• The essence of the six hats method
• six thinking hats
• By whom and when applied
• Pros and cons of the method

The six hats method is one of the most powerful thinking techniques developed by English writer, psychologist and creative thinker Edward de Bono. In his book Six Thinking Hats, de Bono describes techniques that help structure both collective and personal mental activity, make it more productive and understandable.

The six hats method of thinking allows you to develop the flexibility of the mind, creativity, it helps a lot. overcome creative block, helps to make the right decision and more accurately relate your way of thinking to your goals and challenges. It is especially well suited for evaluating unusual and innovative ideas when it is important to take into account any opinion and consider the situation from different planes.

The essence of the six hats method

Edward de Bono's method is based on the concept of parallel thinking. As a rule, this or that decision is born in a clash of opinions, in discussion and controversy. With this approach, preference is often given not to the best of the options, but to the one that was more successfully promoted in the controversy. With parallel thinking (in essence constructive), different approaches, opinions and ideas coexist, and do not oppose and do not clash foreheads.

The six thinking hats, in the process of solving practical problems, help to cope with three main difficulties:

1. Emotions. Instead of thinking about a solution, we often limit ourselves to an emotional reaction that predetermines our further actions.
2. Confusion. Not knowing what to do and where to start, we experience uncertainty (this is especially evident either at the moments when we face a complex multi-level task, or when we encounter something for the first time).
3. Confusion. When we try to keep in our heads a large array of information related to a task, we try to be logical, consistent and creative thinking, to be constructive, and we also make sure that the people around us (interlocutors, colleagues, partners) are like that, usually all this leads to nothing but confusion and confusion.

The 6 Thinking Hats method helps to overcome these difficulties by dividing the thinking process into six different modes, each of which is presented in the form of a metaphorical hat. certain color. Such a division makes thinking more focused and stable and teaches us to operate with its various aspects in turn.

six thinking hats

1. White hat thinking is a mode of focusing on all the information we have: facts and figures. Also, in addition to the data that we have, “putting on a white hat”, it is important to focus on the possibly missing, additional information, and think about where to get it.
2. The red hat is the hat of emotions, feelings and intuition. Without going into details and reasoning, at this stage all intuitive guesses are expressed. People share emotions (fear, indignation, admiration, joy, etc.) that arise when they think about a particular decision or proposal. Here it is also important to be honest, both with yourself and with others (if there is an open discussion).
3. The yellow hat is positive. Putting it on, we think about the supposed benefits that a solution or proposal brings, we reflect on the benefits and prospects of a certain idea. And even if this idea or decision at first glance does not bode well, it is important to work out this optimistic side and try to identify hidden positive resources.
4. The black hat is the exact opposite of the yellow one. In this hat, only critical assessments of the situation (ideas, solutions, etc.) should come to mind: be careful, look at possible risks and hidden threats, at significant and imaginary shortcomings, turn on the pitfalls search mode and stay a little pessimistic.
5. green hat- the hat of creativity and creativity, finding alternatives and making changes. Consider all sorts of variations generate new ideas, modify existing ones and look closely at other people's developments, do not disdain non-standard and provocative approaches, look for any alternative.
6. Blue hat - the sixth hat of thinking, unlike the other five, is for managing the process of implementing an idea and working on solving problems, and not for evaluating a proposal and working out its content. In particular, the use of the blue hat before trying on everyone else is a definition of what is to be done, i.e. goal setting, and at the end - summing up and discussing the benefits and effectiveness of the 6 hats method.

By whom and when applied

The use of the six thinking hats is reasonable in all mental work, in all areas and at various levels. For example, on a personal level, it could be writing a business letter, important business planning, evaluation of something, solution to the problem of getting out of a difficult life situation etc. When working in a group, the 6 Thinking Hats method can be seen as a variation brainstorming method It can also be used in dispute and conflict resolution, again in planning and evaluation, or as part of a training program.

By the way, many international corporations such as British Airways, IBM, Pepsico, DuPont and many others have long adopted this method.

Pros and cons of the method

Thinking activity for most people is an abstract, tedious and boring job. The six-hat method, on the other hand, is able to captivate and make mental activity colorful and interesting. In addition, six colored hats is a pretty memorable expression and an easily digestible and applicable technique that can be used both on boards of directors and in kindergartens.

