SIX THINKING HATS

WHAT IS SIX THINKING HATS

 De Bono's Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for looking at

decision making from different points of view.
 It allows emotion and skepticism to be brought into what might
normally be a purely rational process, and it opens up the opportunity
for creativity within decision making.
 Decisions made using the Six Thinking Hats technique can be sounder
and more resilient than would otherwise be the case. It can also help
you to avoid possible pitfalls before you have committed to a decision.
 "Six Thinking Hats" can help you to look at problems from different
perspectives, but one at a time, to avoid confusion from too many
angles crowding your thinking.
 It forces you to move outside your habitual thinking style, and to look
at things from a number of different perspectives. This allows you to
get a more rounded view of your situation
HOW TO USE
 We can use Six Thinking Hats in meetings or on your
own. In meetings, it has the benefit of preventing any
confrontation that may happen when people with
different thinking styles discuss a problem, because
every perspective is valid
 Each "Thinking Hat" is a different style of thinking
DIFFERENCES IN THINKING
INTRODUCTION
SIX THINKING HATS
SIX THINKING HATS
 White Hat: with this thinking hat, you focus on the
available data. Look at the information that you have,
analyze past trends, and see what you can learn from it.
Look for gaps in your knowledge, and try to either fill
them or take account of them
 Red Hat: "wearing" the Red Hat, you look at problems
using your intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also,
think how others could react emotionally. Try to
understand the responses of people who do not fully
know your reasoning.
SIX THINKING HATS
 Black Hat: using Black Hat thinking, look at a decision's
potentially negative outcomes. 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. It's one of the
real benefits of this model, as many successful people get so
used to thinking positively that they often cannot see
problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for
difficulties
SIX THINKING HATS
 Yellow Hat: this 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
 Green Hat: the Green Hat represents creativity. This is
where you develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a
freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little
criticism of ideas
 Blue Hat: this hat represents process control. It's the hat
worn by people chairing meetings, for example. When
facing 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
 EXAMPLE
 The directors of a property company are considering whether they should
build a new office block. The economy is doing well, and the vacant office
spaces in their city are being snapped up. As part of their decision-making
process, they adopt the Six Thinking Hats technique.
 Wearing the White Hat, they analyze the data that they have. They can see
that the amount of available office space in their city is dwindling, and they
calculate that, by the time a new office block would be completed, existing
space will be in extremely short supply. They also note that the economic
outlook is good, and steady growth is predicted to continue.
 Thinking with a Red Hat, some of the directors say that the proposed
building looks ugly and gloomy. They worry that people would find it an
oppressive or uninspiring place to work.
 When they think with the Black Hat, they wonder whether the economic
forecast could be wrong. The economy may be about to experience a
downturn, in which case the building could sit empty or only partially
occupied for a long time. If the building is unattractive, then companies will
choose to work in other, more attractive premises.
IMPLEMENTATION

 Select a business goal that needs attention.

 Identify the behaviors, decisions, and ideas that you
would prefer to see.
 What thinking approach and style would produce the
preferred ideas, behaviors and decisions that would
deliver the business goal you seek?
 Then find a resource to help you learn to think that way
 EXAMPLE
 Wearing the positive Yellow Hat, however, the directors know that, if
the economy holds up and their projections are correct, the company
stands to make a healthy profit. If they are lucky, maybe they could sell
the building before the next downturn, or rent to tenants on long-term
leases that will last through any recession.
 With Green Hat thinking, they consider whether they should redesign
the building to make it more appealing. Perhaps they could build
prestige offices that people would want to rent in any economic climate.
Alternatively, maybe they should invest the money in the short term,
 then buy up property at a lower cost when the next downturn happens.

 The chairman of the meeting wears the Blue Hat to keep the discussion
moving and ideas flowing, encouraging the other directors to switch
their thinking between the different perspectives.
 Having examined their options from numerous viewpoints, the directors
have a much more detailed picture of possible outcomes, and can make
their decision accordingly.
BLUE HAT
 The control hat, organizing thinking itself
 Sets the focus, calls for the use of other hats

 Monitors and reflects on the thinking processes used.

