Using Storyboarding and de Bono's Six Thinking Hats

By Marissa Martinez

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The Six Thinking Hats

Use the power of six thinking hats to be more effective today!

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The Six Thinking Hats, a concept articulated by Edward de Bono, is a powerful tool for brainstorming and innovation. By breaking down thoughts into six
“parallel” or “lateral” areas, it allows a spectrum of thought, from gut feeling to data analysis, to be separately discussed. By using these six types of thinking in
a structured way, groups can more effectively approach problem solving.

First, let's briefly explain the six hats and the role each plays:

Six Thinking Hats

Example

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Our natural way of speaking often combines multiple hats. For example we may say, "This idea aligns with our current strategy and could improve our market
position, but I'm not sure the cost is reasonable or that our customers will fall in love with it." That sentence goes from white hat (aligns with strategy – a fact)
to yellow (improve market position – a benefit) to black (costly – what could go wrong) to red (customers may not love it – feelings). The six hat approach
helps us to analyze these hats into different statements and consider them separately.

Hat Definition Examples

Manages the thinking process by timekeeping, moderating, and
Blue Hat
ensuring the Thinking Hat guidelines are observed.
 "We will discuss this matter for one hour."
 "Time to Yellow Hat this idea. Everything else aside, what are the
benefits of this plan?"
 "Let’s set aside emotional responses for the moment; we’ll come to
them when it is time to put on the Red Hat."

 "What does it cost us to manufacture one unit?"

 "Revenue was up 8.5% last quarter."
White Hat Calls for and provides facts and data that are known or needed.  "There are estimated to be 75 million people that are 18-34 years of age
in the US, as of last year."

 "Instead of manufacturing in China, we could refurbish a plant in

Detroit."
 "This is a difficult position. Let’s brainstorm some potential solutions
Green Hat Focuses on alternatives, new perceptions, or fresh ideas.
to address the Black Hat problems."
 "Are there other options?"

Yellow Hat Finds the value and benefits of ideas and supporting concepts.  "Can we curtail heating or air conditioning to save on energy costs?"
 "Our sales staff already has a lot of experience selling widgets."
  "Pushing into a new market segment would open up a lot of room for
growth."

 "That suggestion makes me angry."

 "I really love this project! I’m excited to work more on it!"
Acknowledges feelings like fear, disappointment, enthusiasm, and
Red Hat
expresses intuitions or hunches.  "There is no White Hat data to support it, but my gut says customers
are afraid we'll cut legacy support down the road."

 "We don’t have the production capacity to expand that fast."

 "I’m pretty sure that would be illegal."
Black Hat Spots problems and tries to make the best argument against an idea.  "That idea has a lot of Yellow Hat benefits, what problems can we find
with it?"

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Using The Thinking Hats in Team Activities

Teams can use these hats in any order during a discussion, but typically progress from blue, to white, to green, to yellow, to red, and finally to black. This order
organizes the discussion:

 Blue: Start with the approach and process

 White: Review the facts
 Green: Generate new ideas without judgement
 Yellow: Focus on the benefits
 Red: Consider emotional responses to any ideas
 Black: Apply critical thinking after the benefits have been explored to test the viability of the new ideas
Any hat could make a reappearance in the discussion. For example, after facts (white) are laid out, more process (blue) may be applied, or after pros (yellow)
and cons (black) are discussed, new ideas (green) may surface.

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Thinking Hat Example

Here is an example using the Six Thinking Hats to examine and discuss a potential business decision. At Storyboard That, we constructed a fictional project:
Social-Local-Mobile-Food, or SoLoMoFoo to illustrate all sorts of business ideas. This example shows how the Six Thinking Hats would be applied by the
SoLoMoFoo team. Thoughts are explicitly broken down as answers to questions that correspond with each hat.

For more information and examples with SoLoMoFoo, check out Storyboard That's Illustrated Guide to Product Development.

Six Thinking Hats Example: SoLoMoFoo

Example

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Parallel Thinking

”Parallel Thinking” is de Bono’s term for a constructive alternative to “adversarial thinking”, or debate. Unlike adversarial approaches, where participants are
championing ideas against each other, parallel thinking proposes that each participant work along a different track of thought, or that all participants approach
one way of thinking at a time. Rather than opposing each other, everyone participating works along separate courses towards a common goal.

This is what a meeting looks like when parallel thinking isn’t enforced. The participants aren’t actively using the six hats, and while their statements, questions,
and suggestions can each be identified, value is being lost as they shift between modes of thinking and get caught up on individual ideas.

An Undisciplined Approach
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This isn’t a bad meeting, but it is easy to see how participants could get caught up defending a pet idea or attacking other people’s suggestions. Let’s look at
how it could improve if the participants engage in parallel thinking. As this scenario illustrates, parallel thinking has a number of advantages. It separates
thoughts to avoid confusion and helps participants furnish better answers by asking them to tackle small, discrete questions, rather than large, complex ones. It
creates an atmosphere conducive to exploring ideas rather than one set on proving one side right. The Six Thinking Hats are a tool for enforcing a disciplined
parallel thinking strategy.
Parallel Thinking in Action

Example
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Thinking Hats in Practice

Using these hats takes some practice. Remember that this approach is not intended to "feel natural" at first. It is intended to help individuals focus on problem
solving. Practice, however, can help the team flow through the hats more easily, and gives everyone in the organization a shorthand to focus on the analysis
rather than their complicated thoughts and responses to the process.

Here are a few tips for running a “Six Hats” meeting:

 Empower a moderator (a designated blue hat) who has read de Bono’s book beforehand to set an agenda and facilitate the meeting.
 Use six physical hats of different colors (or labeled with the different roles) to remind participants of the different thinking categories and signal what
category is the current focus.
 Ensure that participants all have a way to record ideas, either for brainstorming, or to save for when the conversation moves to the appropriate hat.

If you're having trouble getting started, here's a Six Thinking Hats template like the one for SoLoMoFoo. Answer the questions posed in each caption with your
own text and then design pictures in the cells. Illustrating your most salient thought in each category can make them concrete for yourself and fellow
brainstormers.

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Buy Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono on AmazonSix Thinking Hat Template