Six thinking hats definition

Managing, information, emotions, discernment, optimistic response and creativity. By breaking down thoughts into six parallel or lateral areas, it allows a spectrum of thought, from gut feeling to data analysis, to be separately discussed. In meetings, it has the benefit of preventing any confrontation. His work is now widely used in education and business. Both a and b wear each hat together as they explore all sides of an issue. Six thinking hats is a system designed in 1983 by dr. It is straightforward, versatile and popular with children, particularly around 8 years and upward, worldwide. This clip from our decision making excellence course will make it extremely. Three key exercises to define team roles saberr blog. Six thinking hats is an ideation, discussion, lateral thinking and parallel thinking model that can be used for exploring different perspectives towards a complex situation or challenge. The six thinking hats technique for problem solving duration.

The six hats method is a devastatingly simple technique based on the brains different modes of thinking. In traditional adversarial thinking, a and b are in conflict. Six thinking hats atlantic international university. It is a means to organize thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive manner.

Used with welldefined and explicit return on investment success in corporations worldwide, six thinking hats is a simple, effective parallel thinking process. Six thinking hats in the classroom 6 thinking hats. It serves as a teambased problem solving and brainstorming technique that can be used to explore problems and solutions and uncover ideas and options that might otherwise be overlooked by a homogeneously thinking group. By mentally wearing and switching hats, you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, the conversation. It breaks down the thinking process into six components. The six thinking hats is a method used to amplify creative conversations, by making sure that a broad variety of viewpoints and thinking styles are represented. Seeing things in various ways is often a good idea in business strategy formation or complex decision making processes. How to solve problems using the six thinking hats method. Everyone wears the same thinking hat and pools ideas, and then all change to a new thinking hat together. The red hat the red hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition. Six thinking hats is a tool for structuring a discussion to make the process more efficient. Why we are here what we are thinking about definition of the situation or problem what we want to achieve where we want to end up the background to the thinking a plan for the sequence of hats 10. Each category is identified with its own colored metaphorical thinking hat.

Parallel thinking is an excellent strategy to use when trying to streamline a. Consider offering a brief presentation or short prereading on the nature of parallel thinking. Use it to challenge and improve the way you think together, to reach better decisions and more innovative solutions. Teaching children english using the six thinking hats. Six thinking hats theory and how to apply it to problem. In a six thinking hats session, each of these hats is worn by participants, the process guided by a facilitator familiar with the option. Six thinking hats definition of the six thinking hats. Working through the six thinking hats would simply involve mentally switching between each of the hats as you explore your problem. You and your team members can learn how to separate thinking into six distinct categories. Six thinking hats and the associated idea parallel thinking provide a means for groups to plan thinking. A thinking hat is a metaphor for a certain way of thinking. By publicly discussing and agreeing to use the hats, these different thinking styles are not only legitimized but also actively encouraged. Combined with the parallel thinking process, this technique helps groups think more effectively.

Six thinking hats for improved brainstorming and collaboration. The six thinking hats or modes the white hat the white hat calls for information known or needed. Assigning each thinking style a color serves as a visual cue to help students recognize the thinking skill they are using. Six thinking hats is an invaluable teaching tool for thinking. You can use six thinking hats in meetings or on your own. Sometimes referred to as 6 hats or the six hats of thinking, these techniques focus on enhancing the structure of thinking so that group decision making and idea evaluation can be dramatically improved. Six thinking hats and the associated idea parallel thinking provide a means for groups to plan thinking processes in a. Therefore, if youre currently struggling with an array of problems, then the six thinking hats method can become an excellent source of inspiration.

It serves as a teambased problem solving and brainstorming technique. A powerful tool set, which once learned can be applied immediately. Aug 22, 2017 how the thinking hats can help the six hats exercise asks you to actively explore different ways of thinking about a problem. Each hat represents a distinct direction of challenging the problem. It is a simple, effective technique that helps them become more productive. It forces you to move outside your habitual thinking style, and to look at things from a number of different perspectives. Why very little new thinking is accomplished at meetings.

Your team has the skills and techniques they need to make the best decision. By mentally wearing different thinking hats people are forced to look at a problem from. The six thinking hats can be used with parallel thinking or lateral thinking as a way for people to focus on a specific type of thinking all at the same time. This clip from our decision making excellence course will make it extremely easy to unders. Thats because its essentially training to learn to think better. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. But as simple as it might seem at first, is has an incredibly positive impact on our brains. The six hats exercise asks you to actively explore different ways of thinking about a problem. It is a necessary part of thinking but often overused. Dec 09, 2014 ever wanted to know what six thinking hats is and how to use it. Using six roles or hats, the framework developed by dr. The six thinking hats approach can be used to address almost any problemsolving activity you might encounter in the classroom. Six thinking hats in the classroom 6 thinking hats activities.

Review and assess the six hats session thus far, identify places where a specific modality of thinking needs expanding, revisiting, or balancing. A definition and a full list of ux literature that deals with six thinking hats, from the worlds biggest and most authoritative library of ux design resources. It simplifies thinking by creating focus on one thing at a time, and allows us to engineer switch in thinking without offending others. Solve problems using the six thinking hats iq doodle. Hats help a group to use parallel thinking color of hat identifies the type or direction of thinking the main idea is to have the group wear only one hat at a time introduction to six thinking hats.

May 22, 2016 the six thinking hats technique for problem solving duration. The six thinking hats are most often used within team environments for group brainstorming purposes, however they can also be used by individuals who are trying to work through a problem. The black hat the black hat is judgment the devils advocate or why something may not work. This particular interpretation of the six thinking hats is specifically targeted toward individuals who deal with daily challenges in their business, career, and life. It allows emotion and skepticism to be brought into what might normally be a purely rational process, and it opens up the opportunity for creativity within decision making. Six thinking hats and the associated idea parallel thinking provide a means for groups to plan thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive way, and in doing so to think together more effectively.

Ever wanted to know what six thinking hats is and how to use it. Each side seeks to criticize the other point of view. The six thinking hats problem solving method tries to solve this by making the whole group think of the same part of the problem at the same time. Six thinking hats shows you how to disentangle your own and your teams or companys cumulative thinking process into six distinct areas, tackling a problem from different perspectives as a group, in order to solve it with the power of parallel thinking and thus save time and money. Adversarial confrontation is replaced by a cooperative exploration of the subject. The six thinking hats explained examined existence. As he pulls out the six hats, you notice that each one is a different color. The winner is the chef who takes the same ingredients as everyone else and produces the best results. The 6th technique is designed to help individuals deliberately adopt a variety of perspectives on a subject that may be. Six thinking hats used with welldefined and explicit return on investment success in corporations worldwide, six thinking hats is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved. With hindsight, a genial solutionnot planned and not foreseeable in advance. Six thinking hats is a powerful technique that helps us to explore different perspectives towards a complex situation or challenge. In group discussions, it is essential that everyone uses the same hat style of thinking at the same time. Seeing things in various ways is often a good idea in strategy formation or complex decisionmaking processes.