Introduction
Six Thinking Hats is a critical and creative thinking training course from Edward de Bono that helps individuals and organizations throughout the world become more effective, innovative thinkers.
Six Thinking Hats is a flexible and easy-to-use thinking process that leads to amazing results with innovative thinking, improved communication, and reduced meeting time.
In traditional thinking we constantly find ourselves in conflict. Each side seeks to criticize the other point of view. The Six Thinking Hats method, however, encourages Parallel Thinking, where everyone explores all sides of an issue at the same time.
In parallel thinking, confrontation is replaced by a cooperative exploration of the subject. It encourages the sharing of information, reduces argument, and allows talkers to think and thinkers to talk.
Six Thinking Hats puts everyone in meetings on an equal playing field, keeps egos in check, depersonalizes criticism, and creates an open environment that encourages the unique contributions of each individual, even those who are typically more reserved.
Six Thinking Hats is also an effective tool to use for individual thinking. Using a Six Thinking Hats sequence ensures that all aspects of an issue are considered.
How does Six Thinking Hats work?
Each of the Six Thinking Hats represents a different direction or type of thinking, which is identified by a color: | White Hat Thinking: Data, facts, information known or needed. | | Black Hat Thinking: Difficulties, potential problems. Why something may not work. | | Red Hat Thinking: Feelings, hunches, gut instinct, and intuition. | | Green Hat Thinking: Creativity - possibilities, alternatives, solutions, new ideas. | | Yellow Hat Thinking: Values and benefits. Why something may work. | | Blue Hat Thinking: Manage the thinking process, focus, next steps, action plans. |
Conclusion
Everyone focuses on the same type of thinking at the same time (parallel thinking),