The books of Edward de Bono, one of the most famous researchers of the mechanisms of creativity, are quite widely represented on the Russian market. The author has developed a method that teaches effective thinking. De Bono proposes to formalize and structure the process of thinking, which, in the author's opinion, will contribute to a better discussion of problems and subsequent decision-making. Six hats - six different ways of thinking. When we “put on” a hat of a certain color, we focus our attention on only one of the ways of thinking.

Edward de Bono. Six Hats of Thinking. - Minsk: Potpourri, 2006. - 208 p.

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The ability to think is the basis of human activity. Regardless of whether this ability is well or poorly developed in each of us, we all regularly experience dissatisfaction with the results we have achieved in this area.

The main difficulty associated with the process of thinking lies in overcoming the disorderly, spontaneous flow of our thoughts. We try to cover with our thoughts at the same time a lot, if not all, - we try to “embrace the immensity”. Every minute doubts and worries, logical constructions and creative ideas, plans for the future and memories of the past are crowded in our minds. It is as difficult for us to navigate in this whirlwind of jumping thoughts as it is for a circus performer to juggle with multi-colored balls and hoops flashing before his eyes. But you can learn both.

The assimilation of the simple idea that I bring to your attention will allow you to put things in order in the "pantry of your thoughts", help you "put them on the shelves" and provide you with the opportunity to do everything in a measured, timely manner and in strict order. This is the only way to separate logic from emotions, desired from reality, fantasies of “pure water” from “bare” facts and real plans for the future. The ability to choose the right approach to business is the idea I propose of six thinking hats.

1. The magic of reincarnation. In the pose of a thinker and think more conveniently

Imagine the figure of Rodin's The Thinker, known to all of us. Take this posture, physically or mentally, and you will become a thinker. Why? Because by playing the thinker, you become one. At the right time, your inner feelings will "catch up" with your actions. In other words: "tuning the body" will entail "tuning the spirit." This book outlines the different roles you can play.

2. Trying on a Hat: A Very Intentional Action

I want to focus your attention on intentional thinking. This is the main purpose of the thinking hat. It must be worn on purpose. We do not need to be specifically aware of the sequence of foot shifts during a walk or to regulate the rhythm of our breathing. This is background, automatic thinking. But there is another type of thinking that is much more intentional and focused. Background thinking is required in order to cope with the daily routine, copying the usual thought patterns. Intentional thinking allows you to do much better and more than just copying patterns.

It is not so easy to send ourselves a signal that we want to get out of the routine and move from a stereotyped, copying type of thinking to an intentional one. The thinking hat idiom can be such a clear and clear signal to yourself and others.

When you drive a car, you have to choose the road, follow the given direction and watch the movement of other traffic. This is reactive thinking. So, everyday thinking is very similar to driving a car: you read road signs and make decisions. But you don't make maps.

Mapping type of thinking requires a certain detachment. Ordinary - no. The reactive type of thinking works only if there is something to react to. That is why the concept of critical thinking as its most perfect form is very dangerous. There is a foolish superstition, based on a misunderstanding of the ideas of the great Greek philosophers, that thinking is based on dialogue and dialectical struggle. This mistake did the West a lot of harm. The Western habit of arguing and dialectic is vicious because it leaves aside everything innovative and creative. Critical thinking responds well to everything that is offered to it, but it can offer nothing on its own.

To cover the realm of action thinking, I coined a special term - "effectiveness". This is the ability to act - and the type of thinking that corresponds to it. The word "effectiveness" should remind you of the ability to write and count. I am quite sure that effectiveness should be as important an element of education as these two skills.

Color separation occurs when printing a color card. First, one color is applied to the paper. Then a second is printed over the first color, then a third, and so on, until finally a full-color card appears. The six thinking hats in this book correspond to the different colors used when printing a map. This is the way I propose to use to intentionally direct your attention. Thus, it is not only a matter of wearing a hat, but also what color of hat we choose.

3. Intention and its implementation

If you behave like a thinker (for example, put on a thinking hat), then you will certainly become one. Your thinking will follow your action. The game will become reality. Please note: Intention alone is not enough. You must act, behave accordingly.

Every student in Venezuela is required by law to spend two hours a week developing their mental abilities. In schools there is a special subject - "Thinking". It is studied by schoolchildren, teachers, and parents. The thinking skills that students acquire in the learning process are very important. But much more important is the idea of ​​developing thinking skills.

Using the six thinking hats described in this book is one way to increase the intention to be a thinker. If you consciously frown, intending to think, then you will not make a decision until you stop frown, and this decision will be much better than a spontaneous reaction. The Six Thinking Hats are a very powerful way to move from intention to execution.

4. Role play: vacation for the "ego"

The more intentional and artificial the role, the more it is valued. This is the secret to the success of American soap operas. One general role of thinking is divided into six different characteristic roles, represented by hats of different colors. Each time you choose which of the six hats to wear. You put on a hat of a certain color and play the role that matches it. You are looking at yourself playing this role. You try to play it the best you can. Your "ego" is protected by this role. It, as a director, monitors the good performance of the role.

5. Melancholy and other vibes

Perhaps the Greeks were right when they believed in the dependence of their moods on various bodily fluids. Many people have noticed that the thoughts that come to their mind in a state of depression are very different from those that they would have had if they were in a more joyful frame of mind.

Perhaps over time, the six different thinking hats will take on the status of a conditioned signal that activates a certain chemical mechanism in the brain, which, in turn, will affect our thinking. If we consider the brain as an active information system, we will see that its functioning is significantly different from the work of passive information systems used in computer technology. In an active system, information is organized according to the principle of patterns, and does not lie passively on the surface, waiting for some external processor to organize it.

Let's say there is a pallet with sand. A steel ball thrown at him remains where he fell. If a ball is thrown over any square of the grid, it remains directly under that square. It is a passive information system. The ball stays where it was placed.

The other pan contains a soft rubber bag filled with viscous oil. The first ball thrown to the surface gradually sinks to the bottom, bending the surface of the rubber bag under it. Now that the ball has come to rest, the surface has a contour - something like a hollow, at the bottom of which the first ball rests. The second ball rolls down the slope and stops next to the first ball. The second ball is active. It does not stay where it is placed, but follows the slope created by the first ball. All subsequent balls will roll towards the first one. A cluster is formed. Thus, we have a simple active surface that allows incoming information (balls) to be organized into a cluster.

It is the activity of neural networks that allows incoming information to be organized into patterns. It is the formation and use of such patterns that gives rise to perception. If the brain were not capable of organizing incoming information into patterns, then even something as simple as crossing a road would be next to impossible. Our brains are wired to “brilliantly” avoid all creativity. It is designed to create templates and use them unchanged in the future at any opportunity. But self-organizing systems have one huge drawback: they are limited by the sequence of past experience (history of events).

The susceptibility and sensitivity of the nervous system change under the influence of substances circulating in the body. Changing the concentration and composition of these substances leads to the use of a new template. In a sense, we have a separate brain for each initial set of substances. This suggests that emotions significantly affect our ability to think, and are not something superfluous that interferes with thinking.

People who have a hard time making decisions can guess that each of the brain chemistry makes a decision that is right for it. So both choices are correct, but for different brains. Hence the indecision.

In a state of panic or anger, people tend to behave primitively. Perhaps this is because in the brain such special chemical conditions occur so rarely that it does not have the opportunity to acquire complex response patterns. If this is true, then there is a very good reason for training people in such emotional conditions (as they always did in the army).

6. The value of the six thinking hats

First value The six hats of thinking is that they give you the opportunity to play certain roles. Basically, thinking is limited by the defensive ego, which is responsible for most of the practical errors of thinking. Hats allow us to think and talk about things that we might not otherwise think or say without gender being a threat to our ego. A clown costume gives a person the full right to act like a clown.

