Six thinking hats

The sequence of hats must be determined before the workshop starts and adapted to the team, each person’s role and the goal.

• For another way to guide problem-solving, start with the green hat to rake in possible ideas to address the issue raised. Next, each person can express what they feel while wearing the red hat (without needing to give reasons or be objective). The positive sides of the ideas put forward are mentioned with the yellow hat, and the group goes on to brainstorming to determine whether another approach is possible. Lastly, the blue hat allows a suitable action plan to be implemented.
• To motivate the team and unify them around an idea: put on the yellow hat to list the positives. Follow with a black hat, which will list stumbling blocks and problems the team will encounter along the way. Lastly, to get around each problem identified, find solutions using a green hat!
• To generate ideas: you can bring together people who are naturally ‘green or yellow hats’ and then start putting on other hats. Based on comments made, the next step is looking at how to swing into action.

You can add one card per hat at the head of the column to help remind participants about its meaning.

Another way is to assign one hat to each person, with everyone expressing themselves based on the hat they’re wearing. People can swap hats during the session.