 Blue is for planning

 FACILITATOR ROLE

 The role of the facilitator focuses and refocuses thinking

 Makes calls for the group to make decisions

BLUE HAT CASE STUDY

 3 MINUTES OF TIME

 DEFINE YOUR TEAM PROBLEM

BLUE HAT QUESTIONS
START:
 What is the main idea?

 What is the problem?

 How do we sequence the events?

 Explain? Summarize.

END:
 What is your conclusion?

 What next? Action plan?

 How was it solved?

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
 Facts & Logic

 Separates fact from speculation

 Specifies action needed to fill gaps

 Assesses the relevance and accuracy of information

WHITE HAT CASE STUDY

 5 Minutes

 Record as many facts about

your Team Problem
WHITE HAT QUESTIONS

 Who, 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?
 What OPVs should we consider?
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

 Creativity and Imagination

 Encourages search for new ideas

 Seeks to modify and removes faults from existing ideas

 Makes time for creative effort

THREE P’S

 Positive: every idea is potentially valuable, record all

 Prolific: the more ideas the better;build on ideas

 Playful: it is easier to tame a wild idea than to make a

boring idea interesting

DETERMINE THE USES OF THESE ITEMS

BALLOON,GOLF TEE,TOOTH BRUSH AND PAPERCLIP

Balloon
 Shower Cap

 Traffic Sign

 Scarecrow

 Hot Air Balloon Center Piece

 Decorative Lantern

Golf Tee
 Tooth Pick

 Paper Holder

 Stake a Picnic Blanket

 Tile Spacers

 Replace a Lost Cap (Plug a Tube)

Toothbrush
 Brush Your Eyebrows

 Silver Cleaner

 Paint Cleaner

 Clean Fingernails

 Apply Hair Dye

 Clean the Toilet

Paperclip
 Egg Dipper for Dying Eggs

 Popping Discs

 Jewelry Clasp

 Remove Hair from Brush

 Unclog Bottle of Glue or Salt Shaker

 Letter Opener
GREEN HAT CASE STUDY

 10 minutes

 List as many ideas and

solutions to your team
problem
GREEN HAT QUESTIONS

 What 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?
 What is holding our team back?
RED HAT
 Emotions and Feelings
 Gives permission to express feelings,hunches and
intuitions
 Help to make a decision

 Does not require justification

 Best expressed in a word or two

 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

RED HAT CASE STUDY

 Quickly, < :30 Seconds

 Discuss how everyone

feels? (1-2 words)
RED HAT QUESTIONS

 What does your intuition tell you?

 Did your feelings change? How?

 What prejudices are present?

 What are you feeling now?

 What is your hunch about?

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?

 Logical

 Positives

 Explores Benefits of Ideas

 Must give reasons why an idea is valuable and might

work
 Reinforces creative ideas and new directions
YELLOW HAT CASE STUDY
 5 minutes

 Discuss the Benefits of Your

Team’s Ideas and Solutions
YELLOW HAT QUESTIONS

 What are the Benefits?

 What is good about?

 What are positive outcomes?

 What is the value?

 Can this be made to work?

 What did you like about?

BLACK HAT

 The caution hat. Devil’s advocate.

 In black hat the thinker points out errors or pit-falls.
 What are the risks or dangers involved?
 Identifies difficulties and problems
 Logical Negatives
 Explores why an idea may not work
 Must give logical reasons for concerns
 Points out difficulties and weaknesses
BLACK HAT CASE STUDY

 5 minutes

 What are all of the negatives

and pitfalls of your team’s
ideas and solutions?
BLACK HAT QUESTIONS

 What should you be cautious about?

 What are the consequences?
 What are the pitfalls?
 Why won’t/didn’t this work?
 What weaknesses exist?
 What are the risks?
 Is there someone you work with who tends to overuse
black hat thinking?
 What is the impact?
EXERCISE
 Look at the picture on the next slide and then using each of the
different hats, complete the exercise.
 Use post-it notes, working first silently, then as a group
SUMMARY OF SIX HATS
SEQUENCE OF HATS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=DUcMFg2tAOQ