Second value method is to control attention. When thinking needs to go beyond just reacting, we need a way to shift our attention from one aspect to another. The six thinking hats are a way of focusing on six different aspects of the subject matter.

Third value- convenience. The symbolism of six different thinking hats allows you to ask someone (and yourself too) to “turn the arrows”. You can ask someone to show disagreement or stop being disagreeable. You can ask someone to be creative. Or retell your purely emotional reaction.

Fourth value six thinking hats - their possible connection with the chemical processes in the brain.

Fifth value is to determine the rules of the game. It is easy for people to learn them. Explaining the rules of the game is one of the most effective ways to teach children - that's why they learn the computer so easily. The six thinking hats set certain rules for the "thinking game". The essence of this game lies in its mapping, and not in the usual process of proof.

7. Six hats - six colors

White color is neutral and objective. The white hat is objective facts and figures.

Red suggests anger (eyes turn red), passion and emotion. The red hat gives emotional vision.

Black color is gloomy and deniers. The black hat justifies the negative aspects - why something is not feasible.

Yellow is a sunny and positive color. The yellow hat implies optimism and is associated with hope and positive thinking.

Green is the color of growing grass. The green hat signifies creativity and new ideas.

Blue is cold; besides, it is the color of the sky, which is above everything. The blue hat is responsible for organizing and controlling the thought process, as well as for the use of the other hats.

In addition, it is convenient to group hats into three pairs:

• white and red;
• black and yellow;
• green and blue.

8. White hat: facts and figures

Computers do not yet have emotions (although we may have to make them emotional if we want to teach them to think intelligently). We expect the computer to respond to our requests with only facts and figures. We don't expect the computer to argue with us, using facts and figures to justify its arguments. Facts and figures too often become part of the argument. Facts are more often given for a purpose than reported as they are. Facts and figures given in the framework of the argument can never be considered objectively. Thus, we really need someone who can change the course of the conversation by saying, "Just the facts, please - no arguments."

Unfortunately, in the framework of Western thinking, based on the dispute, they prefer to draw the conclusion first and only then the facts that support it. The cartographic type of thinking I have put forward is based on the fact that one should first draw up a map and only then choose the path. This means that we first need to have facts and quantitative data. Thus, white hat thinking is a convenient way to highlight a neutral and objective consideration of facts and figures.

White hat thinking becomes a practice that helps to separate facts clearly enough from their extrapolation or interpretation. It is easy to imagine that politicians might have considerable difficulty with this kind of thinking. 🙂

9. Thinking in a white hat: whose fact is this?

Much of what can pass for fact is mere commentary based on strong faith or personal conviction. Life must go on. It is impossible to test everything with the rigor of a scientific experiment. So in practice, we get something like a two-phase system: facts based on faith (beliefs) and verified facts.

The main rule of thinking in a white hat can be formulated as follows: you should not say anything with more certainty than it deserves.

Ultimately, it's all about attitude. When a person puts on a white hat, he makes neutral, "component" statements. They are laid out on the table. There is no question of using them to promote a certain point of view. As soon as the statement seems to be used for just this, the suspicion arises that the thinker has abused the role of the white hat.

10. White Hat Thinking: A Japanese Approach

The Japanese have never adopted the Western habit of arguing. The most likely explanation is that Japanese culture was not influenced by the Greek style of thinking, which was later improved by medieval monks in order to prove the fallacy of heretical views. It seems unusual to us that the Japanese do not argue. It seems unusual to the Japanese that we cherish the idea of ​​an argument.

Participants in Western-style meetings come with their own points of view. The Japanese come to meetings without preconceived ideas; the purpose of the meeting is to listen; information is presented in a white hat manner, slowly organizing into an idea; it happens in front of the participants.

The Western point of view is that the form of an idea should be forged in disputes. The Japanese point of view is that ideas are born, like the germ of a crystal, and then grow, acquiring a certain form.

We cannot change the culture. So we need some mechanism to overcome our habit of arguing. That is the purpose of the white hat. When this role is played by all participants in the meeting, its essence boils down to the following: "Let's all pretend to be Japanese at the Japanese meeting."

11. White Hat Thinking: Facts, Truth, and Philosophers

Truth and facts are not as closely related as most people might think. Truth refers to the verbal game system known as philosophy. Facts are related to verifiable experience.

The idioms "in general and in general" and "in general" are quite acceptable. To give these rather vague idioms some concreteness is the task of statistics. It is not always possible to collect data, so we often have to use a two-phase system (judgment / verified fact).

The purpose of white hat thinking is to be practical. Thinking in a white hat Not implies nothing absolute. This is the direction in which we are trying to become better.

12. White hat thinking: who wears the hat?

You may ask someone to wear a white hat, you may be asked to do the same, or you may decide to wear one yourself. White hat thinking excludes important things like suspicion, intuition, experiential judgment, and opinion. Of course, for this purpose, there is a white hat as a way to request information in its purest form.

13. White Hat Thinking: Summing Up

Imagine a computer giving out facts and data that is asked of it. The computer is dispassionate and objective. It does not offer the user any interpretations or opinions. When a person puts on a white hat, he should become like a computer.

In practice, there is a two-stage system of information. At the first stage there are verified and proven facts, at the second - facts taken for granted, but not yet fully verified, that is, the fact of the second level.

There is a spectrum of probability, limited by statements that are always true, on the one hand, and statements that are false in all cases, on the other. Between these two extremes, there are acceptable degrees of probability, such as "generally", "sometimes" and "occasionally".

14. Red hat: emotions and feelings

Red hat thinking is associated with emotions and feelings, as well as with the irrational aspects of thinking. The red hat is a certain channel through which you can throw it all out and make it a legitimate part of the overall map.

A person who wants to express his feelings should reach for a red hat. This hat gives the official right to express emotions, premonitions, etc. The red hat never obliges you to justify or explain your feelings. Wearing a red hat, you can play the role of an emotional thinker who reacts and feels rather than makes rational moves.

15. Red Hat Thinking: The Role of Emotions

According to the traditional view, emotions get in the way of thinking. At the same time, a good decision should end with emotions. I attach particular importance to the final stage. Emotions give meaning to the thought process and tailor it to our needs and current context.

Emotions can affect thinking in three ways. Thinking can occur against a background of strong feelings of fear, anger, hatred, suspicion, envy, or love. This background limits and distorts any perception. In the second case, emotions arise from initial sensations. You feel offended, and therefore all thoughts about your offender are colored by this feeling. You feel (perhaps wrongly) that someone is saying something for their own benefit, and therefore do not believe his words. The third moment when emotions can rise to the stage is when the map of the situation has already been drawn up. Such a card should also reflect the emotions caused by putting on a red hat. Emotions - including the desire for one's own benefit - are used when choosing a path on the map. Every decision has its own value. We emotionally respond to value. Our reaction to the value of freedom is emotional (especially if we have previously been deprived of freedom).

It should be remembered that a person, in the depths of his mind, may decide to put on the red hat of thinking. This allows you to bring your emotions to the surface in a legitimate way.

16. Red Hat Thinking: Intuition and Premonitions

The word intuition is used in two senses. The first is intuition as a sudden insight. This means that something previously understood in one way suddenly begins to be understood in another way. This may result in a creative act, a scientific discovery, or the solution of a mathematical problem. Another use of the word "intuition" implies an instantaneous grasp and understanding of a situation. It is the result of a complex judgment based on experience, a judgment that may not be classified or even verbalized.

Obviously, all successful scientists, successful entrepreneurs and successful generals have the ability to "feel" the situation. We say about an entrepreneur that he has a “smell for money”.

