Murphy-Graham, 2022 ), Camiré (2022) proposed a two continua model of how sports coaches can teach life skills. The model distinguishes between implicit and explicit approaches along one axis, and normative and transformative approaches along the other axis. According to Camiré’s model, sports coaches can teach life skills along a continuum from implicit to explicit. Implicit coaches do not intentionally teach life skills, but may still do so under the premise that the sport context with clear rules provides a healthy learning environment. Explicit coaches intentionally focus on the teaching of life skills by providing initiatives to practice and discuss life skills. Along the other axis, normative life skills teaching prioritizes compliance to dominant sociocultural ideals whereas coaches using an transformative approach focus on life skills for social change to enable youth to live well outside the sport context. Combining the two axes, transformative explicit approaches are most benevolent according to Camiré.

The concept of life skills transfer

Once life skills have been acquired, an important feature is the application of said skills in different settings. Complementing the previously mentioned definition of life skills by UNICEF (2012) , other sources highlight this transfer aspect of life skills. For example, Morowatisharifabad et al. (2019) define life skills as “strategies that enable people to live a successful life in different environments ” (p. 9623, emphasis added). Similarly, Camiré (2022) asserts that “life skills refer to a person’s ability to do life well through the successful completion of everyday tasks and a meaningful engagement at school, at work, at home and in the community ” (p. 1, emphasis added). Within the theoretical framework of the present study, we define life skills transfer as the application of life skills in settings other than the one(s) where they were originally acquired. For example, many of the skills developed in a sports setting (e.g., problem-solving, communication) are transferable to other life domains ( Papacharisis et al., 2006 ).

In addition to learning and developing life skills, this transfer process of skills itself is another topic of scholastic inquiry: “A parallel line of research, called transformative learning, finds that transfer is a multi-dimensional experience that includes cognitive processes” ( Jacobs and Wright, 2021 , p. 380). Drawing from the context of sports, Jacobs and Wright further outlined that the evidence of transfer to other life domains is limited. Similarly, Holt et al. (2017) conducted a meta-analysis of positive youth development through sports studies and concluded that “there was relatively little information about explicit pedagogical strategies designed to promote transfer. In fact, there were several examples that showed that transfer could occur implicitly, without deliberate attempts” (p. 34). As this highlights, how exactly the transfer process takes place, for example in terms of cognitive, personal, and interpersonal components as outlined in the UNICEF (2012) framework, appears not to be well researched.

Emerging adulthood as a distinct developmental stage: the rationale for the current study

Both the WHO and UNICEF framework, as well as much of the literature presented in the previous paragraphs, focus on life skills development and/or transfer among children and adolescents, probably under the assumption that “life skills are essential for the successful transition from dependent childhood to independent adulthood” ( Donnellan and Mathews, 2021 , p. 547). However, the timing and shape of transition into adulthood has changed drastically since the second half of the 20th century. Specific markers of transitioning to adulthood such as leaving the parental home, entering full-time employment, marrying, and becoming parents occur much later in life: “Any of these transitions occurred at or near the time of reaching legal adulthood in the 1960s and 1970s, they often occur in people’s mid- and late-20s—or later—today ( Ribar and Wong, 2022 , p. 157). In describing this trend, Arnett (2000 , 2007) proposed that the prolonged transition into adulthood presents a distinct developmental stage, which he coined emerging adulthood, beginning after adolescence and ending with reaching young adulthood. In industrialized nations, emerging adulthood appears at a later age and over a longer period ( Arnett, 2000 ). This does of course not invalidate the notion that “given the role of life skills as a strong catalyst for the development of positive behavior, building life skills in the early years of life will help children navigate their social and emotional challenges” ( Nasheeda et al., 2019 , p. 375). Life skills development and transfer remains important for children and adolescents.

At the same time, given the distinct nature and challenges of emerging adulthood, it is of particular interest to investigate the current state of research regarding life skills development and transfer in this particular age group. Young persons in emerging adulthood are legal adults, yet not fully autonomous and often dependent on their families ( Ribar and Wong, 2022 ). As further outlined by Arnett et al. (2014) , emerging adulthood is a sensitive life period associated with instability, feeling in-between, and identity explorations. Adequate support systems for emerging adults may be lacking: “It could be argued that organizing mental health services into separate child and adult systems does not serve the transition-aged population well” ( Davis and Koroloff, 2006 , p. 55). The empowering nature of life skills, as highlighted by the UNICEF framework, may make them suitable leverage to better manage the transition to young adulthood. Accordingly, it has been found that life skills can act as important enablers for mental health help-seeking behaviors as well as developing adequate coping strategies in adolescents and emerging adults ( Hellström and Beckman, 2021 ). Thus, it may be argued that the development and transfer of life skills -whether it concerns life skills learned at this age or earlier in life- for this age group may be of particular importance for positive mental health development in emerging adults.

Research questions

To gain a better understanding of the concept of life skills for emerging adults following from the theoretical frameworks, we aim to answer the following research questions:

• How are life skills defined in the literature for emerging adults?
• Which life skills are proposed in the literature for emerging adults?
• What is the state of research regarding life skills transfer in emerging adults?
• What are the cognitive, personal, and interpersonal aspects of life skills transfer among emerging adults discussed in the literature?

Following the guidance by Munn et al. (2018) on choosing an appropriate review method, a scoping review approach was chosen for three reasons. First, scoping reviews can be used to clarify key concepts and definitions in the literature which is important to assess whether consensus on a life skills framework has been reached. Second, scoping reviews are best suited to identify and map the available evidence in a given research domain and, by extension, to identify knowledge gaps which can catalyze future research. Third, scoping reviews can be used to identify the types of available evidence in a given field (e.g., intervention versus non-intervention studies), which is important for assessing the level of evidence of life skills studies.

