Dr Edward De Bono is a worldknown expert

Dr. Edward De Bono is a world-known expert in creative thinking. The 6 Thinking Hats is one such technique. • The main idea is to have the group only “wear one hat at a time” when considering a problem. The wearing of the hat is metaphorical. At any one time, everyone will wear the same colour, in other words, look at the problem at hand from only one perspective, the perspective indicated by the hat colour. •

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Introduction Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats techniques help you to a balanced assessment of your ideas, problems and challenges. By asking you to wear six different thinking hats that represent the six different aspects of how you can possibly think.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats You can use Six Thinking Hats for anything you deal with in life. Use it in your business, use it at school or use it at home. And as a side affect you'll find the overall quality of your creative thinking improve tremendously.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats So, why wear six different thinking hats? Traditional arguing involves two or more parties opposing each other. Whatever one party offers as an input to the discussion, the opponents will come forth with critique. There are several reasons for this: discovering the truth, investigating certain subjects, defending viewpoints, just winning an argument or coming to a synthesis of the various standpoints.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats So, why wear six different thinking hats? Even if we agree mostly with our discussion partners, we are still inclined to focus on the details we disagree on. "Yes, BUT. . . " This habit doesn't do justice to the input as a whole. We will overlook valuable points of consideration and lose a lot of time bickering over rights and wrongs. Arguing isn't constructive nor creative. It may result in some improvements but it won't lead to innovation. Arguing is simply not going to build you new roads. . .

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats So, why wear six different thinking hats? De Bono's Six Thinking Hats offer us a simple yet powerful alternative to discussion. With this method we investigate together the facts, the feelings, the pro's and cons, and the creative solutions we can come up with. De Bono calls this parallel thinking. The result of this is a sincere dialogue in which personal gains are set aside in favor of working together to reach clarity.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats So, why wear six different thinking hats? Use the Six Thinking Hats to assess existing problems, innovative ideas, work processes, study topics, possible decisions, solve disputes and much, much more. The method is simple, but extraordinarily effective. This has lead to the situation that many prominent organizations have implemented this technique in their daily businesses today.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats So, why wear six different thinking hats? Learning the methods and techniques of De Bono's Six Thinking Hats is easy. Yet it will strongly affect your thinking. It is concrete, tangible, simple to use and changes all thinking behaviors instantly.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Six Colored Hats - Six Types of Thinking The colors of the hats are: white, red, black, yellow, white green and blue. These colors were chosen for a reason. They're associated with certain situations which will help you remember the objective of each separate hat. Six hats with six different colors, all representing a different aspect of your thinking. When you wear a specific hat, the rule is you stick to the kind of thinking it represents. When you want to switch to a different style of thinking, you need to switch hats as well.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Blue Hat Managing of the thinking itself. Defining the topic, giving the summaries, making decisions and drawing conclusions.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Managing the Thinking Process üA cool blue sky allowing you the overview over the thinking processes which take place. üHere's the manager's blue hat. üYou take a little distance from your thinking and watch the process unfold. üGuide it and control it. üAnd draw the conclusions in the end.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Managing the Thinking Process ØSets the agenda. ØSets the timing. ØDecides on the next step. ØKeeps everyone on the focus. ØHandles requests. ØKeeps the discipline when using the hats. ØHandles the summary and conclusions. ØAsks for decisions.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats White Hat Focus your thoughts on information - the facts and figures. What info is available? How do we get it?

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Information Available & Needed üImagine white paper and computer print-outs. ü Most of the time paper is white. üThe white hat, just like most paper, refers to information and facts. üSo when you wear it, stick to the fact and figures. ü Only objective information is what you want right now.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Information Available & Needed ØWhat information is available? ØWhat information would we like to have? ØWhat information do we need? ØWhat information is missing? ØInclude both sided of disputed information.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Red Hat Unlimited use of feelings, intuition and emotions which don't have to be justified.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Intuition and Feelings üImagine the red glow of a soaring fire. üYou're sitting close. Feel the warmth coming from the flames. üThe red hat refers to your feelings and emotions. üThose can be based on complex experiences and aren't always easily analyzed. üUsually they're left out of the discussion since they're neither based on facts nor logic. üYet feelings which are heard stop nagging in the back of your head. üThus sharing them helps to clear your thinking.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Intuition and Feelings ØTake no more than 20 to 30 seconds ØThis is to signal intuition, feelings and emotions. ØRemind yourself that no explanation is needed! ØGive feelings and intuition validity.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Black Hat Warning! Difficulties, dangers and problems. What can go wrong? And does this comply with our knowledge and experience?

