Page 18 - The Changing Chances Strength Based Approach to Control Centre Skills (Executive Function Skills) MASTER 2020

Control Centre Skill No.3: Flexible Thinking

What is Flexible Thinking?

Flexible thinking is one of the six important Thinking Skills.
Experts sometimes call it ‘Cognitive Flexibility’.

We describe people with good Flexible Thinking as ‘Flexi Foxes’

Flexible thinking helps a person to:

▪ Change tasks quickly and easily

▪ Switch attention from one thing to another

▪ Problem-solve and think about something in more than one way

▪ Try different ways of doing things to find the best way

▪ See other people’s points of view and agree compromises.

Think of Flexible Thinking like a piece of elastic: it can change quickly and

easily. Flexible Thinking is important for problem solving and getting on with
people.

If you are good at Flexible Thinking you will be able to:

▪ Stop something you are enjoying to get on with a task you need to get done

▪ Switch tasks without thinking e.g. when cooking being able to keep an eye on
different saucepans and answer the phone without burning things!
▪ Switch types of thinking when changing from one task to another, e.g. from

using visual skills to creating stories with words.
▪ Think of another way of doing something when you get stuck

▪ Have a go at doing things in a different way and let go of your usual way of
doing them

▪ Think of different ways to solve problems
▪ Understand and accept other people’s point of view when different to yours

▪ Listen to what other people want and compromise so it is good for both of you
▪ Be ok with a change to what you were expecting

Is Flexible Thinking always the best sort of thinking?

No. Sometimes Flexi Foxes can be too flexible! They can find it hard to stick with

one thing until it’s done and can get distracted by new, interesting ideas.

They can also chop and change from one thing to another and find it hard to stick
to what was agreed.

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