Gary Dichtenberg

CyberSkills, Inc.
Creative Problem Solving with
Six Thinking Hats
How to use Edward deBonos
parallel thinking in problem solving
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Goals of this program
Define parallel thinking
Identify each of the six hats
Learn how to ask a good question
Apply six hats method to problem solving
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
What is parallel thinking?
At any moment
everyone is looking in the same direction.
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
So the six hats are?
Six colors of hats for six types of thinking
Each hat identifies a type of thinking
Hats are directions of thinking
Hats help a group use parallel thinking
You can put on and take off a hat
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Uses for Six Hats
Problem solving
Strategic planning
Running meetings
Much more
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Six colors
White: neutral, objective
Red: emotional, angry
Black: serious, somber
Yellow: sunny, positive
Green: growth, fertility
Blue: cool, sky above
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
and six hats
White: objective facts & figures
Red: emotions & feelings
Black: cautious & careful
Yellow: hope, positive & speculative
Green: creativity, ideas & lateral thinking
Blue: control & organization of thinking
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
General hat issues
Direction, not description
Set out to think in a certain direction
Lets have some black hat thinking
Not categories of people
Not: Hes a black hat thinker.
Everyone can and should use all the hats
A constructive form of showing off
Show off by being a better thinker
Not destructive right vs. wrong argument
Use in whole or in part
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Benefits of Six Thinking Hats
Provides a common language
Experience & intelligence of each person
(Diversity of thought)
Use more of our brains
Helps people work against type, preference
Removal of ego (reduce confrontation)
Save time
Focus (one thing at a time)
Create, evaluate & implement action plans
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Using the hats
Use any hat, as often as needed
Sequence can be preset or evolving
Not necessary to use every hat
Time under each hat: generally, short
Requires discipline from each person
While using it, stay in the idiom
Adds an element of play, play along
Can be used by individuals and groups
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
The blue hat
Thinking about thinking
Instructions for thinking
The organization of thinking
Control of the other hats
Discipline and focus
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
The blue hat role
Control of thinking & the process
Begin & end session with blue hat
Facilitator, session leaders role
Choreography
open, sequence, close
Focus: what should we be thinking about
Asking the right questions
Defining & clarifying the problem
Setting the thinking tasks
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Open with the blue hat
Why we are here
what we are thinking about
definition of the situation or problem
alternative definitions
what we want to achieve
where we want to end up
the background to the thinking
a plan for the sequence of hats
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
and close with the blue hat
What we have achieved
Outcome
Conclusion
Design
Solution
Next steps
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
White Hat Thinking
Neutral, objective information
Facts & figures
Questions: what do we know, what dont
we know, what do we need to know
Excludes opinions, hunches, judgements
Removes feelings & impressions
Two tiers of facts
Believed Facts
Checked Facts
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Red Hat Thinking
Emotions & feelings
Hunches, intuitions, impressions
Doesnt have to be logical or consistent
No justifications, reasons or basis
All decisions are emotional in the end
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Yellow Hat Thinking
Positive & speculative
Positive thinking, optimism, opportunity
Benefits
Best-case scenarios
Exploration
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Green Hat Thinking
New ideas, concepts, perceptions
Deliberate creation of new ideas
Alternatives and more alternatives
New approaches to problems
Creative & lateral thinking
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Black Hat Thinking
Cautious and careful
Logical negative why it wont work
Critical judgement, pessimistic view
Separates logical negative from emotional
Focus on errors, evidence, conclusions
Logical & truthful, but not necessarily fair
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Six hats summary
Blue: control & organization of thinking

White: objective facts & figures

Red: emotions & feelings

Yellow: hope, positive & speculative

Green: creativity, ideas & lateral thinking

Black: cautious & careful
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Asking the right question
We cant get the right answer
if we ask the wrong question
Crucial blue hat skill
One technique: five whys
Creative Problem Solving
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Traditional CPS
Mess-finding
Data-finding
Problem-finding
Idea-finding
Solution-finding
Acceptance-finding
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Common idea-finding methods
Brainstorming
Mind Maps
Free association
Freewriting
Incubation

Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Six hats & problem solving
A more deliberate process than CPS
Like CPS, uses creativity (green hat)
Unlike CPS, provides a mechanism for
evaluating ideas & making decisions
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Hypothetical problem solving
program using the hats - 1
Blue hat
Organize the process
Red hat
Emotional issues & feelings
White hat
What do we know, need to know
Yellow hat
Proposals & suggestions; what ifs, why nots
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Blue hat
Focus on the areas that need new ideas
Green hat
Generate new ideas & concepts
Blue hat
Organize ideas & process for evaluation
White, yellow & green hats
Constructive thinking
Hypothetical problem solving
program using the hats - 2
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Yellow hat
Positive assessment of viable alternatives
Black hat
Screening for impossible, unusable
Challenge the alternatives
Yellow & green hats
Overcome objections, correct faults, remove
weaknesses, solve problems
Black hat
Further scrutiny; point out risks, dangers
Hypothetical problem solving
program using the hats - 3
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Blue hat
Overview of achievements so far
Organize choice of route
Red hat
Express feelings about the choices
Yellow & black hats
Looking for the best alternative
Blue hat
Strategy for implementation
Hypothetical problem solving
program using the hats - 4
Paul Reali CyberSkills, Inc.
Want to learn more?
Workshops by Paul Reali
CyberSkills, Inc.
336.774.1411
www.cyberskills.com or www.omniskills.com
preali@cyberskills.com
Lateral Thinking, deBonos Thinking Course,
and other books by Edward deBono