Creative Results From Your Team
As someone who has been in many “brainstorming” sessions, I can’t tell you they don’t work, but I can tell you they don’t work as well as some other methods. The Six Hats method makes much more sense. It is easy to use, structured to include everyone, and the processes make the meetings more productive.
The Six Hats method allows us to think in parallel to explore a subject in a constructive rather than an adversarial way.
The Six Hats method of thinking, created by Edward de Bono, author, and professor, challenges all those at the meeting to fully use their minds and not just negatively. Someone who is against an idea being discussed is expected to honestly and objectively still see the values in the proposed concept.
The framework of the six hats might seem to complicate discussions and make the meetings last much longer. But the opposite is true. The use of the six hats method significantly reduces meeting time. Sessions progress in a natural, orderly way from getting initial information to creating concepts and ideas.
After using this method a few times, you will be able to get many creative ideas in a setting that is not only productive but also team-building. Plus, you will get results in a fraction of the time it usually takes for such a meeting.
Following are the six hats:
The Blue Hat is the person who organizes and controls the meeting. It is used right at the beginning of a discussion to decide the focus and what sequence of hats the session will use. The conference does not have to be conducted in the order presented here, but this order is the most logical progression. The blue hat reminds people of the hat in use during the meeting if they stray away for some reason. The Blue Hat is also used at the end of the outcome, summary, and next steps.
The White Hat is concerned with information. What information do we have? What information is missing? What information do we need – and how are we going to get it? If conflicting information is put forward, there is no argument. Both versions are put down in parallel and then discussed when that information needs to be used.
Red Hat has to do with feelings, emotions, and intuition. Under the Red Hat, all participants are invited to put forward their feelings. In a regular discussion, you can only put forward these things if they are disguised as logic. There is no need to justify or explain them. They exist and can therefore be put forward. The Red Hat is very brief and simply allows these things to get out on the table.
Black Hat is for critical thinking. What is wrong with the idea? What are its weaknesses? The black hat looks at the downside, why something will not work, the risks, and dangers. All the negative comments made during a meeting are concentrated under the Black Hat. The Black Hat is beneficial, but it has a defined time and place.
Yellow Hat focuses on the positive. What are the benefits? How could it be done? What is the value? Traditionally, our education is primarily about critical thinking. We are never really exposed to developing forward-thinking concepts. For example, the ability to find value in anything, even things we do not like and will not use. Nevertheless, we should, honestly and objectively, find value in things. Without sensitivity to value, creativity can be a waste of time.
Green Hat is directly concerned with creativity. When the Green Hat is in use, participants are expected to make a creative effort or keep quiet. Most people do not like keeping quiet, so they make an effort. This effort means looking for new ideas. It means considering alternatives, both the obvious ones and new ones. It means generating possibilities. It means modifying and changing a suggested idea, possibly through the use of lateral thinking tools.
Conclusion
That is all there is. A simple method that allows everyone to think together to explore a subject and generate new concepts and ideas on how to move forward in a constructive rather than an adversarial way.
Try to use this method in a small group first, so you get the hang of it. It may take a couple of times to get it right. But, once you have the method down, it’s easy to use and productive.
Let us know how it works for you.
