Six Thinking

Hats

Puspal 2

Six Thinking Hats

'Six Thinking Hats' is an 'Six Thinking Hats' is an important Thinking Tool. important Thinking Tool. It is used to look at decisions It is used to look at decisions from a number of important from a number of important perspectives. perspectives. This forces you to move This forces you to move outside your habitual thinking outside your habitual thinking style, and helps you to get a style, and helps you to get a more rounded view of a more rounded view of a situationsituation. . –– mindtools.commindtools.com

Puspal 3

Example: Shortcomings

Many successful people think Many successful people think from a very rational, positive from a very rational, positive viewpoint. viewpoint. This is part of the reason that This is part of the reason that they are successful.they are successful.Often, though, they may fail to Often, though, they may fail to look at a problem from an look at a problem from an emotional, intuitive, creative emotional, intuitive, creative or negative viewpointor negative viewpoint..

-- mindtools.commindtools.com

Puspal 4

Example: Shortcomings

This can mean that they This can mean that they underestimate resistance to underestimate resistance to plansplans, fail to make , fail to make creative creative leapsleaps and do not make and do not make essential contingency plansessential contingency plans..Similarly, pessimists may be Similarly, pessimists may be excessively defensive.excessively defensive.Emotional people may fail to Emotional people may fail to look at decisions calmly and look at decisions calmly and rationally. rationally. –– mindtools.commindtools.com

Puspal 5

Six Thinking Hats Advantages

Your decisions and plans will Your decisions and plans will mix ambition, skill in mix ambition, skill in execution, public sensitivity, execution, public sensitivity, creativity and good creativity and good contingency planningcontingency planning..

Puspal 6

Puspal 7

White HatWhite HatWith this thinking hat you With this thinking hat you focus on the data availablefocus on the data available. . What What information do we haveinformation do we have??How valid is it?How valid is it?How relevant is it?How relevant is it?What can we learn from it?What can we learn from it?What information is missing?What information is missing?

Puspal 8

Green HatThe Green Hat stands for The Green Hat stands for creativitycreativity. . It is a freewheeling way of It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas.criticism of ideas.What are the different ways to What are the different ways to solve the problem?solve the problem?What could the other ways?What could the other ways?

Puspal 9

Yellow HatIt is the It is the optimistic viewpointoptimistic viewpoint that that helps you to see all the helps you to see all the benefits of benefits of the decisionthe decision and the and the value in itvalue in it..What are the good points and What are the good points and benefits?benefits?How it will help us?How it will help us?Yellow Hat thinking helps you to Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.gloomy and difficult.

Puspal 10

Black HatBlack HatUsing black hat thinking, look at Using black hat thinking, look at all the all the bad pointsbad points of the decision. of the decision. Is it true? Will it work?Is it true? Will it work?What is wrong with?What is wrong with?What are the weaknesses?What are the weaknesses?This is important because it This is important because it highlights the weak points. highlights the weak points. So, you can eliminate them, alter So, you can eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them.plans to counter them.

Puspal 11

Why is the black hat important?Black Hat thinking helps to make Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. resilient. It can also help you to It can also help you to spot fatal spot fatal flawsflaws and risks before you embark and risks before you embark on a course of action. on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so many successful people get so used to thinking positively that used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in often they cannot see problems in advance. advance. This leaves them underThis leaves them under--prepared prepared for difficulties. for difficulties. –– mindtools.commindtools.com

Puspal 12

Red HatRed Hat'Wearing' the red hat, you look 'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using at problems using intuition, intuition, gut reaction, and emotiongut reaction, and emotion. . How warm or cold I feel about How warm or cold I feel about this?this?Also try to think how other Also try to think how other people will react emotionallypeople will react emotionally. . Especially responses of Especially responses of people who do not fully know people who do not fully know your reasoningyour reasoning..

Puspal 13

Blue HatBlue Hat

The Blue Hat stands for The Blue Hat stands for process controlprocess control. . This is the hat worn by people This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings.chairing meetings.What have we done so far?What have we done so far?What decisions have we What decisions have we reached?reached?What next?What next?

Puspal 14

The Unique Blue HatThe Unique Blue HatThe The blue hatblue hat is different from the is different from the other hats because it is involved other hats because it is involved with directing the thinking with directing the thinking process itself. process itself. We are actually using the blue We are actually using the blue hat whenever we suggest the hat whenever we suggest the next hat to be used.next hat to be used.

