Complexity is the enemy of clear thinking. Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats cuts through the noise by switching the room into one mode at a time.
No porridge of facts, fears and ideas. Just clean passes of thinking. It is simple, learnable, and it works.
Why it works?
In Edward’s own words;
“Structured, parallel thinking beats chaotic, free for all, every time.”
One hat at a time means parallel thinking. People stop arguing across each other and start building on each other.
It is engineered empathy. Feelings get a turn. Facts get a turn. Risks get a turn. Ideas get a turn. Then you decide.
The hats in plain English
⚪️ White: Facts and gaps. What we know, what we do not, what it costs to find out.
🔴 Red: Feelings and intuition. Quick gut reads with no defence. Gets the quiet worries into the open.
⚫️ Black: Caution. Failure modes, compliance issues, resource drains. Critique the idea, never the person.
🟡 Yellow: Upside. Best case, value, who benefits and when. Stops you throwing away the gold with the gravel.
🟢 Green: Ideas and alternatives. Suspend traffic rules. Detours and mashups welcome. Volume first, judgement later.
🔵 Blue: Process control. Frame the question, set the order, hold the time, land the next steps.
Run it in 25 minutes
Every ball equals to a minute:
🔵🔵⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️🔴🔴⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️🟡🟡🟡🟡🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢🔵🔵🔵
Minute 0 to 2. Blue. State the decision to make and the success test.
Minute 2 to 6. White. Facts and gaps. One sentence each. Log unknowns with owners.
Minute 6 to 8. Red. Feelings round. Fast. No debate.
Minute 8 to 12. Black. Top risks. Give each a first mitigation and an owner.
Minute 12 to 16. Yellow. Real benefits. Who feels them and when.
Minute 16 to 22. Green. Three ways to improve the idea. Allow one wild card.
Minute 22 to 25. Blue. Decide the next action, the owner, and the review date.
Common traps and how to avoid them
> Letting Black go first. It freezes creativity. Keep the sequence.
> Turning Red into therapy. Feelings are a pulse check, not a monologue.
> Letting Green run the clock. Set a hard stop. Ideas multiply when time is tight.
> Forgetting Blue. Without a conductor, you get six monologues and no music.
One pagers you can ask before and after
| Goal | One line that states the decision or question. |
| White | Three known facts. Three unknowns with owners. |
| Red | Two lines that capture the room’s pulse. |
| Black | Top three risks with first actions and owners. |
| Yellow | Top three benefits with who gains first. |
| Green | Three improvements or alternatives to test. |
| Blue | Decision, owner, date, and what evidence will prove the bet. |
Where it shines
> Big pricing calls, so you surface real risks without killing momentum.
> Post-incident reviews, so emotions get airtime and then give way to action.
> Roadmap bets, so taste and data do not get mixed into mud.
Put one colour on the field at a time and watch meetings move from chaotic joust to coordinated breakthrough.
Try it on a small decision this week. Send this post or a one pager ahead so people arrive ready. You will leave with clarity, owners, and a date to check your work.
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