Justification for publication period selection

A systematic search of the life skills literature from 01/01/2010 to 10/31/2022 was conducted. The reasons for selecting this time period were threefold. The first reason for the selection of this time period was the publication of the UNICEF framework on life skills in 2012, as outlined in the introduction. The publication of that framework may well have had an impact on subsequent research into life skills.

Second, a preliminary search of the PubMed library using the search term “life skill*” was conducted. With few exceptions, the number of publications has been rising steadily from 2010 onwards. In fact, the number of publications on the subject has more than trebled between 2010 and 2022 (see Supplementary Appendix A ).

Third, this increase in the number of publications may be attributed to technological advancements happening around that period, most notably internet becoming widely adopted. In 2010, the number of internet users surpassed two billion ( International Telecommunications Union, 2010 ). By 2014, around 40% of the world population was using the internet, with a sharp divide between developing and developed countries with 32 and 78%, respectively ( International Telecommunications Union, 2014 ). The transformation of an analog society to a digital one expands the concepts of life skills to the digital arena as well. In their systematic review about the outcomes of gaining digital skills, Livingstone et al. (2021) found that digital skills are most frequently discussed in relation to life skills. Similarly, van Laar et al. (2017) presented a systematic review in which life skills, digital skills, and learning skills are distinct but intrinsically linked skills.

Search query and data bases

The search query was refined through several iterations within each database using different combinations of keywords and Boolean operators. Synonyms for the included terms were uncovered by scanning abstracts of articles appearing in earlier iterations as well as by checking dictionaries. The generic search query used was (“life skill*” OR “lifeskill*”) AND (“young adult*” OR “emerging adult*” OR “young people”). This query was initially developed for Web of Science and subsequently modified to meet the specific requirements of each data base. In addition to Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, and PubMed were searched. According to Gusenbauer and Haddaway’s (2020) extensive study assessing the eligibility of different academic databases, these four are suited for use as primary search engines in systematic reviews. These search engines meet important quality markers, most notably functionality of Boolean operators and reproducibility across time and locations. The exact search query per database can be found in the Supplementary Appendix B . The search query was set to search title and abstract, as well as keywords (the last only applicable to Scopus).

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

All articles had to meet the following criteria in order to be eligible for inclusion in the present scoping review. Articles had to be published between 01/01/2010 and 10/31/2022. To determine this, the date of first online publication was used. In addition, all articles had to be written in English. The age range was set to 18 to 30 years old because research indicates that by age 30 the rapid changes of emerging adulthood have typically stabilized in the general population ( Davis and Koroloff, 2006 ). Articles falling in- and outside of this age range (e.g., 16–25) were decided on a case-by-case basis on the criterion that they either mention the transition to adulthood or -if applicable- the mean age falling within the specified age range. The study inclusion flowchart can be found in Figure 1 .

Study inclusion flowchart.

In a first step, all duplicates between databases were removed, leaving 514 unique references. Subsequently, articles were checked for the following exclusion criteria: language other than English, inaccessibility, outside date range, and not peer-reviewed. This left 426 articles in the initial sample for further screening, of which 83 fell within the age range of emerging adulthood and were included in the final sample. All articles included in the final sample can be found in the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/gmk8w/ .

Interrater reliability for inclusion

Each article in the initial sample was assigned a unique identification number. 10% of all articles ( N = 43) were selected by randomly drawing from the pool of identification numbers in R using the choose function. In case of difference of opinion, the articles were discussed between the first and second author until agreement had been reached on the in- or exclusion of each article. The remaining articles were then coded by the first author.

Table 1 presents general characteristics of the reviewed studies. Overall, only two-thirds of all studies (66.27%) mentioned specific life skills and less than one in five studies (18.07%) actually defined the term life skills. The studies were almost evenly split between mentioning (49.60%) and not mentioning (50.40%) the transition to adulthood explicitly. Transfer of life skills was mentioned infrequently in only 9.64% of the reviewed studies and only one study mentioned specific transfer components.

Key characteristics of included studies.

Transfer of skills refers to the application of life skills in settings others than the one where they were originally acquired. Transfer components refers to cognitive, personal, and interpersonal aspects necessary for life skills transfer.

Life skills definitions

Within the studies that defined life skills, a distinction can be made between studies following an existing framework and studies presenting their own definition. Of the 15 studies defining life skills, nine (60.00%) used the frameworks of UNICEF and WHO presented in the introduction ( Okun et al., 2016 ; Jordaan et al., 2018 ; Ingram and Dorsett, 2019 ; Kingsnorth et al., 2019 ; Duff et al., 2020 ; Atif et al., 2021 ; Hellström and Beckman, 2021 ; Pearson et al., 2021 ; Pletschko et al., 2023 ). 1 These studies covered a diverse range of topics, such as for example preparing for parenthood in low and middle-income countries ( Atif et al., 2021 ), acquiring life skills with congenital total blindness ( Ingram and Dorsett, 2019 ), and psychosocial support programs for young adult childhood cancer survivors ( Pletschko et al., 2023 ).

Four studies (26.67%) used their own definitions of life skills. Those definitions cannot easily be categorized, but two definitions highlight relationships with others. One definition highlights the individual in the community: “life skills were those deemed necessary for an individual to exist in an inclusive community, including living, working, and having fun” ( Bouck et al., 2016 , pp. 342–343), whereas another highlights individual needs and relationship satisfactions: “Life skills refer to youths’ ability to provide for their needs, to feel comfortable with themselves and be satisfied with relationships with significant others in the family, community and society ( Maluccio et al., 1990 )” ( Sulimani-Aidan and Melkman, 2022 , p. 1484). Another definition highlights the individual and life skills transfer: “Life skills in this context are defined as cognitive, emotional and behavioral skills that can be learned in one context (e.g., through sport) and transferred to and used effectively in other contexts (such as education […])” ( Brooke et al., 2019 , p. 294). Finally, Mmusi and van Breda (2017) define social skills in addition to independent living skills as “specific behaviors that an individual exhibits to perform competently on a social task (e.g., active listening skills, reciprocal communication, ignoring, etc.)” ( Holosko, 2015 ; as cited Mmusi and van Breda, 2017 , p. 351).

