Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

It is a simple and effective system that increases productivity. There are six metaphorical hats and eachdefines a certain type of thinking.

In this system, thinking is divided into six categories with each cate-gory identified with its own colored metaphorical “thinking hat”.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

• neutral, objective

• facts, information, data, research and knowledge

• You focus directly on the information.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

Example:

• What was the problem?• What is the main idea?• What information do we have here?

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

• feelings, hunches, emotions, intuitions

• Allows to put forward your feelings and intuitions without the need for justification.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

Example:

• I don’t like the way this is being done.• Are you hungry?• Why are you angry to him?

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

• benefits, good, positive, value, strengths• Allows you to look for benefits, feasibility and how something can be done.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Example:

• What is the benefits of this option?• What was the good of……• What is the value of……• What are the positive assets of this design?• How can we make this work?

Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

• thinking, summarizing, concluding, organizing, listing• It is for organizing and controlling the thinking process so that it becomes more productive.

Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Example:

• How do you get your answer?• Tell me the order of events for what you have read.• What is your conclusion?• Ask for summary, conclusion or decision.

Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

• creativity, imagination, new ideas, possibilities• Makes time and space available to focus on creative thinking• Ask for creative effort

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Example:

Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

• Can you create other ways to do this?• How would you solve the problem?• Could there be another explanation?• Are there any additional alternatives?

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

• caution, danger, risks, weakness• It is the most used hat and possibly the most useful hat.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Example:

Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales

• Costs• Regulations• Safety Issues

• What are the consequences of….• What are the risks of…..• What are the difficulties…..

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Yonese Giselle F. Gonzales