Six Hats

Step 1. Decide on Question

Traditional Thinking1Describe you current style of thinking__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2Describe you current style of thinking - exampleLogical and analyticalSomewhat creativeLike to talk things outBounce ideas off people3What are your thinking strengths?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4What are your thinking strengths? - exampleGood problem solverGood team workerFun thinker5What are your thinking weaknesses?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6What are your thinking weaknesses? - exampleNot very lateralNot good at being criticalNot good at overviewsSometimes miss big picture of sequencing

7How is it working for you?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8How is it working for you? -exampleFine at the momentAlways room for improvementOften miss the obvious

9Where do you do your best thinking?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10Where do you do your best thinking? - exampleIn the showerIn my dreams11In your group, do some thinking aroundPick any two of the following to focus on;

Banning high fat foodsEveryone wears a lie detectorPavement Proficiency licenceAll cars painted yellowBanning vehicles from the city centre Marriage renewed every five yearsEveryone is entitled to one-year sabbatical12In your group, do some thinking aroundWrite down where you focused your thinking__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________13Now individuallyWrite down any observations you have regarding the thinking behaviours of the group.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________14The Six Thinking Hats15 Edward de BonoEdward de Bono has written 65 books with translations in 37 languages. He has been invited to work in 52 countries.He was born in Malta and graduated from the University of Malta. He proceeded as a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford and has held appointments at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, London and Harvard.

Dr de Bono is the originator of the term 'lateral thinking' which now has an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. He is regarded as the leading international authority in conceptual and creative thinking, and also the direct teaching of thinking as a skill.

16Thinking is a skill, that is all about using what youve got

17Thinking is a skill, that is all about using what youve got

An excellent driver will get great performance, even out of a banger.18Thinking is a skill, that is all about using what youve got

An excellent driver will get great performance, even out of a banger.A poor driver wont get a goodperfomance out of a great car.19Thinking is a skill, that is all about using what youve got

A person of average intelligence with good thinking skills can be very creative.A very intelligent person with bad thinking skills wont be creative.20The Six Thinking Hats

21Traditional Meeting

22Parallel Thinking

23Parallel Thinking

24Parallel Thinking

25Parallel Thinking

26Parallel Thinking

27The Six Thinking HatsEach hat represents a perspective or way of thinking They are metaphorical hats that a thinker can put on or take off to indicate the type of thinking they are using

28The Six Thinking HatsIn a group we can ask members to put on different hats in a sequence to aid the problem solving process This can help overcome the problem of each group member adopting random positions at random times

29The Six Thinking HatsIt also permits us to control people who insist of sticking to one perspective - we can ask them to assume a different hatMany major international organisations use this technique for problem solving

30The Six Thinking HatsFOCUSBlue HatManaging the ThinkingSetting the focusMaking summariesOverviews & conclusionsAction Plans


Black HatWhy it may not workCautions * DangersProblems * FaultsLogical reasons must be given



Red HatFeelings and IntuitionEmotions and hunchesNo reasons or justificationsAt this pointKeep it short33The Six Thinking HatsFOCUSBlue HatManaging the ThinkingSetting the focusMaking summariesOverviews & conclusionsAction Plans


Green HatCreative ThinkingPossibilities * AlternativesNew Ideas * New ThinkingOvercome black hat issuesReinforce yellow hat issues

Red HatFeelings and IntuitionEmotions and hunchesNo reasons or justificationsAt this pointKeep it short34The Six Thinking HatsFOCUSBlue HatManaging the ThinkingSetting the focusMaking summariesOverviews & conclusionsAction Plans


Yellow HatWhy it may workValues * Benefits(both known and potential)Logical reasons must be given


Red HatFeelings and IntuitionEmotions and hunchesNo reasons or justificationsAt this pointKeep it short35The Six Thinking Hats

White HatFOCUSInformation & DataNeutral and objectiveChecked and believed factsMissing information & Where to source it

Blue HatManaging the ThinkingSetting the focusMaking summariesOverviews & conclusionsAction Plans




Red HatFeelings and IntuitionEmotions and hunchesNo reasons or justificationsAt this pointKeep it short36The Six Thinking Hats

White HatFOCUSInformation & DataWho, what, when, where?What do you know about?What are the facts about?What do you need to know?Where do you locate this?Blue HatManaging the ThinkingHow do we sequence the eventsExplain? Summarize.What is your conclusion?What next? Action plan?What is the main idea?