Two studies (13.33%) drew from existing frameworks other than WHO or UNICEF. Güçlü et al. (2022) , investigating emerging adults’ perceived life skills, used three existing frameworks: Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills [ATCS] ( Binkley et al., 2011 ), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] ( Ananiadou and Claro, 2009 ), and Partnership for 21st Century [P21] (2009) . The ATCS framework highlights ways of thinking, ways of working, work tools, and life on earth. OECD mentions effective use of tools, interaction in heterogenous groups, and autonomy. Finally, P21 uses three overarching topics of life skills: learning and innovation skills, information, media and technology skills, and life and career skills. The other study in this category drew from a framework pre-dating the WHO and UNICEF frameworks. Currie et al. (2012) conducted an exploratory study examining the relationship between life skills and academic success. In doing so, the authors drew on Brooks (1984) taxonomy of life skills which delineates four areas of life skills: interpersonal communication/human relations, problem-solving/decision-making, physical fitness/health maintenance, and identity development/purpose in life.

Topics and specific life skills mentioned

Of the 12 topics that emerged, the three most frequent ones accounted for nearly two-thirds (66.27%, N = 55) of the reviewed studies: developmental vulnerabilities (mental health issues/physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities) ( N = 24), sexual behavior (including prevention and treatment of sexually transmittable infections [STIs] and LGBTQ+ needs) ( N = 17), and contextual vulnerabilities (foster care/homelessness) ( N = 14). The other topics that emerged were: university students ( N = 5), substance abuse reduction and prevention ( N = 4), developing world/poverty ( N = 3), survivor of life threatening disease ( N = 3), young offenders/prison experience ( N = 3), sports ( N = 2), ethnic minorities ( N = 2), employability ( N = 2), and miscellaneous ( N = 4). In relation to the number of articles, the sexual behavior category mentioned relatively few life skills, whereas the opposite holds true for the category developing world/poverty. Within the most frequent category of developmental vulnerabilities, a broad array of life skills was proposed ranging from communication and budgeting to managing contraception and self-actualization. Across all studies, the five most mentioned life skills were budgeting/finances ( N = 19), communication ( N = 18), problem-solving ( N = 13), decision-making ( N = 12), and emotional regulation ( N = 11). However, these results are strongly context-specific. Therefore, Table 2 offers an overview of the proposed life skills per topic and Table 3 .

Topics and proposed life skills of reviewed studies.

*Only indicated if N > 1.

Study characteristics of the most common topics.

For some topics, the proposed life skills appear to be more context-specific, whereas for other categories they seem to be more generic. For example, in the contextual vulnerabilities category the most frequently mentioned life skills were budgeting/finances ( N = 13), cooking/food preparation ( N = 6), and finding/managing housing ( N = 6). These skills are particularly useful in the context of exiting foster care or transitioning from homelessness. Similarly, Assertiveness ( N = 3), decision-making ( N = 2), and stress management ( N = 2) were the most frequently mentioned life skills in the substance abuse reduction and prevention category because these skills are needed to refrain from substance use, e.g., by being assertive toward one’s peers. On the contrary, out of the few life skills proposed in the sexual behavior category, the most frequently mentioned ones were communication ( N = 3) and self-esteem ( N = 3) which are rather generic, with communication also frequently mentioned in other topics.

Study characteristics

Apart from the specific life skills mentioned, differences also exist between the various topics regarding the study characteristics (see Table 3 ). What stands out is that in the sexual behavior category only three studies (17.64%) mentioned specific life skills, none of the studies actually defined the term life skills, and none of the studies mentioned life skills transfer. At the same time, the sexual behavior category showed the highest percentage of intervention studies by a considerable margin compared to the other topics (58.82%). The term life skills was only somewhat frequently defined in the developmental vulnerabilities category (25.00%). The transition to adulthood was mentioned least frequently in the sexual behavior category (23.53%), whereas it was mentioned in all studies in the contextual vulnerabilities category and slightly over half of the studies (54.17%) in the developmental vulnerabilities category.

Cognitive, personal, and interpersonal life skills taxonomy

Regarding the distinction between cognitive, personal, and interpersonal life skills, UNICEF (2012) states that “there is no definitive list or categorization of the skills involved and how they might relate to one another. By their very nature such skills are largely intangible and difficult to isolate from the complex web of interactions […]” (p. 12). Figure 2 attempts to address this void while taking into account this web of interactions. Figure 2 presents a taxonomy of the life skills along the axes of the UNICEF framework: cognitive, personal, and interpersonal. Given the intangible nature of the skills, Figure 2 should be understood as flexible rather than rigid. Each of the life skills is proportionate in size to its frequency in the literature. To avoid cluttering, only life skills that have been found at least five times are included.

Taxonomy of life skills found in the scoping review along the dimensions of the UNICEF framework note. The size of each skills is proportionate to its frequency in the literature. To avoid excessive cluttering, only skills that have been found at least five times are included.

The lower left quadrant representing cognitive, personal skills shows the highest number of skills. This diverse range of life skills includes problem-solving, emotional regulation, decision-making, and goal-setting. These skills have been placed in the cognitive personal quadrant because they require cognitive capacity, but they are also personal in nature as they do not necessarily involve interactions with others. Coping skills, critical thinking, self-esteem, and problem-solving have been placed in the lower left corner as we consider them as requiring the most cognitive capacity. Emotional regulation has been placed in the lower left quadrant as well because emphasizing its cognitive nature, but more toward the personal axis as emotional regulation requires personal skills such as proactive self-management.

