Six Thinking Hats

Purpose

Six Thinking Hats structures group thinking by assigning different cognitive modes (hats) to separate phases of discussion. Instead of everyone arguing from their default perspective, the group thinks together in one mode at a time — facts, emotions, risks, benefits, creativity, process. This reduces conflict, increases thoroughness, and dramatically shortens meetings. Use it when discussions go in circles, when the group is polarised, or when a decision needs comprehensive evaluation.

At a glance

• Group size: 4–30 people
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Facilitation style: Structured
• Setting: Indoor / Remote-friendly

How to run

1. Introduce the hats (5 min): White = facts and data, Red = feelings and intuition, Black = risks and caution, Yellow = benefits and optimism, Green = creativity and alternatives, Blue = process and meta-thinking.
2. Blue hat (3 min): Set the agenda. What is the decision or topic? What sequence of hats will we use?
3. White hat (7 min): What do we know? What data do we have? What is missing?
4. Red hat (3 min): How do we feel about this? Gut reactions, no justification needed.
5. Yellow hat (7 min): What are the benefits? What could go well?
6. Black hat (7 min): What are the risks? What could go wrong?
7. Green hat (8 min): What alternatives exist? What creative solutions can we imagine?
8. Blue hat close (5 min): Summarise, decide on next steps.

Materials needed

• Six coloured cards, hats, or icons representing each mode
• Flip chart for each hat's output
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Wearing the wrong hat (arguing risks during the yellow-hat phase) — the facilitator must enforce single-mode thinking.
• Spending too long on Black hat (risks dominate most organisational cultures) — time-box strictly.
• Skipping the Red hat — feelings drive decisions whether acknowledged or not.

Inclusion & accessibility

• The structure prevents dominant voices from controlling the narrative.
• The Red hat legitimises emotional responses, creating space for people who process emotionally.
• Colour-coded physical or digital cards make the current mode visible and accessible.
• For colourblind participants, label cards with both colour name and thinking mode.

Variations

• Two-hat debate: Only use Black and Yellow hats for a quick pros/cons assessment.
• Individual Six Hats: Each person works through all six hats in writing before group discussion.
• Six Hats retrospective: Apply one hat per team member reviewing a project outcome.

When NOT to use this

Avoid Six Thinking Hats when the group needs free-flowing, emergent dialogue (use Conversation Cafe instead). The structure can feel constraining for highly creative, divergent exploration.

Source & further reading

Developed by Edward de Bono. See *Six Thinking Hats* (1985).