Six thinking hats

The framework draws on six basic types of thinking represented by six coloured hats. Each mode, type or hat can be used at different points in a thinking process to limit the boundaries of thought. 'Putting' on a hat gives legitimacy to think in a particular way - negatively or positively, challege for more ideas or dip into emotions. 'Taking off a hat' concludes that particular type of thinking.

White Hat
White suggests paper. The white hat concerns information. When we wear the white hat, we ask the following kinds of questions: 'What information do we have?'; 'What information do we need?'; 'What question should we be asking?' The white hat is used to direct attention to available or missing information.

Red Hat
Red suggests fire and warmth. The red hat is to do with feelings, intuition, and emotions. You may not know the reasons why you like something, or why you do not like something. When the red hat is in use, you have the opportunity to put forward your feelings and intuitions without any explanation at all. Your feelings exist, and the red hat gives you permission to put those feelings forward.

Black Hat
This is probably the most useful hat. It is certainly the hat that is most often used. Black reminds us of a judge's robes. The black hat is for caution. The black hat stops us from doing things that may be harmful. The black hat points out the risks, and why something may not work. Without the black hat we would be in trouble all the time. However, the black hat should not be overused, as this may be dangerous.

Green Hat
Green suggests vegetation, which suggests growth, energy, and life. The green hat is the energy hat. Under the green hat, you put forward proposals and suggestions and propose new ideas and alternatives. Under the green hat you suggest modifications and variations for a suggested idea. The green hat allows you to put forward possibilities. When the green hat is in use, everyone makes an effort to be creative.

Blue Hat
The blue hat is for looking at the thinking process itself: 'What should we do next?'; 'What have we achieved so far?' We use the blue hat at the beginning of a discussion in order to define what we are thinking about, and to decide what we want to have achieved at the end of our thinking. The blue hat may be used to order the sequence of hats that we are going to be using, and to summarise what we have achieved.

Yellow Hat
Yellow suggests sunshine and optimism. Under the yellow hat we make a direct effort to find the values and benefits in a suggestion: 'What is good about this?' Even if we do not like the idea, the yellow hat asks us to seek out the good points. 'Where are the benefits?'; 'Who is going to benefit?'; 'How will the benefits come about?'; 'What are the different values?'

Using the hats
When using the hat model there are a number of key points:-