In terms of the number of life skills, the center of the taxonomy representing personal skills follows in frequency. These personal life skills include budgeting, managing a household, and cooking. While these skills of course also require cognitive capacity, they are more about executing. For example, planning and problem-solving are more cognitive skills, which can be used to execute these more personal skills.

Only communication falls strictly within the upper right corner representing interpersonal skills because it involves other persons per definition. Other life skills containing an interpersonal component include social skills and assertiveness. Social skills, which were mostly not further specified in the articles, have been placed on the interpersonal axis as well, but with a joint emphasis on the cognitive components they require, which in turn can help in effectively communicating. Finally, assertiveness has been placed on the cognitive axis with a joint emphasis on the personal and interpersonal components. Assertiveness requires strong cognitive capacity, but one needs to be assertive either toward oneself or other members of society, making this a personal and interpersonal skill as well.

Life skills transfer and its cognitive, personal, and interpersonal aspects

Eight studies mentioned life skills transfer ( Bal et al., 2016 ; Mmusi and van Breda, 2017 ; Brooke et al., 2019 , 2020 , 2022 ; Kingsnorth et al., 2019 ; Duff et al., 2020 ; Pletschko et al., 2023 ). Table 4 gives an overview of the characteristics and goals of these studies.

Topics and characteristics of studies mentioning life skills transfer.

Of the 15 studies that defined life skills (see Table 1 ), five studies mentioned life skills transfer (see Table 4 ). All studies mentioning life skills transfer also mention specific life skills, which is much higher than the 66.27% in the general study population ( Table 1 ). Five out of the eight studies (62.50%) shown in Table 4 define life skills, which is also considerably higher than the 18.07% in the general study population. Similarly, 62.50% of these studies are intervention studies, whereas this percentage is only 36.14% in the general study population. The percentage of life skills transfer studies mentioning the transition to adulthood (50.00%) is nearly identical to the one in the general study population.

Of the eight studies that mentioned life skills transfer, only one (12.50%) mentioned specific transfer components ( Mmusi and van Breda, 2017 ). Mmusi and Van Breda (2017) , through an interview study, investigated the transfer of social skills learned in care to independent living in South Africa. As they note “there is little research to show whether and how these skills are transferred from the child care setting to young adulthood” (p. 350). Mmusi and van Breda found the following cognitive transfer components: recall, contextual flexibility, perceived usefulness, thoughtfulness, willingness, internalization, outcome expectation, perceived ability to use skill, and reflective living. In addition, they found personal challenges as a personal skill transfer component and upbringing as an interpersonal skill transfer component. Mmusi and van Breda point out that differences in context “impact not only the extent to which care-leavers feel support and protected […], but also how they utilize the skills they learned” (p. 354) and conclude that “for skills to be meaningful and useful, there has to be an interrelationship between application of a skill and real-life context” (p. 355).

The present scoping review was carried out under the premise that life skills are “essential skills particularly during the transition to adulthood” ( Duff et al., 2020 ), with the main goal of assessing the state of research regarding life skills development and transfer in emerging adults. In light of the sensitivity of this transitory life stage with many uncertainties and fast changes, research on the specific factors relating to life skills development and transfer in this age group appears to be rather scarce. Overall, it appears that life skills is an umbrella term that is not clearly defined within the scientific literature.

What stands out is that a large majority of life skills literature focuses on vulnerable populations. This is manifested in the three most frequent topics being developmental vulnerabilities, sexual behavior, and contextual vulnerabilities. In addition, the methodological and conceptual qualities of some studies raise concerns. The sexual behavior category in particular, which included many studies over HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, embodies several problematic characteristics. None of the studies in that category defined life skills, only a small minority mentioned specific life skills, and none of the studies discussed transfer of skills between contexts. With this category showing the highest number of intervention studies, the questions may then be raised on which theoretical frameworks the interventions were based and which specific life skills were targeted. Accordingly, few actionable insights can be derived on life skills development and transfer in typically developing emerging adults. As outlined in the results section, the most frequently mentioned life skills were budgeting/finances, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and emotional regulation. In light of the emphasis on vulnerable populations in most studies, an immediate question is if these skills should also receive more attention in studies with typically developing emerging adults. These skills appear rather generic and a tentative answer to that question is that they could be used as impetus for studies with typically developing emerging adults as well. At the same time, lesser mentioned skills such as assertiveness, self-esteem, or future planning seem valuable outside of the context of vulnerable populations as well. Which specific skills to target with future interventions may therefore be a more context specific question, taking into account factors such as geographic locations and cultural backgrounds. In addition, the term life skills may need a more refined and updated definition to better inform future studies.

Defining the term life skills

Based on the limited evidence available, few conclusions can be drawn about a preferred life skills definition. No dominant conceptual framework for life skills development and transfer in emerging adults materialized from the present scoping review. The vast majority of studies did not define the term life skills. In the few studies that did define life skills, the frameworks of WHO and UNICEF accounted for over half of the studies. It should, however, also be noted that even though the UNICEF and WHO frameworks were not mentioned frequently, some of the most frequently mentioned life skills (e.g., communication and decision-making) stem from the UNICEF framework, posing the question whether the UNICEF framework is used implicitly more often than it is explicitly referred to. Thus, based on the limited evidence available, the UNICEF framework appears to be most used.

The WHO and UNICEF frameworks and other definitions found in the present scoping review share some similarities. They highlight that life skills are necessary to interact with others and can be transferred between different contexts. In addition, a distinction is often made between categories of life skills, such as cognitive, personal, and interpersonal life skills. Taking into account these results as well as recent societal developments such as rapid technological advancements and generally worsened mental health since the Covid-19 pandemic, we propose the following definition for the concept of life skills for emerging adults: Life skills are cognitive, personal, and interpersonal skills necessary to promote good mental health, autonomous living, to regulate oneself, and to successfully interact with other members of society across different contexts (e.g., family or work) and settings (e.g., home or office).

