* Allows express feelings and intuitions without justification or apology. “This is what I feel.”
* Provides a simple and direct way to express the thought without offending. “How about a little yellow hat thinking on this point?”
* Requires that all participants are able to use each of the hats instead of closing to only one type of thinking.
* Separate ego from performance thinking. Liberate minds able to explore a topic more thoroughly.
* Provides a practical method of extending thinking how to evaluate something.
* Avoid arguments for and against, and allows participants to collaborate in a constructive exploration.
* Make meetings more productive and entertaining.
* Removes silence and improves communication.
The method
the method is extremely simple so it works. Just use one of six imaginary hats so at different times during a meeting to talk about any topic.
You have to wear a hat at a time, so visualize one by one:
white hat
The lack of color indicates a neutral structure of the mind. The “white hat thinking” is based on facts and numbers. It is designed to be practical. It works similar to computers, ie shows only facts, not opinions. Remember that the facts must be treated at two levels: events that are believed to be true and those that are verifiable.
hat red
This hat is the opposite of white. Red is the color of love, rage and feelings. Red Hat will make it easier to express emotions and intuitions, without the need to defend or justify, it is useful to use this hat gives us permission to be emotional.
Emotions are always within us but generally we cover behind the mask of logic. However if we express them, they will color our thoughts, but do not think that we have very well hidden.
Try using the red hat at the beginning of a meeting to assess the feelings of people who are within the group – and wear the hat again at the end to see if the feelings of others changed.
Hat black
the black hat indicates care and caution. It is generally the most used. With this hat, you can identify and avoid potential difficulties early. Can help you decide whether to proceed according to plan. Considering the risks, the potential difficulties and obstacles involved in every decision. It’s too risky to persist in anything without first assessing the possible obstacles.
The black hat is the foundation of Western thought, because it always works in a logical and involves the key powers of the mind. This hat helps you better visualize what the reasons why something will not work are.
yellow hat
The color yellow symbolizes the sun and glare, indicating optimism. The yellow hat provides the counterweight to the black hat, allowing a positive evaluation of your plan or idea. Covers a range of thoughts, from the logical and practical daily use, to thoughts of grandeur, such as dreams and visions. The yellow hat is productive and works well with the green hat to generate new ideas. This hat tends to be “speculative-positive.”
Optimism means looking ahead and speculating about what might happen – positively. The way is through our plans, believe in them. Use the yellow hat to measure the potential of your plan and analyze its speculative side.
Note: Like the white and black hat, yellow requires discipline. One may not be able to see the value of an idea immediately, and that involves some effort to do so. The yellow hat looks for effectiveness and opportunity, is enabling the dreams and visions into reality.
hat green
Put on your green hat to think creatively. Green is the color of fertility and growth. When you talk with this hat on, emerging alternatives and possible solutions to problems or conflicts anticipated by the black hat.
Lateral thinking focuses on changing old patterns of thinking, so that we can generate new concepts and perceptions. Think “outside the box.”
Provocation is an essential element of lateral thinking, and that takes us out of the traditional ways, our thought patterns. Then comes in the dynamic movement that replaces the trial of yellow or black hats, with an idea to move forward and grow, generating more ideas.
Note: You also have the book De Bono Lateral Thinking, Eun book that expresses in a pleasant variety of techniques for generating innovative ideas and how to approach them. And if you want to inquire more about creative thinking and provoke you can read “Thinker Toys” by Michael Michalko (How to develop creativity in business) a book used by companies to innovate and break the routine. This book uses the UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) for its program of continuous innovation.
blue hat
This hat, cold and blue as the sky, said authority. Provides a permanent role for the group leader. With this hat you are the facilitator, responsible for defining the objective, establishing the focus and making sure rules are followed.
Use this hat at the beginning of a meeting to define what you want to accomplish in it. This will help structure the thinking process. The blue hat maintains discipline. During or at the end of a meeting, allows you to request a conclusion or a summary.
Posted in 
Tags:
I’m extremely impressed with your writing talents and also with the layout in your weblog. Is this a paid subject or did you modify it yourself? Either way keep up the excellent high quality writing, it is rare to peer a nice weblog like this one today..