Have you ever tried the Six Thinking Hats technique? It’s a simple and powerful way of looking at decision-making from six points of view. The method is based on metaphorical 6 hats that represent 6 thinking types. Each perspective is represented with a different hat color. The best part? This method can be useful whether you’re making decisions on your own or you’re working with your team.
Amy Rigby, a contributing author to the Atlassian blog, says by the end of a Six Thinking Hats session, you’ll have included everyone in looking at every aspect of a problem, together. This ensures balance, fairness and as little bias as possible.
In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we share Rigby’s thoughts on the Six Thinking Hats method and how you could use it to solve different problems.
Blue hat: You’re the moderator. Under this hat, Rigby says you’ll be thinking about thinking. When you’re wearing the blue hat, you may kick off and end the meeting, pose questions to the group and ask for outcomes of the discussion.
White hat: The wearer of the white hat is concerned with the facts. Rigby says white-hat thinkers remain neutral, looking only at the available information without making interpretations about it. You could share ideas, but only if you make the group aware that you’re not sure of their integrity.
Red hat: When wearing the red hat, individuals and teams can share their emotions without explaining them. This phase is about normalizing and legitimizing gut feelings, Rigby says, which is an important part of the decision-making process that often gets ignored.
Black hat: Black-hat thinking requires looking at the situation through a lens of caution. It’s important to consider the potential risks and how you might approach them. This isn’t a bad hat, Rigby says, but one that could lead to cost savings or other benefits.
Yellow hat: Like it sounds, this hat allows you to think on the cheery side. Contemplate the benefits of a suggestion and how you could make it happen. Wearing this hat allows the team to think about all the good things that could arise from a decision.
Green hat: When faced with a decision, Rigby points out that people have a tendency toward tunnel vision, seeing only option A or option B when there might be an option C, D and so forth. The green hat mitigates this bias by encouraging creative solutions that otherwise might not be considered.
The Six Thinking Hats method is a proven way to eliminate confusion and inspire more creative thinking. When you want your team to look at issues or opportunities from different perspectives, try this time-tested technique.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Amy Rigby is a contributing author to the Atlassian blog. She specializes in B2B copywriting.