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Caution, Difficulties, and Problems üHave you ever experienced the feeling your future seemed to look pitch black? üOnly troubles, mistakes, problems and all sorts of dangers awaiting. . . üYou were wearing a black hat. üVery useful at times. üNow wear this hat to alert you to where you could go wrong.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Caution, Difficulties, and Problems ØWhat could be the possible problems? ØWhat could some of the difficulties be? ØWhat are points for caution? ØRight now we are using the black hat, so you must make a real effort to come up with the negatives.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Yellow Hat Focus the thinking on benefits, values and attainability. What are the positives?

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Benefits and Feasibility üRemember a bright and sunny day. Walking outside in a gentle breeze, how easy it gets to feel optimistic about life. üYour yellow hat represents the positive and logical aspects of your thinking. üSo it's not about your hopes! üYour statements have to be backed up by reason as well. üLooking for benefits, added value and observing how realistic your expectations will be.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Benefits and Feasibility ØWhat are the benefits? ØWhat are the positives? ØWhat are the values? ØAre there savings? ØIs there a competitive advantage? ØIs there potential value? ØIs there a concept in this idea that looks attractive?

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Green Hat Conscious creative effort. Generating ideas and looking for alternatives. Solving problems.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Alternatives and Creative Ideas üLeaves growing on the trees and bushes, the first flowers unfold in the young and lush meadows and all is vibrant with the creative energy of life. üYour green hat represents your conscious creative efforts. üNew ideas arise, innovative solutions pop up. üNo logic required this time. üJust let your imagination run wild.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Alternatives and Creative Ideas ØWe need further alternatives. ØWe need to make a creative effort. ØAre there other ways to do this? ØWhat else could we do here? ØHow else might we carry through this concept? ØWhat are the possibilities? ØWhat will overcome our difficulties?

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Preparing a Session First of all you need a concept. An idea, a problem to solve, a product to create, a service to promote, etc…. . What is your thinking going to focus on? What are we thinking about? What are we working towards? What results do we expect of this thinking session?

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Preparing a Session Thinking in itself is the most effective is we have clarity about what we want to think about. In general your thinking can be focused in two ways:

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Preparing a Session • determine a general subject in which a specific area is made the focus of our thinking - to generate new ideas. • determine a specific subject that has a clearly described focus for our thinking - to solve a problem, improve a process, accomplish a task, overcome a difficulty, add a new feature.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Practical examples: "I would like to think in general about how people at home brush their teeth". "I need some better designs for a toothbrush". "I need stronger material for the brush of a toothbrush".

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Some typical thinking pitfalls ØWhen describing your concept, be specific about where you want your thinking to go. ØIf you want to think about designing an umbrella, a broad description for you focus - like "Preventing people from getting wet" - will not suffice. ØYou could end up with the conclusion that all bus stops need shelters. ØAdd to your concept description. ØUse several descriptions.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Some typical thinking pitfalls ØResist the temptation of looking for deeper meanings though. ØThe general purpose of using the Six Thinking Hats is to come to constructive and creative thinking. ØUtilize your thinking for practical solutions.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Example: Ø"People don't want a drill, they want holes". ØNot completely true: people want the holes for a reason, they serve a purpose. ØThinking along these lines can easily distract you from the original objective: designing a better drill.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Some typical thinking pitfalls ØTo help the focus stick to our subject, it's useful to summarize the results of each separate hat session. ØThis will also help the group to feel we're actually accomplishing something. ØWhich in turn helps to keep all participants motivated and actively involved.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Incidental ØA particular hat is used in itself to emphasize a certain way of thinking or switch to a different style. ØBefore and after using the hat the conversation is a traditional argument or discussion. ØUtilizing the hat this way can for example serve as a time-out which helps to clear the thinking.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Systematical ØDecide on a topic you want to think about. ØDetermine a sequence for using the hats: your thinking agenda. ØThen use the different hats in turn.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats Systematical How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? The systematical approach is particularly useful when: ØThe thinkers have different opinions and dig in their heels leading to a dispute. ØThe discussion is becoming incoherent and leading nowhere. ØThere is little time available while a subject does deserve a thorough investigation.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Different sequences for different focus points ØFirst of all: there's no such thing a THE right sequence for using the Six Thinking Hats. ØSequences differ according to subject and participating thinkers. ØAlso remember that in reality every hat can be used as many times as is desirable.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Different sequences for different focus points ØLet the facilitator of a meeting - the one wearing the blue hat - propose a sequence or if time allows, decide on this as a group. ØBut even with a set sequence: if applicable - be flexible!

