The 6 Thinking hats ensures that groups think together in a focused manner, staying on task, & ensures that they focus their efforts on the most important elements of any issue being discussed.
4. +
Common idea-finding methods
Brainstorming
Mind Maps
Free association
Free-writing
Incubation
5. +
Six hats & problem solving
A more deliberate process than CPS
Like CPS, uses creativity (green hat)
Unlike CPS, provides a mechanism for
evaluating ideas & making decisions
6. +
Plato: See
Shadows of the
Truth
Aristotle:
Concerned with
What Is--
Analysis,
Judgment,
Argument
Socrates:
Focused on the
Negative
8. +
M.D., Ph.D., (philosophy, medicine &
psychology), Rhodes scholar
World-renowned consultant to business,
governments, schools and industry
Author of 62 books in 40 languages
Originator of Six Thinking Hats, Lateral
Thinking and Direct Attention Thinking Tools
The Originator
Dr. Edward de Bono
8
9. +
THINKING
“The Ultimate Human Resource”
We can always improve our thinking skills.
Confused thinking arises from trying to do too
much at once.
We should emphasize what can be, & not
what is.
10. + Benefits Of The
Six Thinking Hat Framework
Parallel
10
Adversarial
Improve Exploration
Save Time
Improve Creativity & Innovation
Foster Collaborative Thinking
11. + Results Around The
Wor ld
Since 1993 over 200,000 trained
In use by many of the largest & most
successful organizations worldwide
Works well in different cultures
Applies at all levels & across
disciplines
11
12. + The Basics
12
There are six different imaginary hats that you can put
on or take off.
Think of the “hats” as thinking icons.
Each hat is a different color and represents a different
type or mode of thinking.
We all wear the same hat (do the same type of
thinking) at the same time.
When we change hats - we change our thinking.
13. +
So the six hats are…?
Six colors of hats for six types of thinking
Each hat identifies a type of thinking
Hats are directions of thinking
Hats help a group use parallel thinking
You can “put on” and “take off” a hat
14. +
Uses for Six Hats
Problem solving
Strategic planning
Running meetings
Much more
17. The Red Hat
What do you feel
about the suggestion?
What are your gut
reactions?
What intuitions do you
have?
Don’t think too long or
too hard.
18. The White Hat
The information
seeking hat.
What are the facts?
What information is
available? What is
relevant?
When wearing the
white hat we are
neutral in our
thinking.
19. The Yellow Hat
The sunshine hat.
It is positive and
constructive.
It is about
effectiveness and
getting a job done.
What are the benefits,
the advantages?
20. The Black Hat
The caution hat.
In black hat the
thinker points out
errors or pit-falls.
What are the risks or
dangers involved?
Identifies difficulties
and problems.
21. The Green Hat
This is the creative
mode of thinking.
Green represents
growth and
movement.
In green hat we look
to new ideas and
solutions.
Lateral thinking wears
a green hat.
22. The Blue Hat
The control hat,
organising thinking
itself.
Sets the focus, calls
for the use of other
hats.
Monitors and reflects
on the thinking
processes used.
Blue is for planning.
24. 24
BBlluuee HHaatt
Managing The Thinking
Setting The Focus
Making Summaries
Overviews · Conclusions
Action Plans
GGrreeeenn HHaatt
Creative Thinking
Possibilities · Alternatives
New Ideas · New Concepts
Overcome Black Hat
Problems & Reinforce Yellow
Hat Values
BBllaacckk HHaatt
Why It May Not Work
Cautions · Dangers
Problems · Faults
Logical Reasons
Must Be Given
YYeellllooww HHaatt
Why It May Work
Values & Benefits
(Both Known & Potential)
The Good In It
Logical Reasons
Must Be Given
RReedd HHaatt
Feelings & Intuition
Emotions Or Hunches
“At This Point”
No Reasons or Justification
Keep It Short
WWhhiittee HHaatt
Information & Data
Neutral & Objective
Checked & Believed Facts
Missing Information &
Where To Source It
FFOOCCUUSS
25. +
General Hat issues
Direction, not description
Set out to think in a certain direction
“Let’s have some black hat thinking…”
Not categories of people
Not: “He’s a black hat thinker.”
Everyone can and should use all the hats
A constructive form of showing off
Show off by being a better thinker
Not destructive right vs. wrong argument
Use in whole or in part
26. +
Benefits of Six Thinking Hats
Provides a common language
Experience & intelligence of each person (Diversity of thought)
Use more of our brains
Helps people work against type, preference
Removal of ego (reduce confrontation)
Save time
Focus (one thing at a time)
Create, evaluate & implement action plans
27. +
Using the hats
Use any hat, as often as needed
Sequence can be preset or evolving
Not necessary to use every hat
Time under each hat: generally, short
Requires discipline from each person
While using it, stay in the idiom
Adds an element of play, play along
Can be used by individuals and groups
28. +
Results of Six Hat Thinking
Deriving power from focused thinking
Saving time
Removing ego from decisions
Doing one thing at a time
29. +
Use Preset Sequence
Discipline
Timing
Guidelines
30. +
Results of Six Hat Thinking
Decisions Seem to
Make
Themselves!
