COURSE OVERVIEW:
Welcome to the Mastering the Six Thinking Hats Technique course. This course is designed to introduce you to Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, a powerful technique for improving communication, creativity, and decision-making in the workplace. The Six Thinking Hats method provides a structured approach to thinking that encourages individuals and teams to consider problems and solutions from multiple perspectives. This technique is particularly useful in group discussions, where it helps prevent misunderstandings, fosters collaboration, and ensures that all ideas are evaluated thoroughly. By using the Six Hats framework, you can streamline decision-making processes, make more informed choices, and create an environment that encourages open dialogue.
The Six Thinking Hats technique offers an organised way to approach thinking, with each hat representing a different mode of thought. You will learn how each hat—White (facts), Red (emotions), Black (critical judgement), Yellow (optimism), Green (creativity), and Blue (process management)—can be used to guide discussions and decision-making processes. By integrating the Six Hats into group work, you’ll ensure a balanced approach to problem-solving and decision-making.
The White Hat focuses on facts and information. When using the White Hat, you will learn to gather and present objective data without bias, helping build a solid foundation for discussions and ensuring that decisions are based on accurate information.
The Red Hat represents emotions and intuition, recognising the important role feelings play in decision-making. This section will teach you how to express gut feelings and emotional reactions openly, while balancing these emotions with rational thought for more comprehensive decision-making.
The Black Hat is essential for applying critical judgement and caution. You will learn how to use the Black Hat to identify risks and potential pitfalls, ensuring that ideas are thoroughly evaluated and that critical thinking is applied to every situation.
The Yellow Hat highlights optimism and positive outcomes. With the Yellow Hat, you will focus on the benefits and opportunities presented by different ideas. This section will show you how to encourage constructive thinking and develop solutions that maximise potential advantages.
The Green Hat fosters creativity and innovation. You will learn how to generate new ideas and alternative solutions, apply lateral thinking to overcome creative blocks, and encourage out-of-the-box thinking during brainstorming sessions.
The Blue Hat manages the thinking process itself. As the hat responsible for structuring and summarising discussions, the Blue Hat plays a vital role in facilitating productive meetings. You will learn how to use the Blue Hat to control the flow of discussions, ensuring all perspectives are considered and that meetings stay on track.
By applying the Six Hats to decision-making, you’ll learn how to sequence the hats to evaluate options from multiple perspectives. This process ensures balanced and informed decisions, as each hat contributes a different viewpoint to the discussion.
The Six Hats are also useful for problem-solving, breaking down complex issues into manageable components. You’ll discover how to use each hat to identify root causes, generate solutions, and ensure that all aspects of the problem are thoroughly considered.
Creativity and innovation thrive with the Green Hat, especially during brainstorming sessions. You will learn how to use the Green Hat to foster innovative thinking, develop new products or processes, and encourage creative problem-solving within your team.
Managing team discussions with the Blue Hat is key to ensuring productive meetings. You’ll explore techniques for structuring group discussions, keeping the team focused, and ensuring that all viewpoints are heard and valued.
The Six Hats technique can also be applied to conflict resolution. You will learn how to use the Red and White Hats to understand differing perspectives, the Black and Yellow Hats to find common ground, and the Blue Hat to mediate and manage conflict effectively.
In project management, the Six Hats can be used to plan and organise project phases. You’ll explore how to use the Black and Yellow Hats for risk management and how to foster creativity and collaboration with the Green Hat to drive successful project outcomes.
Leadership and strategic thinking also benefit from the Six Hats technique. You will discover how to apply the hats to leadership decision-making, set organisational vision and goals with the Blue Hat, and balance critical judgement with optimism in strategic planning.
Finally, this course will provide practical applications of the Six Thinking Hats technique through case studies. You will see how real teams have used the hats for product development, conflict resolution, and strategic planning, and how the technique helped them balance risks, evaluate opportunities, and achieve consensus.
By the end of this course, you will have a thorough understanding of how to apply the Six Thinking Hats technique in your workplace to enhance communication, decision-making, creativity, and problem-solving.