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? How much time do you spend per hat? ØYou can do an incredible amount of thinking in a relatively short period of time. ØEspecially when it is known their is little time and you have a clear idea of what you're wanting to achieve with your thinking. ØYour thoughts will be sharper and the time limit prevents your thoughts from abbreviations.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? How much time do you spend per hat? ØWith very practical topics 90 seconds per hat can produce an impressive amount of output. ØAlso it appears to be wise to limit the time even more for people who are used to endless discussions.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? How much time do you spend per hat? ØOf course the timing also depends on the number of people participating. ØBut in general 3 to 4 minutes per hat suffices - as a group!

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Rules of thumb for timing: ØAllow limitless time for white hat when much information needs to be digested. But keep the thinking focused on subject!

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Rules of thumb for timing: ØDon't limit black hat thinking as long as new viewpoints are brought forward. ØBreaking off prematurely will always result in strong resistance.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Rules of thumb for timing: ØFor the same reasons also don't limit yellow hat thinking.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Rules of thumb for timing: ØBe flexible with green hat thinking: switch to a different hat once the flow of ideas has stopped. ØYou can always come back to the green hat later on. ØOnly when using specific creative thinking methods allow for enough time to utilize them.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Rules of thumb for timing: ØRestrict red hat thinking to 30 seconds to prevent people from wanting to explain or justify their feelings. ØOnly allow more time when intuition and feelings form a major part of our subject. Ø(For instance when acceptability of a new idea is an issue. )

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Applying the Six Different Hats How do I use these Six Thinking Hats then? Rules of thumb for timing: ØAlways limit the thinking session for each hat at forehand. ØIf it turns out to be appropriate, allow for extra time. ØThe timing is the task of the facilitator wearing the blue hat.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats When do I apply this thinking method? Meetings - more than 2 people ØBoth the incidental as the systematical application of the hats is useful during meetings. ØImportant is that all participants are always wearing the same hat! ØThe facilitator usually has the blue hat on and structures the dialogue. ØBut everyone can make blue hat

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats When do I apply this thinking method? Conversations - two people ØThe most common way to use the hats during a conversation between two people, is incidental. ØUse the hats to guide thinking and to ask for a different point of viewing the topic.

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats When do I apply this thinking method? Individual ØThough the hats were originally 'designed' for interpersonal use, they can be used in individual situations as well. ØThey structure your thoughts and prevent people from forgetting certain ways of thinking. ØIt does take discipline!

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Key Points to Remember q. Always think in the style of the hat you're wearing. Any other ideas and thoughts that surface are to be ignored. q. The hats represent a style of thinking. They do NOT describe people, thinking habits or thoughts. q. Instead of arguing use parallel thinking to display different views next to each other and compare later. q. Follow the ritual of the hats and the colors. Take the method as a serious game. And stick to its rules. q. The hats are meant to simplify the thinking and make it more efficient. So don't complicate things!

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences First ideas: blue - definition of subject white - ready knowledge green - generating ideas

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Evaluation: yellow - benefits and valuable elements black - dangers and difficulties

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Improvement: black - inventory of weak points green - improving those points

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Explanation: white - factual situation green - possible causes

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Direct action: red - gut feelings black - dangers and difficulties

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Choice: green - possible alternatives yellow - positives of alternative black - negatives of alternatives red - gut feelings

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Emotions: red – feelings white - actual situation green - different viewpoints blue - conclusion

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Chances: yellow – benefits white - ready knowledge green - creative action

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Short Sequences Decision: green – alternatives blue - compare alternatives with needs red - choose alternative

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Longer Sequences Problem Solving: blue - definition of problem white - available info green - possible solutions yellow - reality check solutions black - weak points solutions white - connect to info blue - draw conclusion