We can try to analyze the reasons behind the intuitive judgment, but we are unlikely to achieve complete success. If we cannot verbally articulate our reasons, should we trust judgment? It will be difficult to make a large investment based on a premonition. It is best to consider intuition as part of the map.

You can treat intuition the way someone treats advisors. If the EA has been reliable in the past, we are more likely to pay more attention to the suggested tips. If intuition has been right on many occasions, we may be more inclined to listen to it.

Intuition can also be used on the principle of "you will win in something, but you will lose in something." Intuition may not always be correct, but if it was more often right than wrong, then the overall result will be positive.

17. Red Hat Thinking: Case by Case

Red hat feelings can be expressed at any time during a meeting, discussion, or discussion. These feelings may be directed towards changing the course of the meeting itself, or simply be the subject of discussion.

The need to “put on” a red hat reduces the arguments in the discussion process. No one will put on a red hat whenever he feels like he has been treated with some slight. Once the red hat idiom is internalized by the participants, expressing emotional points of view without this formality will seem rude to them. The red hat idiom should not be exaggerated and exalted to the point of absurdity. It is not necessary to formally use the idiom every time a feeling is expressed.

18. Red Hat Thinking: Using Emotions

Thinking can change emotions. This is not the logical part of thinking, which changes emotions, but its perceptual [sensory] part. If our vision of an issue changes, emotions can also change.

Expressed emotions can create a permanent background for thinking or discussion. There is a constant awareness of this emotional background. Decisions and plans are seen against this backdrop. From time to time it is useful to change the emotional background and see how everything will look in a new light.

Often resort to emotions to establish the subject of bargaining. The principle of variable value lies at the heart of all bargaining. For one of the parties, something may have one value, and for the other - another. These values ​​can be expressed directly through the wearing of a red hat.

19. Red Hat Thinking: The Language of Emotions

The hardest part about wearing the red hat of thinking is to resist the temptation to justify the expressed feelings. Red hat thinking makes this optional.

20. Red Hat Thinking: Summing Up

The red hat legitimizes emotions and feelings as an important part of thinking. The red hat makes feelings visible so they can become part of the mind map and also part of the value system that chooses the path on the map. The brim hat allows you to explore the feelings of others: you can ask them to express their point of view by wearing a red hat. The red hat covers two broad types of feelings. Firstly, these are familiar, familiar emotions - from strong (fear and dislike) to almost imperceptible, such as suspicion. Secondly, these are complex judgments: premonition, intuition, taste, aesthetic feeling and other subtle types of feelings.

21. Black hat: what's wrong here?

It should be said that most people - both familiar with this technique and not - will feel most comfortable in a black hat. The reason lies in the Western emphasis on proof and criticism. It may seem surprising, but there is a whole body of opinion that the wearing of a black hat is the main function of thinking. Unfortunately, this completely excludes the creative and constructive aspects of thinking.

Black hat thinking is always logical. It is negative, but not emotional. Emotional negativity is the prerogative of the red hat (which also includes emotional positivity). Thinking in a black hat reveals the dark (black) side of things, but it is always logical blackness. In a red hat, you do not need to justify negative feelings. But with a black hat, you should always make logical arguments. In fact, one of the greatest values ​​of the Six Thinking Hats is the clear separation of the emotionally negative from the logically negative.

The black hat represents logical negativity: why something will not work (logical positivity - why it will work - is substituted by the yellow hat). The tendency of the mind to be negative is so strong that it must have its own hat. A person should be able to be purely negative.

The specificity of the black hat frees you from the need to be fair and see both sides of the situation. When a person puts on a black hat, he can give full power to denial. By focusing on the negative, the black hat actually limits negativity. A person can be asked to take off his black hat - this will be a clear and distinct signal of switching from negative to positive.

22. Black Hat Thinking: Essence and Method

Like red hat thinking, black hat thinking can be about the subject itself (which is covered in the next section) or about the subject (thinking about it).

As I wrote in Practical Thinking, a proof is often nothing more than a lack of imagination. This applies to mathematics, law, philosophy, and most other closed systems. In practice, one of the best means of identifying a logical fallacy is to offer an alternative explanation or possibility. It should always be kept in mind that black hat thinking is never a proof process.

23. Black Hat Thinking: Future and Past Essences

We looked at the black hat method of thinking. Now let's move on to the essence. Are the facts true? Are they relevant? Facts are voiced under a white hat, and disputed under a black one. The intention of the man in the black hat is not to create as much doubt as possible, as a lawyer does in court, but to point out weaknesses in an objective way. There is a huge layer of experience that is not reflected in the data and indicators. Black hat thinking can point out where a sentence or statement contradicts such an experience. Most negative questions can be formulated in the form of such a phrase: "I see the danger in that ..."

How to resist the negative flow that gives rise to thinking in a black hat? The first way is to remember that this is more of a mapping exercise than an argumentative situation. The solution lies in noticing the flaw and acknowledging it. The second way is to acknowledge the flaw, but offer a parallel view that it is unlikely to happen. The third way is to recognize the danger and suggest a way to avoid it. The fourth way is to deny the value of danger, that is, to put on a black hat in order to evaluate the judgments of another person in a black hat. The fifth way is to offer an alternative point of view and put it next to the existing "black" view.

24. Black Hat Thinking: Indulging Negativity

Negative thinking is attractive: proving someone wrong gives instant gratification. Attacking an idea gives you an instant sense of superiority. The praising of the same idea seems to lower the praising creator of the idea lower.

25. Black Hat Thinking: Positive or Negative First?

The argument that black hat should always come first is that in this way unworkable ideas are rejected quickly and immediately, and not much time is spent thinking about them. Defining negative frames is just the usual way of thinking for most people. In many cases, this method works quickly and effectively. If competence is more important to us than achievement of goals, imposing a negative frame saves time. However, in any new proposal, it is much easier to see the defects than the merits. Thus, if we use the black hat at the beginning, we will most likely not accept any new offer. So, when dealing with new ideas and changes, it is better to use the yellow hat first and then the black hat.

Once an idea has been articulated, black hat thinking can go in two directions. The first task is to assess the viability of the idea. Once it has been established that an idea has a right to exist, black hat thinking seeks to improve it, pointing out the errors. The black hat doesn't care about solving the problem - it only points out the problem.

26. Black Hat Thinking: Summing Up

The black hat is used for negative assessments. The black hat also points out the reasons why something won't work, emphasizing risk and danger. The black hat is not an instrument of argument. Black hat thinking is the evaluation of an idea based on past experience, the purpose of which is to see how well it fits with what is already known.

27. Yellow hat: based on positive

A positive attitude is a choice. We can choose to take a positive view of things. We can only focus on the positive aspects of the situation. We can look for profit.

Positive thinking should be a mixture of curiosity, the pleasures of greed, and the desire to get things done. I called this irresistible desire to turn ideas into reality the main feature of successful people.

Any plan or action from under the yellow hat is designed for the future. It is in the future that they will bear fruit. We can never be as sure about the future as we are about the past, so we can only speculate. We decide to do something because it makes sense. It is our appreciation of the situation as having value that is the positive aspect.

Usually people are positive about ideas in which they see an immediate benefit for themselves. Self-interest is a solid foundation for positive thinking. But yellow hat thinking should not wait for such motivation. First put on the yellow hat, and then follow its requirements: to be optimistic, to have a positive attitude towards the subject of reflection.

Although yellow hat thinking is positive, it requires the same discipline as a white or black hat. It's not just a matter of a positive evaluation of something that catches the eye. This is a thorough search for the positive. Sometimes this search is in vain. 🙁

You might object that if the positive aspect is not obvious, it really can't be worth much. This is a wrong perception. There may be very strong positive aspects, generally invisible at first glance. That's how entrepreneurs work: they see value where others haven't seen it yet. The value and benefit is by no means always obvious.

