Appendix D Six Thinking Hats
What is Six Thinking Hats? Edward de Bono developed the Six Thinking Hats approach to group decision-making with two main purposes. The first is to simplify thinking by allowing the group to deal with one thing at a time. In- stead of having to take care of emotions, logic, information, hope, and creativ- ity all at the same time, all these aspects of thinking are dealt with separately and sequentially. The second main purpose is to allow a switch in thinking. The concept of the hats makes it possible to request certain types of thinking as part of a broader thinking process. Instead of wasting time in argument or drifting discussion, the thinking hats approach provides for brisk and disci- plined discussion. The Moderator wears the “Blue Hat” and shepherds the group through the discernment process. Group members all put on the same metaphorical hat at the same time, discussion is limited to that facet, and everyone is asked to add thoughts appropriate to the theme of that particular hat. Here are descriptions of each hat:
1. White Hat - Facts Wearing the White Hat, strive to be neutral and objec- tive: What are the facts? By and large, do we understand the basic information and data in the proposal? What fur- ther information would it be helpful to know? 2. Red Hat - Feelings Wearing the Red Hat, share your hunches, intuitions, and impressions: Speaking personally, how are you feel- ing about the proposal? Avoid making any attempt to jus- tify your feelings or provide a logical basis from them. 3. Yellow Hat - Benefits Wearing the Yellow Hat, strive to be positive, optimis- tic, and constructive: What are the best things about this proposal? What are the possible benefits? How could this go really well?
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