[Series 013] Change Your Hat Color, Become an Idea Genius (Six Thinking Hats)
"So, what does everyone think?"
When this question gets asked in a group project meeting, this usually happens:
- ๐ด Sarah: "This will cost too much money" (worried)
- ๐ง James: "People will definitely love it!" (optimistic)
- ๐ฉ Emma: "Is this even allowed by school rules?" (concerned)
- ๐ฆ Mike: "Yeah... sounds good I guess" (just agreeing)
Everyone's saying different things, no one's reaching a conclusion, time's passing, and finally the loudest person's idea wins. Classic group project disaster.
The problem? People are thinking in different modes at the same time. It's like everyone's on different radio frequencies trying to have a conversation.
What if everyone thought in the same mode, one at a time, in order?
๐ฉ Edward de Bono's Genius Discovery: Six Thinking Hats
Edward de Bono, a legend in creativity research, said:
"People try to think about everything at once and end up thinking about nothing properly"
That's why he created the 'Six Thinking Hats' technique.
The idea is simple: When you put on a hat of a specific color, you only think in the way that hat represents. Like actors changing their performance based on their role, you switch your thinking mode based on the hat color.
๐ The Six Colored Hats and Their Roles
๐ค White Hat: The Facts Collector
Role: Remove emotions and opinions—only look at facts and data
"What do we actually know? What information are we missing?"
๐ด Red Hat: The Feelings Expresser
Role: Without logical reasoning, purely express feelings and intuition
"How do I feel about this? What's my gut telling me?"
⚫ Black Hat: The Critical Skeptic
Role: Find risks, weaknesses, and problems
"What could go wrong? What are the dangers?"
๐ Yellow Hat: The Optimistic Opportunity Finder
Role: Look for positive possibilities, benefits, and opportunities
"What good could come from this? What hidden opportunities exist?"
๐ Green Hat: The Creative Idea Generator
Role: Without limits, throw out new ideas, alternatives, and possibilities
"What other ways could we try? What if we had no restrictions?"
๐ต Blue Hat: The Process Director
Role: Coordinate the whole process and organize thinking
"Which hat do we need now? What perspective are we missing?"
๐ค Using It in the AI Age: Give AI Different Hat Personas
If you ask AI "What do you think of this idea?", it usually gives a neutral, vague answer. But if you say "You are a critical skeptic. Put on the black hat and find weaknesses in this plan," AI completely commits to that role.
[Real Prompt Example]
You are an expert using the Six Thinking Hats method.
Put on the [White Hat] and tell me what objective data and missing information I need for this plan:
"Starting a school podcast about mental health"
๐ก Solo Brainstorming: The One-Person Six Hats Method
"My group is just me though?" Perfect. This actually works even better alone.
One-Person Six Hat Process (30 minutes)
- ๐ต Blue Hat (5 min): What exactly am I trying to solve?
- ๐ค White Hat (5 min): What do I know? What don't I know?
- ๐ด Red Hat (5 min): What's my gut telling me? Worried? Excited?
- ⚫ Black Hat (5 min): What could go wrong? Worst case scenario?
- ๐ Yellow Hat (5 min): What's good about this? Hidden opportunities?
- ๐ Green Hat (5 min): What's a completely different approach? Creative solutions?
- ๐ต Blue Hat (Conclusion): Combining all perspectives, what's my decision?
๐ฅ Using It in Meetings: Before vs After
❌ Normal Meeting (30 min, no conclusion)
Everyone on different channels (pessimist, optimist, emotional) at once.
→ No conclusion, wasted time.
✅ Six Hats Method (30 min, clear decision)
Everyone wears the same hat for 5 minutes, moving in order.
→ Clear decision and next steps.
✨ Summary: Change Your Hat, Change Your World
Your brain is already brilliant. It just gets overloaded trying to use all modes at once.
Change your hat. One at a time. In order.
Then you, your group, and even AI become much smarter.
Today's Practice Task
Do you have a decision you can't make right now? (e.g., Gap year vs Uni?)
Set a 30-minute timer and try all six hats in order. 5 minutes per hat. Force yourself to think only from that perspective.
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