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Longer Sequences Creative Effort: blue - purpose of creativity white - topic info green - generating ideas yellow - idea benefits black - idea down sides green - solving down sides red - gut feelings

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Longer Sequences Investigation: blue - definition of investigation white - available info green - hypothesizing white - investigate more info blue - summarize

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Longer Sequences Decision Making: blue - topic of decision green - offer alternatives white - factual situation yellow - suitability alternatives black - un-suitability alternatives red - making the decision black - assessing decision

Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats Longer Sequences Communication: blue - necessity white - topic description green - alternative views red - choice of approach black - assessing choice

SOALAN ? ? ? Question? ? Prepared by Tsen Kui Loi Feb 2010

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: White Hat: state the facts - students are talking when Teacher is talking - there is noise so that others are distracted or can't hear - students don't know what to do after Teacher has given directions - many students get silly or off task

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: Red Hat: states the emotions - Teacher feels offended - Students are frustrated because they can't hear directions - Those talking enjoy joking around and being heard

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: Black Hat: negative aspects - time is wasted - learning is compromised - those who legitimately have the floor feel that listeners don't care about what they are saying - chaos in the classroom

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: Yellow Hat: positives of the situation are examined - everyone gets to say what is on their mind - it can be fun - you don't have to wait until you speak and therefore don't forget what you what to say - not just the "smart" kids get to speak

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: Green Hat: creative ideas that come with seeing the problem in a new light - Teacher will be more aware of the amount of time that she "talks" - Teacher will try to include interaction from many different students, not just the "smart" kids

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: - students will work on resisting the need to say everything that comes into their mind. They will ask themselves if this is "on topic" and" if this needs to be shared at this time. There needed to be further discussion on "how" students would work on this problem.

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: - students will think about whether their comment will interfere with other people's learning - we will keep these charts up so that we can refer back to the learning of this moment and reassess how we are doing.

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: Blue Hat: Sum up what is learned - Teacher learned that she needs to limit the amount of time she uses "Talking" as a form of teaching - Teacher needs to involve all students in discussion. She needs to look for the one who rarely offers comments or is quietly waiting to be picked to answer.

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: - Teacher needs to realize that some students need "think time" before they are ready to contribute to a discussion. Allowing time for these students to think is important part of class discussion so they do not tune out.

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: - students now realize that when they talk when others are talking it makes the person talking feel like a fool or unappreciated. - students realize that just to "get the laugh" of the moment, they are jeopardizing other people's learning

Six Thinking Hats Students Talking When Teacher is Teaching: - students learned that speaking whenever you want show a lack of self-discipline and that not everything that goes through our minds is worth sharing. - teacher/student needs to revisit this topic and check how we are doing

SOALAN ? ? ? Question? ? Prepared by Tsen Kui Loi Feb 2010

Using the Six Hats to Respond to Literature White Hat: Information and facts about the book • Title • Author and Illustrator • Awards that the book may have won (CBC Picture Book, Bilby Award) • Plot- what happened, story map, Top Level Structure, • Characters- names, what they look like • Setting

Using the Six Hats to Respond to Literature White Hat: Information and facts about the book • Title • Author and Illustrator • Awards that the book may have won (CBC Picture Book, Bilby Award) • Plot- what happened, story map, Top Level Structure, • Characters- names, what they look like • Setting

Using the Six Hats to Respond to Literature Red Hat: Discussing feelings, likes and dislikes • Title • Author and Illustrator • Awards that the book may have won (CBC Picture Book, Bilby Award) • Plot- what happened, story map, Top Level Structure, • Characters- names, what they look like • Setting

Using the Six Hats to Respond to Literature Yellow Hat: Benefits, good points and advantages • What was the advantage of solving the problem that way? • What are the advantages of…? • What are all the good points about. . . the character, the setting, the ending etc?

Using the Six Hats to Respond to Literature Black Hat: Disadvantages, dangers and problems • What was the advantage of solving the problem that way? • What are the advantages of…? • What are all the good points about. . . the character, the setting, the ending etc?

Using the Six Hats to Respond to Literature Green Hat: New ideas, creating, adapting, innovating • Lets write a new ending • Write an acrostic about the main character • Draw new illustrations for the story • Think of a different way to solve the problem • Write an innovation on the story

SOALAN ? ? ? Question? ? Prepared by Tsen Kui Loi Feb 2010