28. Yellow Hat Thinking: Positive Spectrum

There are people whose optimism comes to stupidity. They are able to see the positive side even in the most hopeless situations. For example, some seriously expect to win a big prize in the lottery and seem to build their lives on it. At what point does optimism become stupidity, stupid hope? Should yellow hat thinking be stripped of its limits? Can the yellow hat disregard probability? Should this sort of thing be exclusively under the jurisdiction of black hat thinking?

The positive spectrum ranges between the two extremes of over-optimism and logical practicality. We have to be careful with this spectrum. History is full of impractical attitudes and dreams that inspired people to the effort that eventually made those dreams a reality. If we limit our yellow hat thinking to what sounds right and is already known, it will not make progress.

The key point is to try to evaluate the consequences of an optimistic approach. If they are nothing more than hope (like the hope of winning a prize in the lottery or the hope of a miracle that will save the business), this approach may not be appropriate. If optimism leads to movement in the chosen direction, then everything becomes more complicated. Over-optimism usually leads to failure, but not always. Those who expect to succeed succeed.

As with other thinking hats, the purpose of the yellow hat is to color an imaginary thought map. For this reason, optimistic proposals should be noticed and mapped. However, it is worth labeling such sentences with a rough estimate of probability.

29. Yellow Hat Thinking: Rationale and Logical Support

Should the man in the yellow hat give reasons for optimism? If no justification is given, a "good" attitude can likewise be placed under the red hat as a feeling, hunch, hunch. Yellow hat thinking has to go much further. The yellow hat covers positive judgments. The thinker in the yellow hat must do all he can to justify his optimism as best he can. But thinking in the yellow hat should not be limited to statements that can be fully explained. In other words, every effort should be made to justify optimism, but if such efforts are unsuccessful, the opinion can still be expressed as a guess.

30. Yellow Hat Thinking: Constructive Thinking

Constructive thinking belongs to the yellow hat because all constructive thinking is positive in its relation to the object. Suggestions are made to improve things. This might be a solution to the problem. Or an improvement on something. Or taking advantage of an opportunity. In any case, the proposal is put forward to bring about some positive change.

One aspect of yellow hat thinking involves reciprocal thinking. This is an aspect of the positive evaluation, which is the opposite of the black hat negative evaluation. The man in the yellow hat finds the positive aspects of the proposed idea, just as the man in the black hat chooses the negative aspects.

Thus, yellow hat thinking is the generation of proposals, as well as their positive evaluation. Between these two aspects there is a third - the development, or "construction" of the proposal. This is more than just evaluation of the proposal - it is further construction. The proposal has been modified, improved and strengthened. As part of the third aspect, there is a correction for the shortcomings that were noticed while wearing the yellow hat. As I said before, black hat can reveal defects, but is not responsible for correcting them.

31. Yellow Hat Thinking: Speculation

Thinking and the yellow hat goes beyond judgments and suggestions. This certain attitude is the hope for a favorable outcome, ahead of the situation. In practice, there is a big difference between an objective judgment and the intention to find positive value. It is this striving for something that I designate by the word speculation. A speculative yellow hat approach to thinking should always start with thinking only about possibilities. Speculative thinking should always start with the best possible scenario. Thus, it is possible to evaluate the maximum possible benefit from the idea. If the value of an idea is low in the best-case scenario, then the idea is not worth doing. The probability of the result can then be assessed. Ultimately, black hat thinking can indicate areas of doubt.

Part of the function of the yellow hat is to explore the positive equivalent of risk, which we call opportunity. The speculative aspect of yellow hat thinking is also related to insight. Any planning starts with an idea. The excitement and stimulus that the idea provides goes far beyond objective judgment. The idea sets the direction for thinking and action.

32. Thinking in a yellow hat: attitude towards creativity

Yellow hat thinking is not directly related to creativity. The creative aspect of thinking is directly related to the green hat. Creativity is about change, innovation, invention, new ideas and alternatives. A person can be a great thinker in a yellow hat, but at the same time unable to produce new ideas. Applying old ideas effectively is the realm of yellow hat thinking. Efficiency rather than novelty distinguishes yellow hat thinking. Just as the scoop hat can highlight a mistake and give the yellow hat an opportunity to correct it, the yellow hat can see an opportunity in something and let the green hat come up with an original way to use the opportunity.

33. Yellow Hat Thinking: Let's Summarize

The yellow hat is used for positive evaluation. It covers a positive spectrum, ranging from the logical and practical, on the one hand, to dreams, plans and hopes, on the other. The yellow hat mind is looking for an opportunity to give a justified optimistic view. Yellow hat thinking can be speculative and opportunity seeking, as well as dreaming and planning.

34. Green Hat: Creative and Lateral Thinking

Green is the color of fertility and growth. Wearing a green hat, a person goes beyond the old ideas to find something better. The green hat is about change. There may be more need to use the green hat than the others. Creative thinking may require provocative statements with deliberately irrational ideas. In this case, we need to somehow explain to others that we are deliberately playing the role of a jester or clown, trying to provoke the birth of new concepts. If we are not talking about provocations, but about new ideas, a green hat is needed to protect the tender shoots of the new from the cold emanating from the black hat.

The idiom of creative thinking is not easy for most people to understand. Most people like to feel safe. They like it when they are right. Creativity implies provocativeness, the ability to explore and take risks. A green hat alone cannot make people more creative. However, it can give a person the time and opportunity to concentrate so that he can show his creative potential.

From the green hat we cannot demand the end result. All we can ask of her is a contribution to our reflections. We can devote some time to generating new ideas. Despite this, a person may not come up with anything new. Only the time spent searching matters. You cannot order yourself (or others) to come up with a new idea, but you can order yourself (or others) to spend some time looking for a new idea. The green hat gives a formal opportunity to do so.

35. Green Hat Thinking: Lateral Thinking

I coined the term lateral thinking in 1967, and now even the Oxford English Dictionary indicates that the word was coined by me. The term lateral thinking should have been introduced for two reasons. The first is a very broad and somewhat vague meaning of the word creative. Lateral thinking is narrower and concerns changing concepts and perceptions; these are historically conditioned stereotypes of thinking and behavior patterns. The second reason is that lateral thinking is based directly on the behavior of information in self-organizing information systems. Lateral thinking is the rearrangement of patterns in an asymmetric pattern system.

Just as logical thinking is based on the behavior of symbolic language, lateral thinking is based on the behavior of template systems. Lateral thinking has the same basis as humor. Both depend on the asymmetric nature of perceptual patterns. This is the basis for a sudden leap or insight, after which something becomes clear.

A huge part of our thought culture has to do with "processing." To do this, we have developed excellent systems, including mathematics, statistics, data processing, language and logic. But all of them can work only on words, symbols and relations provided by perception. It is perception that reduces the complex world around us to these forms. It is in this area of ​​perception that lateral thinking works and tries to change established patterns.

36. Green Hat Thinking: Movement Instead of Judgment

Thinking in the usual way, we use judgments. How does this idea fit in with what I already know? How does it fit in with my experience models? We reason that it is appropriate, or point out why it is not appropriate. Critical thinking and black hat thinking assess how well a sentence fits into what we already know.

We can call this the reversed idea effect. We look back on our past experiences to evaluate an idea. Just as the description must fit the object itself, we expect ideas to fit our knowledge. How else could we say that they are correct? Thinking with a green hat, we must apply another idiom: we replace judgment with "movement". Movement is not just the absence of judgment. Movement is the use of an idea for its effect of moving forward. We want to see where it takes us.

