Be clear about assumptions

When it comes to clarifying your thinking, differentiate between what follows from your assumptions and the status of those assumptions:

• Any line of thinking begins with certain assumptions you take as a given.
• A process of analysis can show where your assumptions lead.
• Different ways of reasoning based on differing assumptions may lead to different outcomes.
• It is useful to spell out your own and other people's key assumptions.
• If you're open-minded, you can find common assumptions and challenge faulty ones.