Black HatWhy it may not workWhat are the risks of?Why wont/didnt this work?What were the difficulties of?What are the consequences of?What should you be cautious about?

Yellow HatWhy it may workWhat are the benefits?What is good about?What is a positive outcomes?What is the value?Can this be made to work?

Green HatCreative ThinkingWhat if?What is good about?What else can we do?What is the value of?How can we make this work?What are the alternatives?

Red HatFeelings and IntuitionWhat does your intuition tell you?Did your feelings change? How?What prejudices are present?What are you feeling now?What is your hunch about?QuestionsQuestions37The Six Thinking HatsWe tend to use all of the Six Hats on a daily basis, but people tend to have default hats that they use more often.38The Six Thinking HatsWhich two hats do you feel more comfortable using?Hat 1: __________________Hat 2: __________________39The Six Thinking HatsWhich two hats do you feel dominate in your team/organisation?Hat 1: __________________Hat 2: __________________40The Six Thinking HatsWhat impact does that have on your teams effectiveness?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________41The Six Thinking Hatsin Detail42The Blue Hat

43The Blue HatFACILITATOR ROLEThe role of the facilitatorFocuses and refocuses thinkingMakes calls for the group to make decisions

44The Blue HatQuestionsHow do we sequence the eventsExplain? Summarize.What is your conclusion?What next? Action plan?What is the main idea?What was the problem? How was it solved?

45The Blue HatDescribe a typical meeting______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

46The Blue HatWhich of your meetings would benefit from the Six Thinking Hats framework?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

47The Blue Hat

TECHNIQUE:Choose the right hat or toolTIME:Set limits and work within themFOCUS:Decide on what you what to think about48The Blue HatCREATIVE HIT LISTList three areas where you need new ideasTry not to think about problemsLook for opportunitiesDevelop a focus statement for each starting with how to Focus 1: _______________________Focus 2: _______________________Focus 3: _______________________

49The White Hat

50The White HatFACTS AND LOGICSeparates fact from speculationSpecifies action needed to fill gapsAssesses the relevance and accuracy of information

51The White HatQuestionsWho, what, when, where?What do you know about?What are the facts about?What do you need or want to know about?Where might you go to find out about?

52The White HatIn White Hat mode, think about one of the following

Focus 1: Traffic CongestionFocus 2: Noise PollutionFocus 3: Human Nutrition

There are questions on the next four slides to help you focus on the white hat

53The White HatWhat do we know?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

54The White HatWhat do we need to know?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

55The White HatWhere are we going to get the information we need to know?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

56The White HatWhat OPVs should we consider? Who are these people and what are their views?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

57The Red Hat

58The Red HatEMOTIONS AND FEELINGSGives permission to express feelings, hunches and intuitionsCan be used to help make a decisionDoes not require justification or explanationLimited to 30 seconds or lessBest expressed in a word or two

59The Red HatQuestionsWhat are you feeling now?Did your feelings change? How?What prejudices are present?What is your hunch about?What does your intuition tell you?Which way do you like based on your feelings?

60The Red HatHow do you currently manage your feelings?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

61The Red HatHow are emotions dealt with on your team?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

62The Red HatHow do you feel about?Flexitime at work _______Legalizing marijuana _______Bungee jumping team exercise _______Mandatory retirement at 55 _______Eliminating titles at work _______Banning smoking everywhere _______Cloning humans _______

63The Red HatSorting ideas using the red hat

What ideas are most interesting to me?What ideas have most potential?What ideas do I thinking are boldest?

