6 Thinking Hats
❓What is it
- Design thinking and group discussion are highly complex processes in which thoughts are shared, ideas bubble up, and others are buried. De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats technique provides a systematic solution to sharing and improving ideas by eliminating idea-destructive elements during brainstorming meetings. The method is based on the metaphor of wearing different "hats," with each hat representing a different mode of thinking or viewpoint.
👥Who
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It is recommended to have between 3 and 6 participants and a facilitator, all with strong knowledge in the relevant idea space .
🛠 Running the technique
- The group swaps hats in an agreed order. All participants wear the same hat at each stage of the exercise. For idea creation, the following sequence is recommended.
- The white hat set sets the scene representing the facts and information about the opportunity space.
- The green hat sparks brainstorming of ideas in the opportunity space.
- The blue hat facilitates reflection on the ideas generated, and begins to group them into high level themes
- The red hat provides an opportunity for the group to articulate their intuitive feelings, positive or negative, about the ideas generated and their potential
- The black hat enable the group to surface risks and challenges on the ideas generated and the opportunity space in general.