Puspal 15

Attributes & Analogy1. 1. WhiteWhite hathat (Blank sheet): (Blank sheet): Information & reports, facts Information & reports, facts and figures (and figures (objectiveobjective) ) 2. 2. GreenGreen hathat (Plant): (Plant): Alternatives, new approaches Alternatives, new approaches & 'everything goes', idea & 'everything goes', idea generation & provocations generation & provocations ((speculative/creativespeculative/creative) ) 3. 3. YellowYellow hathat (Sun): Praise, (Sun): Praise, positive aspects, why it will positive aspects, why it will work (work (objectiveobjective) )

Puspal 16

Attributes & Analogy4. 4. BlackBlack hathat (Judge's robe): (Judge's robe): Criticism, judgment, negative Criticism, judgment, negative aspects, aspects, modus modus tollenstollens((objectiveobjective))5. 5. RedRed hathat (Fire): Intuition, (Fire): Intuition, opinion & emotion, feelings opinion & emotion, feelings ((subjectivesubjective))6. 6. BlueBlue hathat (Sky): "Big (Sky): "Big Picture," "Conductor hat," Picture," "Conductor hat," "Meta hat," "thinking about "Meta hat," "thinking about thinking", overall process thinking", overall process ((overviewoverview))

Part II

Puspal 18

Situations & HatsWhen running into difficulties When running into difficulties because because ideas are running dryideas are running dry, you , you may use may use Green HatGreen Hat thinking. thinking. When When contingency planscontingency plans are are needed, go for Black Hat thinking, needed, go for Black Hat thinking, etc.etc.

Puspal 19

Hats sequence in meetingsPresent the facts of the case Present the facts of the case (White Hat).(White Hat).Generate ideas on how the case Generate ideas on how the case could be handled (Green Hat).could be handled (Green Hat).Evaluate the merits of the ideas Evaluate the merits of the ideas --List benefits (Yellow Hat).List benefits (Yellow Hat).List drawbacks (Black Hat).List drawbacks (Black Hat).Get everybody's gut feeling about Get everybody's gut feeling about the alternatives (Red Hat).the alternatives (Red Hat).Summarize (Blue Hat).Summarize (Blue Hat).WWW--GG--YY--BB--RR--BB

Puspal 20

.

4. Minuses or Negatives

with reason

3. Benefits or Positives

with reason

1. Facts Only

2. New Ideas or Possibilities

5. Feelings

6. Thinking about

Thinking

Puspal 21

Hat Sequences

Assess an idea Assess an idea -- YYellow hatellow hatfollowed by the followed by the Black Hat.Black Hat. ((YY--BB))Improve a design Improve a design -- Black HatBlack Hatfollowed by the followed by the Green HatGreen Hat. (. (BB--GG))Alternatively you could use Blue, Alternatively you could use Blue, Green and Red Hats. (BGreen and Red Hats. (B--GG--RR))Caution Sequence Caution Sequence –– White, Black White, Black and then Blue/Red.and then Blue/Red.

Puspal 22

Hat Sequences

Comparing Facts and Opinion Comparing Facts and Opinion -- Red Red and White. (and White. (RR--WW))

Puspal 23

Edward de BonoSix Thinking Hats or six thinking Six Thinking Hats or six thinking strategies, were identified strategies, were identified identified by identified by Edward de BonoEdward de Bono. . He championed the cause which He championed the cause which drove the creative processes in drove the creative processes in individuals. individuals. These Thinking Hats have recently These Thinking Hats have recently been incorporated in school been incorporated in school business programs such as the business programs such as the IBTIBT(International Business and (International Business and Technology) program. Technology) program. -- WikipediaWikipedia

Puspal 24

Meetings and 6 Hats Experience has shown that Six Hat Experience has shown that Six Hat thinking is much more powerful thinking is much more powerful and constructive than argument or and constructive than argument or discussion. It is also very much discussion. It is also very much faster. faster. The Six Hats method gets rid of The Six Hats method gets rid of egos, which are such a problem in egos, which are such a problem in traditional thinking. traditional thinking. It is no longer a matter of It is no longer a matter of defending an idea or attacking an defending an idea or attacking an idea. idea. If you want to show off you do so If you want to show off you do so performing very well under each performing very well under each hat. hat. –– Edward De BonoEdward De Bono

END