Got a hard problem to solve? How do you get everyone’s point of view while covering all aspects of the problem?

The Six Thinking Hats may help you.

Six Thinking Hats is a system designed by Edward de Bono, the world’s leading authority on thinking. 

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats divides thinking into six defined roles and is useful as a tool for problem-solving and group discussion.

White Hat: The Facts!!

Red Hat: Feelings

Yellow Hat: Positive Benefits

Black Hat: Negative Costs

Green Hat: Creativity and Innovation

Blue Hat: Process Control

Optima Training (UK) Limited has put together a nice overview of the Hats and provides how they may be used in a meeting. They also include useful questions by type of hat.

You can watch Optima Training’s video here.

To see the concept in action in a major corporation, see this case study by Genesis Events of India. A large construction equipment company used the Six Thinking Hats to increase sales of backhoe loaders.

You can view the Genesis Events video here.

If you’re interested in the original writing from de Bono, you can find de Bono’s 1985 book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

six thinking hats Edward de Bono