37. Green Hat Thinking: The Need for Provocation

Reports of scientific discoveries always look like the discovery procedure was logical and consistent. Sometimes that's how it is. In other cases, the step-by-step logic is just looking back in order to assess the mistakes made in the work. There was a mistake or an accident, which became a provocation that caused a new idea to appear. Antibiotics were discovered as a result of contamination of experimental dishes with penicillin mold. They say that Columbus decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean only because he made a serious mistake when calculating the distance around the world based on the data of an ancient treatise.

Nature itself creates such provocations. It can never be expected that provocation will happen by itself, since thinking excludes it. Its role is to pull thinking out of the patterns that have developed by this time. We can sit and wait for provocations, or we can decide to create them on purpose. This is exactly what happens when the method of lateral thinking is applied. The ability to use provocations is an essential part of lateral thinking.

Many years ago I coined the word By as a symbol denoting an idea expressed as a provocation and for the sake of its driving value. You can decrypt if you want. By as a "provocative operation". By acts as a white flag of truce. If someone came up to the castle walls waving a white flag, it would be against the rules to shoot at him. Similarly, if an idea was expressed under the protection By, to shoot her with a judgment born under a black hat will prove to be a violation of the rules of the game.

…A polluting factory must be downstream from its outlet.

This provocation gave birth to a new idea that a factory built on the banks of the river should use water already polluted by its own activities for its own needs. Thus, the factory would be the first to experience the effects of its own environmental pollution.

As we move forward from provocation, three things can happen. We probably won't be able to make any movement at all. We can return to regular patterns. Or switch to using a new template.

There are also formal ways to create a provocation. For example, one of the easiest ways to get a provocation is a statement by contradiction. A very easy way to cause a provocation is to use a random word. To many people, it will probably seem unheard of that a random word can help solve a problem. Randomness suggests that the word is not directly related to the problem. However, from the point of view of the logic of asymmetric template systems, it is not difficult to see what effect a word chosen at random has. It becomes a new starting point. Reflections for which a random word has served as a starting point may develop in a way that is impossible for reflections that are directly related to the problem.

38. Green Hat Thinking: Alternatives

In a math class at school, you calculate the sum and get the answer. Then move on to the next task. It makes no sense to spend more time on the first sum, because you already got the right answer and you won’t be able to find a better one. For many people, this attitude to thinking persists in later life. They stop thinking as soon as they find a solution to a problem. They are satisfied with the first suitable answer. However, real life is very different from school tasks. Usually there is not one, but more answers. Some solutions fit better than others: they are more reliable, more realistic, or less expensive. There is no reason to believe that the first answer is better than the other possible ones.

We consider alternatives and look for other solutions, we can choose the best of them. The search for alternative solutions is really the search for the best solution. Understanding alternatives suggests that there is usually more than one way of doing things and more than one way of looking at things. Various lateral thinking techniques are aimed at finding new alternatives.

Many people believe that logical thinking reveals all possible alternatives. This is true for closed systems, but does not always work in real situations.

Every time we look for an alternative, we do so within a certain level. As a rule, we want to stay within these limits. From time to time we need to challenge the limits and move to a higher level.

…You asked me about alternative ways to load onto trucks. I want to tell you that it is much more profitable to send your products by train.

By all means challenge existing limits and change the level from time to time. But also be prepared to find an alternative solution within a certain level. Creativity gets a bad rap when creative people propose a solution to a problem other than the one they were given. The dilemma remains real: when to work within the given limits, and when to go beyond them.

39. Green Hat Thinking: Personality and Ability

I don't like the idea of ​​creative thinking as a special gift. I prefer to think of creativity as a normal and natural part of everyone's thinking. I don't think you can change a person's personality. But I am sure that if the “logic” of a creative approach is explained to a person, then this can forever change his attitude towards creativity. No one likes to be considered "one-sided". A thinker who looks great in a black hat would like to look at least passable in a green one. The black hat expert doesn't need to feel like he has to reduce his negative attitude in order to be creative. When he is negative, he can be just as negative as before (compare this with trying to change personality). Creative thinking is usually in a weak position because it is not considered as a necessary component of thinking. Such a formality as a green hat elevates it to the rank of the same recognized part of thinking as other aspects of it.

40. Green hat thinking: what happens to ideas?

I attended a lot of creative sessions where a lot of good ideas were born. However, at the final stage, many of these ideas were ignored by the participants. We tend to pay attention only to the final, reasonable solution. Everything else we ignore. But all these cases should be noticed. It should be part of the creative process to frame an idea and fit it for some purpose so that it gets closer to satisfying two needs. The first need is the need of the situation. An attempt to formalize an idea and make it workable. This is achieved by introducing limiters, which are used as shaping pulses.

The second set of needs to be satisfied are the needs of the people who are going to act on the idea. Unfortunately, this world is not perfect. It would be nice if everyone could see in the idea the brilliance and potential that are obvious to the author of this idea. This is not always the case. Thus, part of the creative process is to frame the idea in such a way that it better suits the needs of those who need to "buy" it.

In some of my writings, I have suggested the role of concept manager. This is the one who is responsible for stimulating ideas, collecting them and looking after them. This is the person who would organize the idea generation sessions. He would put problems under the noses of those who have to solve them. This is a person who would follow ideas in the same way that a financial manager would follow finances.

The next stage is the yellow hat stage. It includes the constructive development of an idea, as well as a positive evaluation and search for co-benefits and values. What follows is black hat thinking. At any stage, a white hat can be worn to provide the data needed to evaluate an idea. The final stage is red hat thinking: do you like this idea enough to keep working with it? It may seem strange that the emotional judgment is made at the end. But this is precisely what gives hope that the emotional assessment will be based on the results of a careful study of the black and yellow hats. In the end, if there is no enthusiasm, the idea will most likely not succeed, no matter how good it may be.

41. Green Hat Thinking: Let's Summarize

The green hat is associated with creative thinking. Finding alternative solutions is a fundamental aspect of green hat thinking. There is a need to go beyond the known, the obvious, and the satisfactory. When needed to take a creative break, the green hat thinker interrupts the discussion anywhere to consider whether alternative solutions currently exist. Within green hat thinking, the concept of movement is used instead of the concept of judgment. Provocation is an important part of green hat thinking and is denoted by the word By. It is used to take us beyond our usual thought patterns. Lateral thinking is a complex of attitudes, concepts and techniques (including movement, provocation and By) designed to break patterns in self-organizing asymmetric pattern systems.

42. Blue hat: mind control

Putting on the blue hat, we no longer think about the object; we begin to think about the thinking required to study this object. The blue hat does to thinking what a conductor does to an orchestra. When wearing the blue thinking hat, we tell ourselves (or others) which of the five hats to wear.

The time of argument provides a moment for a person to think. This is why many people find it easier to think in a group than alone. Thinking alone requires structuring the blue hat. If we are going to use the cartographic type of thinking, we need to have structure. Offense and defense can no longer form a structure.

43. Blue Hat Thinking: Focusing

Focusing is one of the key roles of the blue hat. Focus can be wide or narrow. Wide focus can have several specific focus objects. An important aspect of attention is that it must be voiced in a certain manner. Blue hat thinking should be used to determine the purpose of concentration. The time spent thinking about thinking is not wasted. Asking a question is the easiest way to focus thinking.

44. Blue Hat Thinking: Programming

Computers have software that guides them in every given situation. Computers cannot work without software. One of the functions of blue hat thinking is to develop software for thinking about a particular issue.

If the topic causes violent emotions, it would make sense to put the red hat first on the program. This would bring feelings to the surface and make them visible. Without a red hat, each person would try to express their emotions not directly, but through additional means, such as a black hat. As soon as emotions appear, a person will be freed from them. The next step would be to put on a white hat.

