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Maybe I should have started another thread too but I felt like critical thinking would be useless if I can't communicate my thoughts well.
What resources have helped you in either area?
They might not be the communication skills you meant, but they've helped me figure out how I want to structure conversations so they don't go weird.
This is a great ask, I would love to know a few answers as well! something around communication skills too?
But while most books on critical reasoning and thinking are decent, so far this is my favorite as it addresses barriers to critical thinking and the various types of logic pretty well: https://www.amazon.com/Critical-Thinking-Introduction-Gregor...
I was even able to download a previous edition as a PDF for free.
One needs to be aware of the implicit & explicit biases, but that's not the same as the ability to think critically.
I would argue the first step is to understand how people in general think, and in particular, how one thinks.
For understanding "how" we think, with a clear focus on the biases and pitfalls, one very useful reference is "thinking fast and slow" [1]
Critical thinking requires logical / rational thinking (not necessarily the same thing) and (I think) also requires one to think of the issue from multiple perspectives and try to identify all the factors / drivers.
That, I think, would come from empathy and a deliberate attempt to systematically identify all variables. So, at some level, the skills one picks up as a scientist. But I don't know of any single book that lists them..
So, at some level, a lot of business model analysis frameworks maybe useful; for instance, Porters 5 forces [2], SWOT analysis, etc.
Finally, to be able to think critically, one also needs to be self aware. Perhaps meditation can help with that, but reading & digesting some of the philosophy classics may also help (Seneca, Bhagvat Gita & Upanishads, Kant). But these become tasks for a lifetime!
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-a...
[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter%27s_five_forces_analy...
(Edit: added last 2 paragraphs on business analysis frameworks and self awareness, and links)