Lessons learned for life skills development and transfer

While in younger age groups (e.g., adolescents) life skills development and transfer has been heavily researched in sports contexts ( Danish and Nellen, 1997 ; Petitpas et al., 2004 ; Theokas et al., 2008 ; Jacobs and Wright, 2021 ), the sports context is much less salient in life skills studies for emerging adults. Camiré’s (2022) model of life skills teaching -developed in the context of youth sports coaching- may therefore not be directly applicable, but it appears that most life skills studies take a rather implicit approach as only a minority of studies were intervention studies and even within the intervention studies, specific life skills were lacking regularly. It is possible that the underlying assumption in a majority of studies is that life skills are learned as a byproduct, but this remains speculative. Along the normative/transformative axis it can be deduced that genuinely transformative approaches to life skills development in emerging adults are absent with the exception of Mmusi and van Breda (2017) , which was also the only study discussing specific cognitive, personal, and interpersonal transfer components. It may be further explored to which extent the transfer components these authors found (recall, contextual flexibility, personal challenges, upbringing, purpose/perceived usefulness, thoughtfulness, willingness, internalization, outcome expectation, perceived ability to use skill, and reflective living) are applicable in contexts other than South African foster care.

Furthermore, the results give little impetus on actionable insides regarding life skills development and transfer in non-vulnerable emerging adults groups. A notable exception is the study by Güçlü et al. (2022) who investigated emerging adults’ perceived life skills through a self-developed questionnaire in a group of Turkish university students. Their results revealed that the level of perceived life skills was significantly predicted by self-regulation (i.e., regulation of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors) and autonomy supportive behaviors by parents and teachers. These results may still be further explored in other settings for life skills development interventions, for example to assess whether self-regulation may be considered an overarching life skill that could facilitate the internalization of other skills.

A final lesson regarding life skills development that can be learned from the results of the scoping review is that life skills studies tend to be reactive rather than pro-active. The UNICEF framework stresses the empowering nature of life skills to live productive, meaningful and fulfilling lives. The current results, however, indicate that life skills studies mostly focus on reactively teaching life skills once a problem (e.g., developmental or contextual) has occurred. This is highlighted by the fact that the vast majority of studies dealt with vulnerable populations and life skills were proposed for these specific contexts, whereas very few studies discussed pro-active life skills teaching for non-vulnerable populations.

Future research

Based on the results of the present scoping review, we propose the following agenda items for future research regarding life skills development and transfer in emerging adults. First, a clear conceptual framework has to be derived. As the results have shown, few studies clarify the theoretical background. The UNICEF framework was published over a decade ago in 2012 and society has experienced some fundamental changes since. First, major technological advancements have rapidly changed society, with near universal internet and social media accessibility at our fingertips. These developments have rapidly changed the ways in which we communicate and interact with one another. A plethora of research indicates that internet access and social media in particular have a fundamental influence on the self-image, self-esteem and general mental health, with adolescents and emerging adults experiencing the greatest impact ( Richards et al., 2015 ; Hawi and Samaha, 2017 ; Rounsfell et al., 2020 ; Bettmann et al., 2021 ). Second, as outlined previously, the Coronavirus pandemic has had major mental health implications for different age and ethnic groups ( Shuja et al., 2020 ; Roy et al., 2021 ; Saltzman et al., 2021 ; De France et al., 2022 ). In light of these changes, it may be necessary to develop an updated framework. In addition, it would be beneficial to derive a life skills framework for the particular age group of emerging adults. An interesting starting point for such a framework, as well as a way of categorizing future studies, may be the framework proposed by Camiré (2022) . The adaptation of that framework for studies outside of the youth sport context is therefore a recommended avenue for future research.

The second agenda item concerns research regarding the cognitive, personal, and interpersonal components of life skills transfer is. As mentioned previously, of the few studies mentioning life skills transfer, only one discussed such transfer components. In other words, almost no actionable insights regarding life skills transfer in emerging adults can be derived from the current state of the research. This result was somewhat unexpected because life skills transfer has received considerable attention in sport settings, particularly in vulnerable populations (see, e.g., the systematic review by ter Harmsel-Nieuwenhuis et al., 2022 ) and youth populations ( Pierce et al., 2019 ; Martin and Camiré, 2020 ; Jacobs and Wright, 2021 ). It is, however, unclear whether or how these insights are applicable to typically developing emerging adults. Thus, future research should put more emphasis on the specific life skills transfer components in non-vulnerable emerging adults, through quantitative questionnaire studies as well as qualitative interviews and focus groups.

A third avenue for future research concerns the development of a curriculum for life skills development in non-vulnerable emerging adults based on the first two agenda items. Such a curriculum could for example be implemented in coursework at universities to better prepare students for the transition to adulthood: “life skills training should include elements to enhance the development of individual coping strategies to apply when life feels tough and when the body is experiencing stress reactions” ( Hellström and Beckman, 2021 , p. 1). A possible curriculum should recognize the volatility of emerging adulthood to train students in life skills that are applicable across a diverse range of contexts and explicitly address the transfer process. In that context, it could also be researched which social expectations are linked to developmental tasks such as acquiring life skills, and if life skills can be used as a preventive measure for developing mental health issues.