Now, with the magic of the blue hat, all available offers should be brought together into an official list. After that, proposals can be divided into categories: proposals requiring individual evaluation; proposals requiring further development; suggestions that should simply be taken into account.

Now one could combine the three approaches, using white, yellow and green hats to consider each proposal and take it to the next level. This is the phase of constructive thinking.

Now you need to put on a black hat, which currently plays the role of a sieve. The purpose of the black hat is to indicate the impossibility of implementing certain alternative options.

45. Blue Hat Thinking: Generalizations and Conclusions

The man in the blue hat is looking at the thinking hat that is currently on the stage. He is a choreographer, but also a critic who follows what is happening. The man in the blue hat does not drive the car on the road, but watches the driver. He also pays attention to the choice of route. Wearing a blue hat, we make comments about what we observe. From time to time the thinker in the blue hat will review what has been going on and what has been achieved. It is he who stands at the blackboard to make a list of alternative solutions found.

46. ​​Blue Hat Thinking: Control and Monitoring

At any meeting, the chairman automatically acts as a blue hat. He maintains order and ensures that the agenda is followed. It is possible to give the role of the bearer of the blue hat to someone other than the chairman. Then the man in the blue hat will monitor the thinking within the limits set by the chairman. The wearer of the blue hat makes sure everyone else sticks to the rules of the game.

In practice, different hats overlap each other very often, and there is no need to be too pedantic about this. Yellow and green hats can change very quickly. White and red hats overlap due to the fact that facts are mixed with opinions about them. It is also impractical to change hats every time someone makes a remark. The important thing is that when a certain mode of thinking is established, thinkers must consciously make an effort to think in this way. One of the main tasks of control by the wearer of the blue hat will be the suppression of disputes.

47. Thinking in a blue hat: summing up

The blue hat is the hat of control. The man in the blue hat organizes thinking. He expresses ideas about the forms of thinking necessary to study the topic. The thinker in the blue hat is like the conductor of the orchestra: it is he who announces when it is necessary to put on this or that hat. The thinker in the blue hat determines the object to which thinking should be directed. The blue hat brings focus. It serves to identify problems and ask questions.

Conclusion

The greatest enemy of thinking is complexity, because it leads to confusion. When thoughts are clear and simple, it is pleasurable and more effective. The concept of the six thinking hats is very easy to understand. It is also very easy to apply. Obviously, this idiom will work if everyone in the organization is familiar with the rules of the game. For example, all those who are accustomed to meet to discuss certain issues should learn the meaning of various hats. A concept works best when it becomes something like a common language.

In 2010 Potpourri published this book under the title "Mind Control". I just read it...

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Edward de Bono's The Six Thinking Hats is a unique work by one of the brightest experts in the field of creativity. She talks about an effective way that both adults and children can use. The six hats refer to different ways of thinking: critical, optimistic, and others. The essence of the method outlined in the book is to "try on" each of the headgear and learn to think from different positions. In addition, practical recommendations are given on when which thinking is effective and where it can be applied to emerge victorious from any intellectual battle.

This book instantly won an army of fans and was able to help millions of people learn to think in a new way: correctly, efficiently and creatively.

About Edward de Bono

Edward de Bono is a well-known specialist in philosophy, a man who has several doctoral degrees in medicine. He has worked at the universities of Harvard, London, Cambridge and Oxford.

Edward de Bono became most famous after he managed to prove that creativity is one of the necessary characteristics in self-organizing information systems. In his 1969 work The Principle of the Mind, he showed that the neural networks of the brain have a formative effect on the asymmetric patterns that are the basis of perception. According to professor of physics Murray Gell-Mann, this book has become decisive for decades in those areas of mathematics that are associated with the theory of chaos, nonlinear and self-organizing systems. De Bono's research provided the basis for the concept and tools.

Summary of the book "Six Thinking Hats"

The book consists of several introductory chapters, twenty-four chapters, revealing the main theme, the final part and a block of notes. Next, we will look at a few basic provisions of the method of Edward de Bono.

Introduction

blue hat

The sixth hat differs from the rest in its purpose - it is needed not to work on the content, but in order to manage the entire process of work and implementation of the idea. It is usually used at the very beginning of a method to determine upcoming actions, and then at the end to summarize and set new goals.

Four types of hat use

The use of six hats is effective, as already mentioned, in the process of any mental work, in any area and at various stages. For example, in the personal sphere, the method can help, evaluate something, find a way out of a difficult situation, and so on.

When used in groups, the technique can be considered as a variety. In addition, it can be used to resolve conflicts and, again, in planning or evaluation. It can also be used as part of a training program.

It will not be superfluous to note that the Six Thinking Hats method is used in their work by such companies as DuPont, Pepsico, IBM, British Airways and others.

Four types of application of six hats:

• Put on a hat
• Take off your hat
• change hat
• label thinking

Method Rules

In a collaborative setting, the Six Thinking Hats method relies on a moderator to manage the process and enforce discipline. The moderator is always under the blue hat, takes notes and summarizes the results.

The facilitator, starting the process, introduces all participants to the general principles of the method and indicates the required solution of the problem, for example: “Our competitors have offered us a partnership in the field ... What to do?”.

The process begins with all participants putting on the same hat together and evaluating the situation in turn, from an angle that matches a particular hat. The order in which the hats are put on does not really matter, but you still need to follow some kind of order.

You can, for example, try to do this:

The discussion of the topic begins with a white hat, because. all available information, figures, conditions, data, etc. are collected. Then this information is discussed in a negative way (black hat), and even if the situation has many advantages, there may still be disadvantages - they need to be found. After that, you need to find all the positive features (yellow hat).

As soon as the problem has been considered from every angle and the maximum amount of data has been collected for subsequent analysis, you need to put on a green hat. This will allow you to see new features outside of the already available offers. It is important to strengthen the positive aspects and weaken the negative ones. Each of the participants can put forward their own proposal.

Further, new ideas are subjected to another analysis - the black and yellow hats are put on again. But it is very important to give the participants the opportunity to defuse from time to time (red hat). However, this should happen infrequently and for a short time. Thus, by trying on all six hats using a different sequence, over time you will have a chance to find the most optimal sequence, which you will follow.

At the conclusion of group parallel thinking, the moderator should summarize and provide the participants with the results. It is important that he keeps all the work under control and does not allow participants to be in several hats at the same time - this is the only way to ensure that ideas and thoughts do not get confused.

The Six Thinking Hats method can be applied in a slightly different way: each of the participants can be in a different hat, in the process. But in such a situation, hats should be distributed in such a way that they do not fit the type of participants. For example, an optimist can try on a black hat, an avid critic can try on a yellow one, an unemotional person can try on a red one, an idea generator can try on a green one, etc. This allows participants to maximize their potential.

Naturally, the Six Hats of Thinking method can be used by one person to solve various problems and find answers to some questions. Then the man himself changes hats, each time thinking from a new position.

Finally

You can learn more about how Edward de Bono's technique is used, as well as study all its features without exception, by reading the wonderful book "Six Thinking Hats". Be sure that after reading it, your personal productivity will increase to the maximum.

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Without out-of-the-box thinking and new concepts, moving forward is impossible.

Edward de Bono

The prerequisite for the emergence of the method was the belief that human thinking in the process of life gradually becomes one-sided, acquires stereotypes. This is due to many factors: cultural and social environment, religion, education, instilled ideas about logic, morality, etc. In addition, thought processes are also associated with the mood of the person himself, his emotions, intuition.