Each section is complemented with examples to illustrate the concepts and techniques discussed.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, you will be able to understand the following topics:
1. Introduction to the Six Thinking Hats Technique
- Overview of Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
- The Purpose of Structured Thinking in the Workplace
- Benefits of Using the 6 Hats for Effective Communication and Decision-Making
2. The Six Thinking Hats: An Overview
- Descriptions and Roles of Each Thinking Hat
- How the Hats Represent Different Modes of Thinking
- Integrating the Six Hats into Group Discussions
3. The White Hat: Facts and Information
- Focusing on Objective Data and Neutral Thinking
- Gathering and Presenting Facts Without Bias
- Using the White Hat to Build a Solid Foundation for Discussions
4. The Red Hat: Emotions and Intuition
- Recognising the Role of Emotions in Decision-Making
- Expressing Gut Feelings and Emotional Reactions
- Balancing Emotion with Rational Thought for Comprehensive Decision-Making
5. The Black Hat: Critical Judgement and Caution
- Identifying Potential Risks and Pitfalls
- Applying Critical Thinking to Problem-Solving
- Using the Black Hat to Ensure Thorough Evaluation of Ideas
6. The Yellow Hat: Optimism and Benefits
- Highlighting Positive Outcomes and Benefits
- Developing Solutions by Focusing on Opportunities
- How to Use the Yellow Hat to Encourage Constructive Thinking
7. The Green Hat: Creativity and Innovation
- Generating New Ideas and Alternative Solutions
- Applying Lateral Thinking for Creative Problem-Solving
- Overcoming Blocks to Creativity with the Green Hat
8. The Blue Hat: Managing the Thinking Process
- The Role of the Blue Hat in Controlling the Flow of Thinking
- Structuring and Summarising Discussions Effectively
- Using the Blue Hat to Facilitate Productive Meetings
9. Applying the Six Hats to Decision-Making
- How to Sequence the Hats for Balanced Decision-Making
- Evaluating Options from Multiple Perspectives
- Making Informed Decisions with the 6 Hats Framework
10. Using the Six Hats for Problem-Solving
- Breaking Down Complex Problems with the 6 Hats
- Identifying Root Causes and Generating Solutions
- Ensuring Thorough Analysis of Problems Using Each Hat
11. Enhancing Creativity and Innovation with the Green Hat
- The Role of the Green Hat in Brainstorming Sessions
- Encouraging Innovative Ideas and Out-of-the-Box Thinking
- Using the Green Hat to Develop New Products or Processes
12. Managing Team Discussions with the Blue Hat
- Structuring Group Discussions and Keeping Focus
- Ensuring All Perspectives Are Considered
- Leading Teams to Consensus Using the Blue Hat
13. Applying the Six Hats to Conflict Resolution
- Using the Red and White Hats to Understand Differing Perspectives
- Applying the Black and Yellow Hats to Find Common Ground
- Using the Blue Hat to Mediate and Manage Conflict Resolution
14. The Six Hats in Project Management
- Using the Hats to Plan and Organise Project Phases
- Risk Management with the Black and Yellow Hats
- Fostering Team Collaboration and Creativity with the Green Hat
15. The Six Hats in Leadership and Strategic Thinking
- Applying the Hats to Leadership Decision-Making
- Using the Blue Hat to Set Organisational Vision and Goals
- Balancing Critical Judgement and Optimism in Strategic Planning
16. Practical Applications of the Six Thinking Hats: Case Studies in Action
- Case Study 1: Problem-Solving in a Product Development Team
- Applying the Six Hats to Generate Creative Product Ideas
- Balancing Risks and Opportunities in Product Launch Decisions
- Using the Blue Hat to Manage Team Collaboration and Decision-Making
- Case Study 2: Conflict Resolution in a Cross-Functional Team
- Understanding Emotional Responses with the Red Hat
- Evaluating Potential Solutions Using the Black and Yellow Hats
- Achieving Consensus with the Blue Hat in a High-Stakes Situation
- Case Study 3: Strategic Planning for Organisational Growth
- Using the White Hat to Analyse Market Data and Trends
- Fostering Innovation in Growth Strategies with the Green Hat
- Managing Risk and Uncertainty with the Black and Yellow Hats in Long-Term Planning
COURSE DURATION:
The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.
COURSE DELIVERY:
Purchase and download course content.
ASSESSMENT:
A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.
CERTIFICATION:
Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.