A final avenue for future research could address the question: what efforts need to be made to increase the readiness of emerging adults to achieve the life skills needed at that age? This question is separate from the question which specific life skills interventions are used to train life skills. It is believed that the learning outcomes for life skills will be more successful if emerging adults are intrinsically motivated. From an evolutionary perspective “intrinsic motivations drive the acquisition of knowledge and skills that contribute to produce behaviors that increase fitness” ( Baldassarre, 2011 , p. 1) to one’s environment. Intrinsically motivated emerging adults would therefore possibly better adapt to their changing environments. Addressing motivation would also put stronger emphasis on a proactive approach to life skills outside of the mental health context. As outlined by The World Bank (2013) , life skills are not only important for (mental) health outcomes, but also for education and labor market outcomes. These outcomes are considered paramount for emerging adults to manage the transition to a successful adult life. Addressing motivation and outcomes beyond the mental health context is thus considered an important avenue for future research.

In addition to these avenues for future research, future life skills studies for emerging adults should improve on reporting. In the vast majority of studies, it was unclear which theoretical framework was used and how exactly the term life skills was defined. A crucial recommendation for future studies is therefore to report these characteristics to improve the methodological quality, transparency, and reproducibility.

Limitations

We systematically searched four databases (Scopus, PsycInfo, Pubmed, and Web of Science). Therefore, the final sample included in the present scoping review is necessarily limited to journal articles which are indexed in those four databases. In addition, we specified in the search query that articles must include either of the following terms: emerging adult or adulthood, young adult, or young people. Articles that may have fallen within the desired age range, but did not explicitly mention one of these terms, may therefore not have come up during the search. However, specifying these terms increased the probability of finding articles that focused explicitly on the transition period. Alternatively, it would have been possible to set an age filter for the search, but that would have excluded articles that do not specify the age rage in the abstract or keywords and such age filters may work differently between the various databases.

Life skills have received much attention in the academic literature, but the plethora of the research focuses on children and adolescents. Emerging adulthood is a sensitive and volatile life period during that can be the onset of many chronic psychological disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has further detrimentally impacted mental health in emerging adults. Life skills have been proposed as a catalyst for successfully mastering the transition to adulthood. However, research on life skills development in emerging adults is mostly limited to vulnerable populations. In addition, transfer of life skills between contexts has received virtually no attention at all. It is concluded that life skills development and transfer in typically developing emerging adults are understudied and future research needs to develop a framework to address this gap.

Data availability statement

Author contributions.

RT: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. PG: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing. WJ: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. EV: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing.

Funding Statement

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

1 First published online in 2021.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary material

The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1275094/full#supplementary-material

Supplementary Appendix A

Number of hits for the search term “life skill*” in PubMed per year 2010–2022.

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• van Laar E., van Deurse J. A., van Dijk J. A., de Haan J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: a systematic literature review . Comput. Hum. Behav. 72 , 577–588. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.010 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
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Morning Carpool

“Stop Coddling Your Grown Child”: 21 Essential Life Skills That You Should Be Teaching Your Child Before They Leave for College

Posted: February 22, 2024 | Last updated: February 22, 2024

As your child prepares to leave the nest for college, there are certain life skills they need to master to thrive on their own. From learning how to do laundry to budgeting and cooking, these essential skills seem obvious, but many young adults are sent off to college without them.

Doing Laundry

Learning how to do laundry is a crucial skill for any college student. Start by teaching them how to separate colors and fabrics and the right temperature to use for each. Explain the importance of cleaning the lint trap in dryers and how to use laundry detergent properly.

Basic Cooking

Knowing basic cooking skills can save your child from a diet of instant noodles. Teach them how to cook simple, healthy meals like pasta, stir-fries, and salads. Emphasize kitchen safety, including handling knives and managing the stove.

Budgeting is key to managing college expenses. Show them how to track their income and expenses and the importance of saving. Discuss the dangers of credit card debt and impulsive purchases.

Time Management

Time management skills are vital for balancing study, work, and social life. Teach them how to prioritize tasks and use a planner or digital calendar. Stress the importance of setting aside time for studying and relaxation. Good time management can be the difference between success and burnout.

Cleaning and Housekeeping

A clean living space is essential for health and well-being. Teach them basic cleaning skills like dusting, vacuuming, and disinfecting surfaces. Show them how to maintain a clean bathroom and kitchen. Cleanliness plays a big role in making a good impression on roommates and friends.

Grocery Shopping

Teach them how to make a grocery list based on planned meals, compare prices, and select fresh produce. Explain the benefits of buying in bulk and choosing store brands to save money. Show them how to read nutrition labels to make healthier choices. “Grocery shopping on my own was a reality check on adulting,” shared an online commenter.

Public Transportation

Understanding how to navigate public transportation is essential in many college towns. Teach them how to read transit maps, use apps for schedules, and understand fare systems. Discuss the importance of being aware of their surroundings and personal safety while commuting.

Basic First Aid

Basic first aid knowledge can be a lifesaver in minor emergencies. Teach them how to treat cuts, burns, and sprains and when to seek professional medical help. Show them how to create and maintain a basic first aid kit. This skill is not just for them, but for helping others too.

Personal Hygiene

Good personal hygiene is crucial for health and social interactions. Discuss the importance of regular bathing, oral hygiene, and clean clothes. Teach them about skincare and the need for regular haircuts. As a commenter says, “Good hygiene goes a long way in making a good first impression.”

Communication Skills

Effective communication is key in both personal and professional life. Teach teens how to communicate respectfully and assertively, both in person and online. Discuss the importance of active listening and empathy in building relationships.

Basic Sewing

Knowing how to sew a button or fix a minor tear can save time and money. Teach them basic sewing skills and how to use a sewing kit. This is not just practical but also a great way to be self-reliant. Plus, it’s a useful skill for costume parties!

Dealing with Emergencies

Teach them how to respond to various emergencies, like power outages, fire alarms, and severe weather. Discuss the importance of knowing emergency contacts and evacuation routes. “Being prepared for emergencies gave me peace of mind when I lived on my own,” says an online commenter.

Understanding Insurance

Understanding basic insurance concepts like health, auto, and renter’s insurance is important. Teach them how to read and understand an insurance policy and the importance of keeping documents safe. This knowledge is crucial for protecting themselves and their belongings.

