“Put On Your Thinking Cap”. But What Color Exactly?
Edward De Bono’s 6 thinking hats
Day 20/30
I’m sure we are all familiar with the expression; put on your thinking cap which basically means to meditate on a problem.
Well I was taught in the just concluded soft skills training by Jobberman that there are actually 6 different colors of caps to put on when it’s time to make a decision or solve a problem.
They are known as the Edward De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats.
This method is tool for group discussion and individual thinking. The 6 thinking hats provide a means for groups to plan thinking processes in a detailed & cohesive way & think together more effectively.
The assumption of this method is that the human brain thinks in a number of unique ways which can be deliberately challenged & hence planned for use in structured way allowing one to develop tactics for thinking about particular issues.
Without further ado, the hats;
- White Hat (Information): While wearing this hat, we focus on the info. we know, ones we would like to share, ones we need, info. that’s missing, how to get the missing info. & also, hard facts to doubtful information.
- Black Hat (Logical Negative): The wearer looks from a pessimistic view, points out potential problems & thinking that don’t fit facts, values, experience etc.
- Yellow Hat (Logical Positive): The optimistic view, looks for the concept behind the idea. It requires more effort than the black hat.
- Red Hat (Feelings, Intuition & Emotions): When wearing this color, you have permission to express your feelings. Keep it short and avoid justification. It’s a very key part of decision making.
- Green Hat (New Ideas & Possibilities): The wearer of this is expected to bring creative ideas to the table, seek alternatives & possibilities, remove faults & generate new concepts.
- Blue Hat (Managing The Thinking): This is the control hat, the wearer sets the focus and agenda, summarizes, concludes & ensures that rules are observed.
How these can be/are applied or practically implemented in a professional work setting, I honestly don’t know. I wish I had examples to drive the points across.
For now, let’s just settle for the knowledge & when the time to use it comes…we’ll be ready.
What I do know is that the next time someone tells me to “put on my thinking hat”, I’ll need more clarification on what color exactly I need to wear.
Lol
Thanks for reading
:)
