Conceptual thinking is the ability to make sense of large amounts of information on a conceptual level. When you are presented with a large amount of new information, your ability to make sense of this information by linking contexts, solutions, needs, changes, stakeholders, and value in an abstract way is called conceptual thinking. This includes the ability to link information, see patterns that may not be obvious, and connect this information in a way that makes sense. It is about taking details and making them fit into the bigger picture. 

You apply conceptual thinking by using your past experiences, knowledge, creativity, intuition, and abstract thinking to generate alternative options and ideas that are not easily defined or related. 

Let's consider a real-world scenario.

A business analyst may be faced with a lot of detailed information relating to a payroll department for a retail firm. The payroll manager has left the company and there is very little known about how all this information fits into the larger company. A business analyst has been assigned to this project to make sense of the detailed information and provide a conceptual overview of what information exists, how it all relates to each other, and what information is missing. This business analyst has past experience of working with a payroll function and can draw on this experience to make sense of the detailed information. The business analyst will also draw on their ability to be creative and use some intuition to help clarify any gaps in information. This will enable the business analyst to conceptualize the information and present options at a conceptual level. This information can then be used to assist the team in deciding which solution options to consider to help improve the payroll function for the company.