31. + What If It’s Not Possible to Make
a Decision...?
May Need More Information
Can’t Reconcile Values
May Depend on Future Information
35. +
Role
of the Chairperson/Presiding
Officer/Facilitator
Define the focus of your thinking
Plan the sequence and timing of the thinking
Ask for changes in the thinking if needed
Handle requests from the group for changes in the
thinking
Form periodic or final summaries of the thinking for
consideration by the team
35
x
36. + Role of the
member/par ticipan
36
t Follow the lead of trained Six Thinking Hats
facilitator
Stick to the hat (type of thinking) that is in
current use
Try to work within the time limits
Contribute honestly & fully under each of
the hats
37. +
Edward de Bono’s
Six Thinking Hats
A tool for
decision
making &
problem
solving
FREDERICK MARS UNTALAN MD
Editor's Notes
'Six Thinking Hats' is an important and powerful technique. It is used to look at decisions from a number of important perspectives. This forces you to move outside your habitual thinking style, and helps you to get a more rounded view of a situation.
Many successful people think from a very rational, positive viewpoint. This is part of the reason that they are successful.
Often, though, they may fail to look at a problem from an emotional, intuitive, creative or negative viewpoint. This can mean that they underestimate resistance to plans, fail to make creative leaps and do not make essential contingency plans.
Similarly, pessimists may be excessively defensive, and more emotional people may fail to look at decisions calmly and rationally.
If you look at a problem with the 'Six Thinking Hats' technique, then you will solve it using all approaches. Your decisions and plans will mix ambition, skill in execution, public sensitivity, creativity and good contingency planning.
At any moment everyone is looking in the same direction.
Over 200,000 people have been trained to lead use of the Six Hat method. This framework for parallel team thinking is now in use in hundreds of large and small organizations around the world.
The Six Hat method works well even when diverse cultures are involved. It also provides a common language across organizational levels and between different disciplines.
With that background in mind let’s move on to the framework itself.
First we can quickly review the basics you will need to remember in order to participate in a Six Hat team thinking session.
First, there are six imaginary or metaphorical hats that can be worn - only one at a time. Relax…. no actual hats have to be used! This is a serious communication framework for serious issues and we don’t want to make its use seem trivial in any way.
Each hat is a different color, representing different types or modes of thinking.
Everyone on the team does the same type of thinking at the same time. That is, we all wear the same color hat. When we change hats we change our thinking. The facilitator is an exception. The facilitator will always wear the control or facilitation hat (the blue hat), but he or she may also contribute in the content of the thinking if qualified and comfortable doing so.
Although it may be uncomfortable at first, remember to use the hats and colors terminology. The artificiality of these symbols has proven to be a very powerful mental cue for producing a specific type of thinking at a specific time. Experience in many organizations has shown that in a very short time you will become unaware of the symbols themselves - the hats and colors. Instead you will key on the thinking being requested and automatically switch when necessary.
Emotions, Feelings, Hunches, Intuition
Red Hat: 'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.
How does everyone feel now that we have worked on the issue/problem?
How does everyone feel about the problem?
Deals with facts
White Hat: With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them.
This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.
What is the current information on the issue?
Optimistic Hopeful Positive Thinking Constructive Effective
Yellow Hat: The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.
What are the positive aspects of the issue/problem?
Serious, Cautious, Careful, Lays Out Risks
Black Hat: Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them.
Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties.
What are the negative aspects of the issue/problem?
Creative, New Ideas and Concepts, Search for Alternatives
Green Hat: The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas.
What are new creative ideas or altenatives in solving the issues/problem?
Control, Organization, Responsible for Conclusions, Sets the Focus, Use of All the Hats
Blue Hat: The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, etc.
What conclusions or summaries can we make in moving forward on the issue/problem
Two Main Purposes For Six Thinking Hats
Simplifies thinking by having to deal with one thing at a time.
Allows a switch in thinking without threatening ego.
Six Thinking Hats is a good technique for looking at the effects of a decision from a number of different points of view.
It allows necessary emotion and skepticism to be brought into what would otherwise be purely rational decisions. It opens up the opportunity for creativity within Decision Making.
The technique also helps, for example, persistently pessimistic people to be positive and creative.
Plans developed using the '6 Thinking Hats' technique will be sounder and more resilient than would otherwise be the case. It may also help you to avoid public relations mistakes, and spot good reasons not to follow a course of action before you have committed to it.
Your responsibilities within your role as a participant include:
Following the lead of the facilitator.
Sticking to the hat in current use so that everyone is thinking in the same mode at the same time. This is the essence of parallel thinking. Remember exploration before decision.
Seeking to stay within the time limits that the leader has planned for each hat. Of course, he or she has the latitude to extend the times if necessary.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you should seek to contribute as completely and as honestly as possible in each thinking modes that is called for. Try to reserve your judgment until all exploration has been done. This is key to driving better exploration and better decisions.
Now, with those basics in mind let’s do a quick practice session on a remote example before we try it out on one of our real issues.
'Six Thinking Hats' is an important and powerful technique. It is used to look at decisions from a number of important perspectives. This forces you to move outside your habitual thinking style, and helps you to get a more rounded view of a situation.