Based on all of the above, E. de Bono proposed 6 ways that can disrupt the state of thinking and decision-making that is habitual for the brain. They are based on the consideration of any problem from different angles. It would seem, what could be easier? But here is just the first fly in the ointment - these ways of organizing thinking, "hats", are not natural. The technique first needs to be learned and only having received the necessary experience, “try on” for yourself.

The 6 Hats Method is a psychological role-playing game. A hat of a certain color means a separate mode of thinking, and by putting it on, a person turns on this mode. This is necessary to form a holistic opinion about the problem, since, as mentioned above, we most often think about it, which does not contribute to the completeness of the picture. Also, the de Bono technique allows you to resolve work confrontations and disputes. The ability to look at the subject of discussion from different angles is the key to success. The technique itself requires focusing on various aspects, which means it develops. As a conclusion, we emphasize that, globally, six hats can be applied in any field related to mental work.

How to use the tool

E. de Bono, speaking about the practice of applying his method, notes the following. Decisions are born out of controversy, and in it the opinion that is more successfully defended, and not the one that takes into account the interests of the entire team or possible advantages, often wins. Based on this observation, the author of the technique proposed a significantly different approach - parallel thinking, where six hats are a tool to achieve it. The bottom line is that the problem should be considered not in the struggle of arguments and ideas, but in their unity. In other words, the technique implies choosing the best not by clashing ideas in order to choose the most powerful and viable, but their parallel peaceful coexistence, in which they are evaluated sequentially, independently of each other.

Figuratively, the application of the technique of six hats can be represented as a drawing with multi-colored pencils. A colorful picture is obtained only when you use the entire gamut of colors. So in the case of the de Bono method - a complete vision of the situation comes after all six hats have been put on in turn:

white hat. When trying on this headgear, we focus on the data at our disposal. We are trying to understand what information is missing, where to find it, how to use already known facts and conclusions to solve the problem.

The white hat is, in fact, a retrospective method of cognition that is used to identify cause-and-effect relationships and patterns in the development of phenomena.

red hat. Putting it on, we turn on intuition and feelings. What is your inner voice telling you? Intuitive guesses and feelings at this stage are very important, because they allow you to judge the emotional background and attitude to the problem through the prism of human feelings. If the discussion is collective, it is important to try to understand the answers of other people, the driving forces and background of the solutions they proposed. To do this, everyone needs to be truthful and sincere, not to hide their real feelings and experiences.

Black hat. In it you have to be a pessimist, but with a healthy dose of criticism. The proposed solutions to the problem are evaluated for possible risks in the future, further development of difficult and unforeseen situations. Try to find weaknesses in each idea and pay attention to them. The black hat should be used primarily by those who have already achieved success and are used to thinking positively, because it is often such people who tend to underestimate the expected difficulties.

yellow hat. It is the opposite of black and implies an optimistic, positive outlook on the problem. Highlight the strengths and benefits of each solution. This is especially important if all options seem rather gloomy.

green hat responsible for creativity, the search for unusual ideas and extraordinary views. No assessments of previously proposed solutions, only their further development by any available means (, and other activation tools).

blue hat not directly related to decision making. It is put on by the leader - the one who sets goals at the beginning and sums up the work at the end. He manages the whole process - gives the floor to everyone, monitors compliance with the subject.

More details about each hat and related actions and rules.

Examples of using the six hats method

How does the technique work? Let's look at an example with a simulated situation taken from one English-language forum.

A certain construction company planned to build a new office building, but was not sure of the eventual success. They decided to hold a meeting on this subject, resorting to the method of six thinking hats. During the fitting of the white hat, the participants analyzed the state of the market, studied reports and economic forecasts, as a result of which they established a downward trend in the number of vacant office space and an increase in the number of companies interested in renting.

At the same time, some of the participants, wearing a red hat, expressed misgivings about the proposed design of the building, considering it ugly and questioning bold predictions about the relevance of demand. With a black hat, the company representatives considered the likely risks if economic growth forecasts do not materialize and a cyclical downturn sets in. Possible losses from the situation were calculated if part of the premises remains unrented.

However, wearing the yellow hat, the participants concluded that the possibility of negative consequences is minimal, since the forecasts are confirmed by real macroeconomic indicators, and the design of the building can be changed to make it more attractive to potential customers. When working with the green hat, proposals and ideas about architectural details were collected, it was decided to make several floors with increased comfort and service forVIP-companies. Throughout the discussion, the chairman with the blue hat kept an eye out for criticism of ideas and switching between hats.

This is how the algorithm works with this technique. There are more specific examples: in particular, the six-hat method was successfully applied by the Australian brand of swimwear and sports accessories "Speedo" to solve the problem of protruding parts of swimsuits, which reduced the speed of the swimmer.

Everything in a person should be harmonious: body, inner world, thinking. Unfortunately, sometimes, one of these components fails, and then fatigue appears, and the surrounding world, the inability to concentrate on one lesson for a long time and bring the matter to the end.

The outstanding psychologist of the 20th century Edward de Bono and his method

Often people of creative professions face a similar problem. The solution to this problem, at one time came to grips with the writer and psychologist, an Englishman by birth - Edward de Bono.

The future expert in the field of creative thinking was born in 1933. He studied at Oxford, Trinity College, Cambridge and the University of Dundee. He holds a master's degree in psychology, a doctorate in medicine, and a doctorate in law.

In the 1980s, the book Six Thinking Hats was published. It describes in a very accessible way the principles of thinking displayed in the human brain.

The 6 Hats Method is one of the most productive ways to help organize your thinking. The book deals with auxiliary techniques that allow structuring collective, personal mental activity and making it as productive as possible.

And recently, this method has been very popular, since with it you can find new, original answers to the tasks.

Principle of the six hats method

The basis of the method of the author of the book is the principle of parallel thinking. As you know, this or that judgment follows from disputes and discussions. Such an approach does not guarantee the veracity and reliability of the statement that prevailed in the process of controversy. Usually the one who proves his opinion more eloquently wins.

In parallel (critical) thinking, methods of confrontation are not applied: ideas, judgments, and different approaches exist and are accepted, but do not collide or mutually exclude each other.

Critical judgment is a type of person that allows you to consider an existing problem from different angles in order to find the right solution. It is characterized by a high degree of perception and an objective approach to the information that is available.

What influences decision making

Many factors influence a person in the process of making a decision. The "6 hats" method allows you to cope with the main factors that affect a person at the time of choice.

1. Emotions. Strong emotions are able to turn off sober thinking for a while, and determine all further actions of a person, following the emotional component.
2. Confusion- an indispensable companion in solving any new task that a person has not previously encountered. It is also present when finding answers to multilevel problems.
3. Confusion. A lot of conflicting opinions, a lot of information, the desire to be logical and consistent, combining all this with a high degree of creativity causes nothing but confusion and confusion.

The "Six Thinking Hats" method overcomes the above difficulties by dividing the thinking process into 6 different modes, each of which corresponds to a hat of a certain color in this method. Such thinking allows you to develop concentration, and the ability to analyze the problem from different angles in turn.

Hats that think

Who is this method suitable for?

In a group, the method has much in common with brainstorming. It is also effective in resolving controversial and conflict situations.

The "6 hats" method has long been used by leading international companies.

The book Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono provides recommendations for making the system a reality. When using the method collectively, it is necessary to have a moderator who will manage the entire process.

The facilitator writes down on paper the "testimony" of each of the hats, summing up all the results at the end.

Let's take a closer look at what the "6 Thinking Hats" method looks like.