Networking and Socializing

Teach teens how to network and the importance of socializing in a healthy, balanced way. Discuss how to approach professors, join clubs, and attend campus events. Networking can lead to friendships, mentorships, and even job opportunities.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are essential in and out of the classroom. Encourage them to think independently, question assumptions, and approach problems logically. These skills will help them navigate complex situations and make informed decisions.

Digital Literacy

Teach teens about online safety, using search engines effectively, and managing digital files. Discuss the importance of a professional online presence. As one commenter said, “Digital literacy is as important as reading and writing.”

Personal Safety

Personal safety is paramount. Teach teens about situational awareness, trusting their instincts, and basic self-defense. Discuss the importance of staying safe in social situations and understanding consent.

Stress Management

College can be stressful, so knowing how to manage stress is key. Teach them relaxation techniques, the importance of exercise, and healthy coping mechanisms. Discuss the value of seeking help when needed. Managing stress effectively can enhance their college experience.

Laundry Etiquette

In shared laundry facilities, etiquette is essential. Teach teens about respecting others’ laundry, not leaving clothes unattended, and cleaning up after themselves, which will keep the peace and foster a sense of community responsibility.

Cooking for Special Diets

Knowing how to cook for special diets is helpful if they or their friends have dietary restrictions. Teach them about vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly cooking. This skill is not only considerate but also expands their culinary horizons.

Voting and Civic Engagement

Understanding the importance of voting and civic engagement is crucial. Discuss how to register to vote, the basics of local and national politics, and the importance of staying informed. “Voting for the first time made me feel like a true adult,” shared a commenter.

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AI Prompt Engineering Isn’t the Future

• Oguz A. Acar

Asking the perfect question is less important than really understanding the problem you’re trying to solve.

Despite the buzz surrounding it, the prominence of prompt engineering may be fleeting. A more enduring and adaptable skill will keep enabling us to harness the potential of generative AI? It is called problem formulation — the ability to identify, analyze, and delineate problems.

Prompt engineering has taken the generative AI world by storm. The job, which entails optimizing textual input to effectively communicate with large language models, has been hailed by World Economic Forum as the number one “job of the future” while Open AI CEO Sam Altman characterized it as an “amazingly high-leveraged skill.” Social media brims with a new wave of influencers showcasing “magic prompts” and pledging amazing outcomes.

• Oguz A. Acar is a Chair in Marketing at King’s Business School, King’s College London.

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ALS and PALS Training

About Class Formats

• Self-paced, interactive instruction from your laptop or tablet
• Demonstration of skill proficiency is NOT available
• Start your course immediately
• 2-year Red Cross Certificate of Completion may not meet workplace requirements

In-Person + Online (Blended)

• Combines in-person sessions with self-paced, interactive online instruction
• Complete online course, then demonstrate competencies with a certified instructor
• 2-year Red Cross Certification meets professional licensing compliance
• Satisfies OSHA workplace requirements
• Combines lecture with hands-on skills sessions
• Experienced instructors in classroom setting
• Convenient locations and times

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Taking an ALS Class

Advanced Life Support (ALS) training, also known as ACLS training from the American Red Cross builds on your BLS skills to help you deliver a greater level of care. Featuring science-based curriculum and personalized instruction, ALS classes use a scenario-based approach and focus on medically complex cases requiring advanced interventions. American Red Cross ALS and PALS certifications are valid for two years from the completion date. ALS Class Formats: In-person and Blended Learning

Prerequisite: Current BLS Certification

Earning Your PALS Certification

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training can help you provide life-saving care to infants and children during times of crisis. Using a science-based curriculum, personalized instruction and a scenario-based approach, our PALS course will help you learn to assess patients, provide advanced interventions, and improve critical-thinking skills so you can provide better care more confidently. American Red Cross ALS and PALS certifications are valid for two years from the completion date. PALS Training Formats: In-person and Blended Learning

Become a Red Cross Instructor

If you're currently a certified BLS, ACLS or PALS instructor with another training agency, you can expand your teaching options by taking our free, online Instructor Bridge program. In order to qualify, you must hold a current provider-level (basic-level) certification and at least one of the equivalent certifications, from an approved training organization. Once you've been accepted into the Instructor Bridge program, you'll gain access to all of the necessary online courses (and materials) and can become certified to teach BLS, ALS and/or PALS courses in about an hour.

Human Resources and Faculty Affairs Administrator

🔍 doerr school of sustainability, stanford, california, united states.

This position is based on Stanford’s main campus with consideration given to the option for a hybrid work schedule (partially onsite and offsite), subject to operational need. Interested candidates must include a resume and cover letter to be considered for this position.  

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment VISA.

About Us  The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (SDSS) strives to create a future when humans and nature thrive in concert and in perpetuity. The school is made up of a three-part structure to drive global impact: Our academic departments and programs educate students and create new knowledge across areas of research that are crucial for advancing the long-term prosperity of the planet and people; Institutes bridge scholarship at Stanford and beyond, bringing multiple viewpoints to bear on urgent challenges; The Sustainability Accelerator drives new policy and technology solutions through a worldwide network of partners who work with our teams to develop solutions at a global scale. The school is dedicated to creating and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, and to creating solutions that benefit all people, particularly those most affected by environmental damage and climate change.

For more information on the school, click here .

The Human Resources and Faculty Affairs team within the SDSS Dean’s Office is the central resource for management of HR actions for all employees, including: faculty, non-academic staff, academic staff, visitors, and temporary employees in the school. We provide HR, Faculty Affairs, and Academic Staff subject matter expertise as well as the highest levels of customer service in managing and advising on all school wide processes and issues. We are seeking to hire a full-time Human Resources and Faculty Affairs Administrator with strong customer service and problem-solving skills, who enjoys various responsibilities, has amazing attention to detail, and can build rapport quickly and become an integral part of the team. The position will report to the Assistant Director of Human Resources and Faculty Affairs and will work with the HR and Faculty Affairs team, department and faculty leaders, and managers across the school in a collaborative environment. The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, be up for a challenge, love working closely with a team, know how to take initiative and get things done, and more importantly, have a sense of humor. If this sounds like you, this position may be the right career opportunity!

