The document describes Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats" method for structured thinking and discussion. The six hats represent six different perspectives or thinking styles: White Hat focuses on objective facts; Red Hat focuses on emotions and intuition; Black Hat focuses on caution and potential problems; Yellow Hat focuses on benefits and optimism; Green Hat focuses on creative ideas and possibilities; Blue Hat focuses on organization, process, and summary. The method can be used individually, in conversations, in meetings, and for reports to encourage comprehensive yet compartmentalized thinking from multiple perspectives.

1. Better Thinking About Thinking
Edward de Bono’s
“Six Thinking Hats”

2. Blue Hat
Managing The Thinking
Setting The Focus
Making Summaries
Overviews • Conclusions
White Hat Action Plans Black Hat
Information & Data Why It May Not Work
Neutral & Objective Cautions • Dangers
Checked & Believed Facts Problems • Faults
Missing Information & Logical Reasons
Where To Source It Must Be Given
FOCUS
Yellow Hat Red Hat
Why It May Work Feelings & Intuition
Values & Benefits Emotions Or Hunches
(Both Known & Potential) “At This Point”
The Good In It No Reasons or Justification
Logical Reasons Keep It Short
Must Be Given Green Hat
Creative Thinking
Possibilities • Alternatives
New Ideas • New Concepts
Overcome Black Hat
Problems & Reinforce Yellow
Hat2 Values

3. six thinking hats
white hat
What information is available?
What information do we need?
How are we going to get the missing
information?
Published by Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc.® ©1998 The McQuaig
Group

4. six thinking hats
red hat
What are my feelings right now?
What does my intuition tell me?
What is my gut reaction?
Published by Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc.® ©1998 The McQuaig
Group

5. six thinking hats
black hat
What are some possible problems?
What difficulties could we encounter?
What are points for caution?
What are the risks?
Published by Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc.® ©1998 The McQuaig
Group

6. six thinking hats
yellow hat
What are the benefits?
What are the positives?
What are the values?
Can this be made to work?
Published by Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc.® ©1998 The McQuaig
Group

7. six thinking hats
green hat
What creative ideas do we have?
What are the alternatives?
How can we overcome the black
hat difficulties?
Published by Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc.® ©1998 The McQuaig
Group

8. six thinking hats
blue hat
Where should we start?
What is the agenda?
What are the objectives?
Which hats should we use?
How can we summarize?
What should we do next?
Published by Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc.® ©1998 The McQuaig
Group

9. six thinking hats
Ways to Use the Hats
Individually (i.e., thinking alone)
In conversation
In meetings
Reports and presentations
Published by Advanced Practical Thinking Training, Inc.® ©1998 The McQuaig
Group

10. “Idea Killers”
Good idea, but it’s the same as…
We tried that before.
That’s not how we do it here.
Who will pay for that?
Management will never go for it.
Name some more…?