The 6 hats method recognizes the importance and pays attention to all aspects of working on a solution - facts, emotions, pros and cons, generating fresh ideas.

Kozma Prutkov's statement, " A narrow specialist is like a flux: its fullness is one-sided”, illustrates this plus of the 6 hats method of thinking well. The disadvantage of profile experts is that they are always in the same hat, and in the search for the right solution, these "fluxes" interfere with each other. And the six hats method steers the discussion in the right direction. For example, it helps to neutralize a participant prone to excessive criticism. By understanding the principle of the six hats technique, the critic will no longer arbitrarily kill ideas with his remarks and will save his ardor, because he will know that his turn to put on a black hat will soon come.

The human mind, protecting its integrity and self-sufficiency, often takes everything new for something unnatural and false. Using the de Bono method, we are able to consider opinions about things that we did not take seriously before. This increases the chances of finding the right or appropriate solution for the situation.

With this technique, we get the opportunity to come to an agreement with the interlocutor, ask the participant to be more accommodating and distract from personal preferences, recommend him not to follow everyone's lead, turn the flow of his thoughts 180 degrees, or you can just give the person a chance to say everything, that he had "boiled". Thus, you do not just give a person the opportunity to speak, but simplify the search for a joint solution.

The 6 hats method allows you to bring to the discussion of topics, usually shy and taciturn people. However, any of the participants expressing your point of view, does not feel discomfort despite the fact that his opinion may contradict the opinion of the majority, because he, as it were, speaks on behalf of one of the colored hats, and not on his own behalf.

Thanks to a clearly defined work structure that excludes empty talk, thinking becomes more concentrated, reasonable and fruitful.

As a result of the fact that when using the technique of six hats, polar points of view do not conflict with each other, but peacefully coexist and complement each other, new extraordinary and innovative thoughts and ideas are born.

Another advantage of the six thinking hats is that with the help of this method we learn manage your attention. After all, if our mind is able not only to react to events happening to us, but is ready to switch from one thing to another, and at the same time can consider an object from six sides, this develops our attention and makes it much sharper.

According to Edward de Bono's deep conviction, which he described in detail in his book, the six thinking hats are designed to serve as conditioned reflex signals that can affect the balance of chemical elements (neurotransmitter ratios) in the brain.

The main disadvantage of 6 thinking hats, although, probably, not even a disadvantage, but complexity is the technology of 6 hats itself, i.e. in order to master this technique and learn how to use it usefully, it takes some time. It is easier to solve problems using the six hats technique individually, but in a team it is much more difficult to do this.

If you are not a direct manager, it is not an easy task to initiate this method in the enterprise and explain all its advantages. Most domestic enterprises are not ready to introduce any innovations into the work of the company, in particular collective methods, and in particular those requiring personal involvement.

In addition to the need to convince management of the need for this method, there is also the moment of seriousness of its perception directly by the team. Someone may consider him “childish” and refuse to try on colored hats (although you don’t really need to wear any hats), explaining this by saying that he is not a clown. However, here it is again a matter of the professionalism of the presenter (the moderator, i.e. the blue hat).

In order to level out the few disadvantages of the six-hat technology, it is important to thoroughly study all the rules for conducting this thinking technique before starting a collective fitting of hats.

Rules of the Six Hats Method of Thinking

With collective participation, the de Bono method implies the obligatory presence of a moderator who manages the process and makes sure that it does not turn into a farce. All the time, under the blue hat, the moderator writes down everything said on paper and at the end summarizes the results obtained (it is better to use mind maps to summarize and visualize it, you can learn how to make them by reading the article - “ Rules for compiling mental maps«).

First, the facilitator briefly introduces the general concept of the six thinking hats to the team, then identifies the problem or task. Well, for example: "A competing firm has offered cooperation in the field ... What to do?".

The session begins with the fact that all those taking part in it together “put on a hat” of the same color, and look at the situation with an evaluating look in turn, from the angle corresponding to this hat. The order of trying on hats, in principle, does not play a huge role, however, a certain order is still necessary. Try using the following option:

Initiate a white hat discussion, i.e. collect and consider all available facts, figures, statistics, proposed terms, etc. After all the available data, discuss in a negative way, i.e. in a black hat, and even if the offer is profitable, there is usually always a fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey. She must be seen. Next, find all the positives in cooperation by wearing a positive yellow hat.