64The Red HatGroup using the ABC Sorting technique

A: Which ideas could we ACT on right now?B: What ideas are BEGINNING ideas?C: What ideas are CONCEPTS (broad ideas)?

65The Yellow Hat

66The Yellow HatLOGICAL POSITIVESExplores the benefits of an ideaMust give reasons why an idea is valuable or might workReinforces creative ideas and new directions

67The Yellow HatQuestionsWhat are the benefits?What is good about?What is a positive outcomes?What is the value?Can this be made to work? Explain.What did you like about?

68The Yellow HatWhat are the benefits of?

Focus 1: Birthdays only when deservedFocus 2: Weekly 24hr broadcasting banFocus 3: Unreliable friendFocus 4: Black toothpaste

69The Black Hat

70The Black HatLOGICAL NEGATIVESExplores why an idea may not workMust give logical reasons for concernsPoints out difficulties

71The Black Hat

QuestionsWhat should you be cautious about?What are the consequences of?What were the difficulties of?Why wont/didnt this work?What did you dislike about?What are the risks of?72The Black Hat

Is there someone you work with who tends to overuse black hat thinking? What is the impact?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________73The Black Hat

What are the downsides, both existing and potential of?

Focus 1: World-wide smoking banFocus 2: Identity card schemesFocus 3: Making poverty historyFocus 4: Electronic tagging for everyone74The Green Hat

75The Green HatCREATIVTITY AND IMAGINATIONEncourages a search for new ideasSeeks to modify and removes faults from existing ideasMakes time for creative effort

76The Green HatQuestionsWhat if?What is good about?What is the value of?How can we make this work?What are the alternatives?What else can we do?

77The Green HatWhat is holding your team back from being creative? (Creative Barriers)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

78The Green HatThinking of other uses for:

Balloon Golf Tee___________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ___________________

Toothbrush Paperclip___________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ___________________

79The Green HatThinking of other uses for:

Balloon Golf Tee____Shower Cap_____ _____Toothpick__________Traffic Sign_____ _____paper Holder________Scarecrow______ ___________________

Toothbrush Paperclip____Silver Cleaner____ ___Popping discs_________Paint Cleaner_____ _____Jewellery_________________________ ___________________

80The Green HatThe Three Ps

Positive: Every idea is potentially valuable, record allProlific: The more ideas the better, build ideas on each otherPlayful: It is easier to tame a wild idea, than make a boring idea interesting

81The Green HatGenerate Ideas on

Focus 1: Reducing traffic congestionFocus 2: Increasing leisure time

82The Six Thinking HatsWhich hat is?Retooling will take a minimum of six monthsI am unhappy with the mergerOur product is the most expensive on the marketIt will increase our profile in the communityLow staff morale is causing high attritionThe meeting seems to be driftingJoe told me he was worried about a staff issueWe tried that and the staff are not supportiveIt would be easy to implement a new logoWe could offer two for the price of oneI am concerned about staff moraleAre we ready to commit to a decision?83The Six Thinking HatsWhich hat is? my ideasRetooling will take a minimum of six monthsI am unhappy with the mergerOur product is the most expensive on the marketIt will increase our profile in the communityLow staff morale is causing high attritionThe meeting seems to be driftingJoe told me he was worried about a staff issueWe tried that and the staff are not supportiveIt would be easy to implement a new logoWe could offer two for the price of oneI am concerned about staff moraleAre we ready to commit to a decision?

84The Six Thinking Hats

White HatFOCUSInformation & DataNeutral and objectiveChecked and believed factsMissing information & Where to source it

Blue HatManaging the ThinkingSetting the focusMaking summariesOverviews & conclusionsAction Plans




Red HatFeelings and IntuitionEmotions and hunchesNo reasons or justificationsAt this pointKeep it short85

Six Hats

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