Your Responsibilities will include:  

• Manage HRIS data management activities, including PeopleSoft transactions.
• Monitor personnel action reporting to ensure data integrity and compliance.
• Develop and run reports for audit and metrics purposes and set up initial labor schedules for new hires using Oracle and PeopleSoft systems.
• Develop and maintain a wide variety of reports and queries. Analyze and monitor data. Recommend and implement process improvements.
• Assist in onboarding and exit processes of employees, including reviewing and tracking I-9s, tracking required compliance training, and ensuring proper termination procedures are followed.
• Support the process (transactions, tracking, and documentation) for faculty, academic-staff teaching, academic staff-research, and visiting appointments using the Faculty and Academic Staff Appointments (FASA) system.  
• Process and track approved activities (e.g., sabbaticals and other leaves, resignations, retirements, FTE changes, salary changes) for all employees and maintain appropriate documentation.
• Track and manage faculty sabbatical balances in partnership with the Assistant Director of Faculty Affairs.
• Track academic staff-teaching appointments and reappointments and ensure the appropriate documentation is provided and any employment updates are made in a timely manner.
• Manage the temp/casual hiring process.
• Assist in coordination of the visa process, as needed.
• Support major annual HR and Faculty Affairs projects, such as faculty annual reports, performance appraisals, and salary planning, including school-wide communications, tracking, reporting, compliance, and process improvement efforts.
• Perform time and leave administration duties as needed, such as timecard adjustments and approvals. Work with managers to research and resolve any pay issues.
• Maintain personnel, human resources, and faculty affairs related files.
• Provide general administrative support for human resources and faculty affairs staff.

To be successful in this position, you will need: 

Education & Experience:

Associate degree and four years of relevant experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

●    Demonstrated experience applying and interpreting human resources and/or faculty affairs policies and procedures. ●    Demonstrated experience successfully managing programs and/or projects. ●    Strong attention to detail and accuracy. ●    Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and effectively handle highly sensitive and personal information with sound judgment, tact, and discretion. ●    Ability to work independently, consistently follow through with projects and assignments, and meet deadlines. ●    Excellent oral and written communication skills to independently draft effective correspondence and documentation. ●    Demonstrated strong and effective interpersonal and customer service skills. ●    Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. ●    Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). Must be skilled in human resource management systems, such as PeopleSoft and time/leave systems. Experience using email and internet.

In addition, our preferred requirements include: 

●    Knowledge of Stanford University systems and policies. ●    Experience as a Human Resources Administrator 1 at Stanford University.

The expected pay range for this position is  $77,000 to $92,000 per annum.

Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website ( https://cardinalatwork.stanford.edu/benefits-rewards ) provides detailed information on Stanford’s extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

How to Apply  We invite you to apply for this position by clicking on the “Apply for Job” button. 

Why Stanford is for You   Imagine a world without search engines or social platforms. Consider lives saved through first-ever organ transplants and research to cure illnesses. Stanford University has revolutionized the way we live and enrich the world. Supporting this mission is our diverse and dedicated 17,000 staff. We seek talent driven to impact the future of our legacy. Our culture and unique perks empower you with:

• Freedom to grow. We offer career development programs, tuition reimbursement, or course auditing. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or global leader speak.
• A caring culture . We provide superb retirement plans, generous time-off, and family care resources.
• A healthier you . Climb our rock wall or choose from hundreds of health or fitness classes at our world-class exercise facilities. We also provide excellent health care benefits.
• Discovery and fun . Stroll through historic sculptures, trails, and museums.
• Enviable resources . Enjoy free commuter programs, ridesharing incentives, discounts and more!

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned. Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact Stanford University Human Resources at [email protected] . For all other inquiries, please submit a contact form . Stanford is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

• Schedule: Full-time
• Job Code: 4702
• Employee Status: Regular
• Requisition ID: 102980
• Work Arrangement : Hybrid Eligible

My Submissions

Track your opportunities.

Global Impact We believe in having a global impact

Climate and sustainability.

Stanford's deep commitment to sustainability practices has earned us a Platinum rating and inspired a new school aimed at tackling climate change.

Medical Innovations

Stanford's Innovative Medicines Accelerator is currently focused entirely on helping faculty generate and test new medicines that can slow the spread of COVID-19.

From Google and PayPal to Netflix and Snapchat, Stanford has housed some of the most celebrated innovations in Silicon Valley.

Advancing Education

Through rigorous research, model training programs and partnerships with educators worldwide, Stanford is pursuing equitable, accessible and effective learning for all.

Working Here We believe you matter as much as the work

I love that Stanford is supportive of learning, and as an education institution, that pursuit of knowledge extends to staff members through professional development, wellness, financial planning and staff affinity groups.

School of Engineering

I get to apply my real-world experiences in a setting that welcomes diversity in thinking and offers support in applying new methods. In my short time at Stanford, I've been able to streamline processes that provide better and faster information to our students.

Phillip Cheng

Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Besides its contributions to science, health, and medicine, Stanford is also the home of pioneers across disciplines. Joining Stanford has been a great way to contribute to our society by supporting emerging leaders.

Denisha Clark

School of Medicine

I like working in a place where ideas matter. Working at Stanford means being part of a vibrant, international culture in addition to getting to do meaningful work.

Office of the President and Provost

Getting Started We believe that you can love your job

Join Stanford in shaping a better tomorrow for your community, humanity and the planet we call home.

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