Once you've looked at the issue from all angles, and gathered enough information for further analysis, put on the green, creative hat. In it, try to find something new, going beyond the existing proposals. Strengthen the positives, smooth out the negatives. Have each participant suggest an alternative path. The emerging ideas are again analyzed in the yellow and black hat. Yes, and do not forget to periodically let the participants let off steam in a red hat (it is rarely worn and for a fairly short period of thirty seconds, no more). So by trying to put on the six thinking hats in different sequences, over time, you will be able to determine the most appropriate order.

At the end of the collective parallel thinking, the moderator summarizes the work done. It is also important that the moderator ensures that the participants do not wear several hats at the same time. Thus, thoughts and ideas do not intertwine or become entangled.

You can use this method in a slightly different way - have each participant put on a hat of a certain color and play their role. In this case, it is better to distribute the hats in such a way that they do not match the type of person. For example, let the optimist put on the black one, let the one who constantly criticizes everything wear the yellow one, let everyone who is not used to showing emotions and always behave in a restrained way put on the red one, don’t let the main creative try on the green one, etc. This will enable participants to unlock their potential.

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If our business is in a hat,

If our body is in a hat,

Even if thoughts are in a hat,

So, the hat is the whole point!

Remember Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: as a child, he painted a huge boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant and rested peacefully after such a hearty dinner? The boy showed his drawing to each new acquaintance, both adults and children, in order to find among them a person who could understand him, a kindred soul.

He did not succeed in finding such a person among adults. And this is not surprising. Although very sad.

The boa constrictor drawn by Saint-Exupery, in the womb of which the "eaten" elephant was peacefully resting, outwardly very much resembled a hat lying on the table, which led adults to incorrect conclusions.

This image of a hat, which is actually not a hat at all, but something under which elephants lurk and in general the most amazing things happen that remain invisible to others, haunted me throughout the entire period of work on Edward de Bono's book The Six Thinking Hats.

These hats, huge as cupboards, and completely invisible to anyone but ourselves, reminded me of a solid shell, inside which, in the recesses of our consciousness, our thoughts-judgments-beliefs boil-boil. I see how this or that “thinking” hat covers each of us entirely, turning into a new person, with new character traits and a new perception of the environment.

I don’t know to what extent I managed to convey my figurative impressions to you, but there is no doubt that the book will do it incomparably better than me and leave a mark on your mind for a long time. She really deserves to try on the thought-hats she offers to each of us.

A. Zakharchenko

Born in Malta, Edward de Bono began his education at St. Edward's College, continued at the Royal University of Malta, and completed it brilliantly as a Nominal Scholar at Oxford University, from which he graduated summa cum laude in psychology and physiology with an honorary degree doctor of medical sciences. He now also holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and regularly receives invitations to lecture at the Universities of Oxford, London and Harvard.

Dr. Edward de Bono is widely recognized as a leading authority on the development of practical thinking skills. He introduced the concept of "lateral thinking" into science, which was later included in the Oxford Dictionary of Modern in English, and developed a system scientific methods on the development in a person of the ability to actively creative search - to "balanced thinking", as he called it.

He has written forty-five books, translated into twenty-seven languages, and made two scientific films for television programs. He has lectured in forty-five countries and has spoken at major international symposia, and in 1989 he was asked to take the chair of the Committee of Nobel Laureates. Leading industrial corporations, such as IBM, NTT (Japan), Du Pont, Prudential, Shell, Eriksson, McKinseys, Ciba-Geigy, Ford and many others, addressed the methodology he developed for the development of balanced thinking.

Dr. de Bono is currently leading the implementation of an extensive special curriculum that he has developed for general education educational institutions and designed to promote the development of creative thinking skills in children. This program has long been recognized in official circles and has found the widest application in many countries of the world.

Dr. de Bono is the founder of the Institute for Research on Creativity and Cognition (started in 1969) and International Forum creative workers, which united in its ranks representatives of many professions and heads of leading enterprises of the world industry. In addition, he founded the International Community of Creative Workers in New York to help UN member countries develop new ideas.

