Six Thinking Hats

Illustration

Six Thinking Hats (Six thinking hats) is the name of a practical decision-making technique based on the principle of separating six different aspects of thinking. The method was introduced by Edward de Bono, Maltese psychologist and physician in a book of the same name in 1985. (The book "Six Thinking Hats" was translated to Czech in 1997 and titled "Šest klobouků aneb Jak myslet".)

The purpose of this method of decision-making - which can be applied both in groups and in independent thinking - is to abandon our normal way of thinking and find and consider different perspectives of perceiving problems. Each hat has a different color and symbolizes a different way of thinking.

  • White hat: considering available facts and information

  • Red Hat: using intuition, feelings and emotions

  • Black hat: considering all the obstacles, risks and other negative aspects of a problem

  • Yellow Hat: an optimistic view, considering the advantages of a decision

  • Green hat: using creativity to find new, perhaps even provocative, ideas

  • Blue hat: controling the entire process (Wearer of the blue hat leads the discussion.)

Why, then, not try to wear color hats at your next meeting? Or you can try this method in the form of an mobile application. Just enter "Six Thinking Hats" in a search engine.

-kk-

Article source MindTools.com - leadership, team management, problem-solving, personal productivity, and team-working skills that you need for a happy and successful career
Read more articles from MindTools.com