What does it mean when people say they are good at analyzing? Some people often say their best skill is analyzing things e.g. data, people, process, or business. Analyzing in this respect simply means understanding complex information, making connections with the information, and then drawing conclusions and decisions from such information. I have this capability as well.
People with this capability find it easy and quick to understand the crux of a problem when face with difficult problems. They are also able to draw sharp conclusions from muddled information.
“Analyzing” as a Competency
People with a high level of this ability do find it easy to figure out muddled information. They can make connections and make an informed decision even while things are not clear at first. They are capable of breaking a complex problem into chunks of smaller problems that can be solved easily. These people, however, sometimes operate excessively by reasoning rather than instinct. People with a low level of this ability will sometimes get confused if they find themselves faced with complex problems or stories. They find it overwhelming to figure out what the problem or story is really about. This could be because they don’t know why they are been told or what the connection is.
A high level of this competency is useful when it is very important to process and understand a great deal of complex information. For example, researchers, detectives, or architects need to have a high-level of this competency to be able to function well.
How Can you Develop this Competency?
There are many ways to go about this. However, here are four tips you can start with right now.
- ask yourself questions about the information you come across. The questions should test your understanding of such information.
- make it a habit to distinguish between facts and opimions.
- make it a habit to draw conclusions on information and sub-information.
- develop a habit that easily spot errors or blind spots in information.
