The CRAAP Test!

A democratic society depends upon an informed and educated citizenry.”  Thomas Jefferson

I gave a presentation on Critical Thinking for Entrepreneurs yesterday.  In it I reviewed the multitude of sources of information we are bombarded with each day.  There is so much information going around about the Coronavirus, politics, news stories, climate change, and of course the economy and how it is effecting businesses around the world.   We are getting our “facts” from social media, biased news channels, late night comedy shows, blogs and podcasts. I agree with Thomas Jefferson that we need an informed and educated citizenry – however we need  a method to know what’s true.

How do you evaluate all these sources of information?  Let’s go back to SCIENCE!

The Scientific community came up with the C.R.A.A.P. Test to help evaluate the objective reliability of sources.  It stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.  

CRAAP TEST

As business owners taking time to ask these 5 questions before making an investment of time or money is imperative.  Schedule some time each week to stop and THINK about what is happening in your business.  Evaluate the sources you are basing your decisions upon.  

As human beings we also need to take a break from incoming data sources and stop and process all that we are hearing on a variety of topics.  Let your intuition be your guide  – your “gut” can usually tell you when something is false or at least on 100% true – but when it comes in such waves with repetition – its easy to start to go along with the crowd. 

Download a free copy of my report: Creative and Critical Thinking Skills – Your Hidden Superpower