1. Six Thinking Hats®

2. Agenda
 Background
 Purpose
 Six Thinking Hats & Activities
 Group Exercise

3. Background
 Group Decision Making or Thinking Model
Created by Dr. Edward De Bono
Author
Expert
Speaker
Professor (Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford)
 Premise of Model:
 Look at problem from the same thinking perspective -
parallel thinking.
 Hats can be taken on and off - implies flexibility.
Address common pitfalls of group decision making.

4. My Hat it Has 4 Corners!
What is What is What is What is
your view your view your view your view
from here? from here? from here? from here?
Parallel Thinking brings us to one window
where together, we can see much more!

5. Rethinking Thinking

6. What’s Under the Hat?
 Time Saving
 Removal of Ego
 One Thing at a Time
 Gives Each Part of the Process Its Due
 Aligns Thinking Process
Allows for role-playing

7. What the Hats Are Not
 They are not categories of people;
everyone can use all the hats
 The are not a thinking description, but a
thinking direction
 They are not right or wrong

8. The 6 Hats
 White: Information Red: Intuitive
Black: Judgment Yellow: Benefits
 Green: Creative Blue: Organizing

9. Review - Off the Hat Rack
 Blue: Organizing
 White: Information
 Red: Intuitive
 Yellow: Benefits
 Green: Creative
 Black: Judgment

10. How to Pull a Bunny from a
Hat
 Use any hat as often as needed
 Not necessary to use every hat
 Generally time under each hat should be
short
 Requires discipline, i.e. people must play
along

11. What Hat Should I Wear
Today?
 The order you used the
hats (sequencing) is critical
to their effective use; it can
be preset or evolving
 The blue hat should be
used to help orchestrate the
use of the other hats
 Look at the qualities of the
hat and the nature of the
decision to dictate sequence

12. How the 7C’s Can Use the 6
Hats
 Thinking is messy, it ebbs and
flows in different directions; people
are not always aware of their
thought processes
 Six Thinking Hats uses parallel
thinking to simplify the process of
collaboration, keeps arguments at
bay (Controversy with Civility) and
moves groups toward their
common purpose
 This afternoon you will have a
chance to put the 6 Thinking
Hats into practice

13. References