While there has been much debate about defining and teaching critical thinking, little discussion has occurred regarding the connection between critical thinking and creative thinking, especially in relationship to teaching speech communication. While it was once thought that creativity is something that some are born with and some are not, recent research has found that creativity can be fostered like any other thinking skill. Findings have revealed that mastering any kind of knowledge requires both creativity and critical skills, while early stages of learning require simple memorization of rules.