SixThinkingHats-2

8/10/2019 SixThinkingHats-2

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Gary Dichtenberg

CyberSkills, Inc.

Creative Problem Solving with

Six Thinking Hats

How to use Edward deBonosparallel thinking in problem solving


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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


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What is parallel thinking?

At any momenteveryone is looking in the same direction.


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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


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Six colors

White: neutral, objective

Red: emotional, angry

Black: serious, somber

Yellow: sunny, positive

Green: growth, fertility

Blue: cool, sky above


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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



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



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



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


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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


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and close with the blue hat

What we have achieved

Outcome

Conclusion

Design

Solution Next steps


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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


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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


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Yellow Hat Thinking

Positive & speculative

Positive thinking, optimism, opportunity

Benefits

Best-case scenarios

Exploration


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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


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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


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Asking the right question

We cant get the right answer

if we ask the wrong question Crucial blue hat skill

One technique: five whys


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Creative Problem Solving



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Traditional CPS

Mess-finding

Data-finding

Problem-finding

Idea-finding

Solution-finding Acceptance-finding


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Common idea-finding methods

Brainstorming

Mind Maps

Free association

Freewriting

Incubation


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H th ti l bl l i


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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

H th ti l bl l i


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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



H th ti l bl l i


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Yellow hat Positive assessment of viable alternatives

Black hat

Screening for impossible, unusable

Challenge the alternatives Yellow & green hats

Overcome objections, correct faults, removeweaknesses, solve problems

Black hat Further scrutiny; point out risks, dangers



H th ti l bl l i


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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




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Documents

SixThinkingHats-2