The next work of Dr. de Bono brought to your attention is based on the fact that consciousness is, first of all, a system of self-organizing information.

In the world of hats - in the stream of thoughts

Is it possible to improve the efficiency of your thinking?

In January 1985, The Times magazine named Peter Ueberrouth the Person of the Year, thanks to whom the Los Angeles Olympics were a huge success. As a rule, holding events of this magnitude costs hundreds of millions of dollars for their organizers. But the Los Angeles Municipal Foundation did not have to "spend money" at all on their organization. On the contrary, the Olympics-84 brought the city more than 250 million dollars in net profit! Extraordinary Success Olympic Games relied heavily on new concepts and creative ideas brilliantly put into practice by Peter Uberrouth.

How was it possible to achieve this amazing result? How should such issues be approached?

In an interview with The Washington Post on September 30, 1984, Peter Ueberrouth admitted that he used lateral thinking when developing a new approach to solving a problem.

There are hundreds of other examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of the method of balanced thinking. I would not like to waste time on their detailed consideration. I see my task not in this at all. My task is to develop such methods and offer them to the attention of my future followers. And it is up to people like Mr. Uberroute to master them and choose their area of ​​application. They join the ranks of talented entrepreneurs, providing the method of balanced thinking with the widest distribution.

In ability 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. Probably this common property a person of a normal level of development: whatever he may be, he always wants to become even better. As a rule, only people who are completely satisfied with their thinking abilities are convinced that the purpose of thinking is to prove their own innocence, which gives them another reason to amuse their pride. If we are inclined to believe that the possibilities of thinking are only limited to this, then we simply console ourselves with illusions about our superiority in this area. We are sincerely mistaken, and nothing more. The boundaries of the purpose of this "gift of evolution" extend much wider, and understanding this circumstance is one of the mandatory tasks of every person.

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.

Edward de Bono

Six Thinking Hats

Without Long Prefaces: A Short Preface by the Translator

If our business is in a hat,

If our body is in a hat,

Even if thoughts are in a hat,

So, the hat is the whole point!

Remember Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: as a child, he painted a huge boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant and rested peacefully after such a hearty dinner? The boy showed his drawing to each new acquaintance, both adults and children, in order to find among them a person who could understand him, a kindred soul.

He did not succeed in finding such a person among adults. And this is not surprising. Although very sad.

The boa constrictor drawn by Saint-Exupery, in the womb of which the "eaten" elephant was peacefully resting, outwardly very much resembled a hat lying on the table, which led adults to incorrect conclusions.

This image of a hat, which is actually not a hat at all, but something under which elephants lurk and in general the most amazing things happen that remain invisible to others, haunted me throughout the entire period of work on Edward de Bono's book The Six Thinking Hats.

These hats, huge as cupboards, and completely invisible to anyone but ourselves, reminded me of a solid shell, inside which, in the recesses of our consciousness, our thoughts-judgments-beliefs boil-boil. I see how this or that “thinking” hat covers each of us entirely, turning into a new person, with new character traits and a new perception of the environment.

I don’t know to what extent I managed to convey my figurative impressions to you, but there is no doubt that the book will do it incomparably better than me and leave a mark on your mind for a long time. She really deserves to try on the thought-hats she offers to each of us.

A. Zakharchenko

Born in Malta, Edward de Bono began his education at St. Edward's College, continued at the Royal University of Malta, and completed it brilliantly as a Nominal Scholar at Oxford University, from which he graduated summa cum laude in psychology and physiology with an honorary degree doctor of medical sciences. He now also holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and regularly receives invitations to lecture at the Universities of Oxford, London and Harvard.

Dr. Edward de Bono is widely recognized as a leading authority on the development of practical thinking skills. He introduced the concept of “lateral thinking” into science, which was later included in the Oxford Dictionary of Modern English, and developed a system of scientific methods for developing human abilities for active creative search – “balanced thinking,” as he called it.