Situation examples:

• The facilitator briefly introduces all participants to the task of each of the hats, then the problem is voiced, for the sake of solving which everything was started. For example: "A competitor has offered cooperation in the field ... What proposals?"
• Next, all participants try on a white hat, and take turns sharing their reasoning, according to the concept of the hat.
• It is not necessary to follow a clear sequence of hats, but some sequence is necessary.
• You can use this order: in a white hat, all data about the subject of discussion (numbers, statistics, conditions) are collected.
• Next, you should try on the colors, and look at the situation from a pessimistic side, it is worth trying to see a fly in the ointment, even if it seems that everything is fine.
• Wearing a yellow hat, stand on a positive mindset.
• Being in a green hat, each participant of the session puts forward new, alternative ideas. Creative thinking should work to the maximum. New ideas are again analyzed from positive and negative sides.
• Do not forget to occasionally let off steam in a red hat. This hat is worn rarely and for a short period of time, no more than 30 seconds.
• At the end of the general work, the moderator sums up the results. It is also the duty of the moderator to ensure that everyone wears the same hat during the discussion and that they do not get confused in their judgments.

You can work in a different way. Have each of the participants put on hats of different colors, while it is important that the color is contrary to the personal qualities of the person. For example, a pessimist puts on a black hat, and vice versa, a silent person tries on a green hat, a red hat will decorate the head of a balanced project participant. Thus, all participants will be able to reach their potential.

The preference is given to the first method, as it avoids confusion among the participants in the session.

Mind map as an addition to the six hats method

When working with the six hats method, it is advisable to use What is it? This is a presentation of any event or idea in a systematic, graphical form. It allows you to trace and identify all the semantic and cause-and-effect relationships between the objects and concepts under consideration.

Such a map allows you to put all the information on the shelves, without wasting time on unnecessary, absolutely unnecessary information, as is often the case with a verbal presentation of the essence of the problem.

In fact, a mind map is a visual representation of the work of the human brain. It consists of neurons and their processes, which are interconnected by neuronal processes. Each image and thought stimulates one or another neural segment. Maps are presented as images of complex mental connections that help the brain organize phenomena and objects.

The main purpose of creating such maps is to put things in order in the head, structuring all the information known in this case. This will allow you to create a complete picture, and look at it from different angles. Mind maps allow you to better operate with data, and contribute to greater freedom of thought.

The Edward de Bono six hat method, complete with mind maps, is widely used by entrepreneurs, designers, scientists, educators, and other professions. Many successful people in the West admit that they often resort to this method.

Application of the method in the school curriculum

The de Bon method is used in schools, in particular in Europe, America, and some Asian countries, starting from primary school.

The "6 Thinking Hats" method in elementary school gives excellent results in the future. This technology is of interest to the teaching staff, due to the following results.

1. Children quickly learn to think critically, which helps them become more self-reliant and independent. There will be no unsolvable tasks for them in the future.
2. Information is only a starting point, not the end. It is an auxiliary tool on the way to the emergence of a unique solution for both simple and difficult tasks.
3. Thanks to the method, a rather boring educational process turns into a real intellectual activity for the student, which gives real results and allows you to find alternative solutions to even very non-standard issues. By studying data, analyzing information, considering different points of view, participating in a collective discussion, students learn to find answers to their questions.
4. Students learn to convincingly argue their arguments using reasonable evidence (informational text, personal experience, statistics).

Students apply critical thinking in many types of learning activities, including writing. In this case, the teacher can read the train of thought of the student, his process of thinking, and evaluate the correctness of his conclusions.

Children love to work using the 6 hats method, because it allows you not only to find answers to the questions posed, but also to have fun.

Critical thinking is available to students in both high school and junior. For young students, it will be even easier to master it in a sense. Parallel thinking involves a certain amount of skepticism and doubt in generally accepted truths. It also allows you to develop your own point of view and be able to defend it.

The technology of parallel (critical) thinking has many methods that are used in the sequential implementation of each stage of the educational process. The six hats method is one of the most powerful ways to learn how to think critically.

Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono was born on May 19, 1933. He studied at the University of Malta, where he received a medical degree. During World War II, he studied at St. Edward's College.

He also attended Christ Church College, where he majored in psychology and physiology. During his studies, he won two canoe racing awards and played polo for the University of Oxford.

He studied and received his Ph.D. from Trinity College, and then went on to receive his Doctor of Divinity and Juris Doctor degrees from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and the University of Dundee, respectively.

Career

For a short time he worked as a junior researcher at the University of Oxford, and then became a lecturer. In 1961 he left Oxford University and moved to the University of London. Two years later, he moved to the position of Deputy Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

In 1967, he publishes his first book, The Use of Out-of-the-Box Thinking, which is considered one of his best works, as it proposes the concept of "out-of-the-box (lateral) thinking". In 1968, de Bono presents the book The Birth of a New Idea, as well as a publication entitled The Five-Day Course in Thinking.

1971 was a very productive year for Edward de Bono - he created a good foundation for future work, based on his ideology, wrote the books "Technology Today", "Practical Thinking" and "Thinking Outside the Box for Management".

From 1972 to 1976, he wrote numerous publications, including Children Solve Problems, Po: A Device for Successful Thinking, Learning to Think, and Great Thinkers: Thirty Minds That Shaped Our Civilization. At the same time, he founded the Foundation for Cognitive Research.

In the 1980s, he also wrote the following books: The Atlas of Managerial Thinking, The De Bono Course in Thinking, Tactics: The Art and Science of Success, and the well-known book The Six Hats of Thinking. In the book "Six Thinking Hats" it was about different colors of hats that reflected the process of thinking in the human brain. This book became a hit in the UK. And according to his book "De Bono's Course in Thinking", a series was filmed, which was shown by the BBC channel.

In 1990, de Bono was invited to preside over a meeting of Nobel laureates from around the world, which was held in Korea.

In 1995, he created a documentary about the future called 2040: Possibilities from Edward de Bono, which aimed to prepare the reader for the future of cryogenic freezers.

In 1996, the Center for New Thinking was founded on the basis of the de Bono Institute. In the same year, he presented his new book called "The Textbook of Wisdom".

In 1997, he was invited as a speaker at an environmental conference in Beijing.

In 1998, he presented his new book entitled How to Be More Interesting.

At the beginning of the new millennium, despite his travels around the world and reports to various leading world corporations, Edward de Bono also wrote several new books. He was convinced that the improvement of human nature would eventually come from the improvement of language. The book he wrote, entitled "Edward de Bono's Code Book," just touched on this topic.

Main works

He invented and proposed the idea of ​​"non-standard (lateral) thinking" in 1967. This approach allows people to solve problems by using a creative, albeit secondary, approach. Now this methodology is used in many companies around the world, because it has proven its effectiveness in problems with finding and finding a problem, solving a problem and stimulating motivation. That is why de Bono is known as the father of "outside the box".

In 1985, he wrote the book The Six Thinking Hats. This book is considered one of his most significant works, as it introduces the reader to effective ways of group discussion and individual thinking. The book also deals quite strongly with the ideas of "parallel thinking" and "critical thinking". This book also introduces the concept of the "six thinking hats" that Speedo Researchers used to create swimwear, which made de Bono's idea extremely popular.

Awards and achievements

In 1992, he was the first person to receive the European Kapira Prize for Excellence.

In 1994, he was awarded the Prize of the Thinking Pioneer at the International Conference on Thinking, held at MIT (Boston, USA).

In January 1995, Dr. de Bono was awarded the National Order of Merit by the President of Malta.

In 2005 he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Personal life and legacy

In 1971 he married Josephine Hall-White. The couple had two sons.

In 1996, the European Creative Arts Association polled its members across Europe, trying to find out who influenced them the most. The name of Dr. de Bono was mentioned more often than other names.

The International Astronomical Union, for its contribution to the development of mankind, named the planet after the writer, consultant and inventor Edward de Bono.

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