He has written forty-five books, translated into twenty-seven languages, and made two scientific films for television programs. He lectured in forty-five countries and spoke at major international symposiums, and in 1989 he was asked to take the chair of the Committee of Nobel Laureates. Leading industrial corporations, such as IBM, NTT (Japan), Du Pont, Prudential, Shell, Eriksson, McKinseys, Ciba-Geigy, Ford and many others, addressed the methodology he developed for the development of balanced thinking.

Dr. de Bono is currently leading the implementation of an extensive special education program he has developed for general education schools to help develop children's creative thinking skills. This program has long been recognized in official circles and has found the widest application in many countries of the world.

Dr. de Bono is the founder of the Institute for Research on Creativity and Cognition (began in 1969) and the International Forum of Creative Workers, bringing together representatives of many professions and leaders of leading enterprises in the world industry. In addition, he founded the International Community of Creative Workers in New York to help UN member countries develop new ideas.

The next work of Dr. de Bono brought to your attention is based on the fact that consciousness is, first of all, a system of self-organizing information.

In the world of hats - in the stream of thoughts

Is it possible to improve the efficiency of your thinking?

In January 1985, The Times magazine named Peter Ueberrouth the Person of the Year, thanks to whom the Los Angeles Olympics were a huge success. As a rule, holding events of this magnitude costs hundreds of millions of dollars for their organizers. But the Los Angeles Municipal Foundation did not have to "spend money" at all on their organization. On the contrary, the Olympics-84 brought the city more than 250 million dollars in net profit! The extraordinary success of the Olympic Games depended in large part on the new concepts and creative ideas brilliantly put into practice by Peter Uberrouth.

How was it possible to achieve this amazing result? How should such issues be approached?

In an interview with The Washington Post on September 30, 1984, Peter Ueberrouth admitted that he used lateral thinking when developing a new approach to solving a problem.

There are hundreds of other examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of the method of balanced thinking. I would not like to waste time on their detailed consideration. I see my task not in this at all. My task is to develop such methods and offer them to the attention of my future followers. And it is up to people like Mr. Uberroute to master them and choose their area of ​​application. They join the ranks of talented entrepreneurs, providing the method of balanced thinking with the widest distribution.

In ability 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. Probably, this is a common property of a person of a normal level of development: whatever he is, he always wants to become even better. As a rule, only people who are completely satisfied with their thinking abilities are convinced that the purpose of thinking is to prove their own innocence, which gives them another reason to amuse their pride. If we are inclined to believe that the possibilities of thinking are only limited to this, then we simply console ourselves with illusions about our superiority in this area. We are sincerely mistaken, and nothing more. The boundaries of the purpose of this "gift of evolution" extend much wider, and understanding this circumstance is one of the mandatory tasks of every person.

Edward De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats method allows you to consider the problem from different planes, from different points of view. Also, due to the practice of switching between different types of perception, one trains the flexibility of thinking, the ability to organize one's mental activity and overcome the creative crisis in the described non-standard way!

Action plan

Option 1. One or more people
1. Formulate a task, a problem.
2. Consistently consider the problem from different positions. Each position is indicated by the color of the hat. Hats are described below. Try different hat sequences. If more than one person is participating in the discussion, have everyone try on different hats.
3. Summarize the work done.

Option 2. Several people participate
In this case, each participant gets his own hat or set of hats. It is desirable that the type of hat does not correspond to the character of the person.

Notes (description)

This method was suggested by Dr. Edward De Bono, a well-known researcher in the field of peculiarities of human thinking. Edward De Bono made a significant contribution to the development and systematization of creative thinking techniques. The six hat method is essentially a modified brainstorming technique. At the same time, a very successful and productive modification.

What is the 6 Thinking Hats method?

The method has a description six ways (or features) of thinking. Each way of thinking is characterized by its perception.

The person alternately tries on hats and tries to think in the way that is described for this hat. Of course, you do not need to have real hats of different colors on hand - enough use 6 small circles of paper, colored in the appropriate colors . Let these circles symbolize 6 hats, and, accordingly, six ways of thinking.

So what are these hats (ways of thinking)?
The white hat is a rational way of thinking. You focus on the information you have about your task. If you have this hat on your head, ask yourself: “What information do we still need to solve the problem?”

red hat

is a hat of emotions and feelings. Putting on this hat, you need to feel the emotions that arise in you when you come into contact with the task. What awakens inside you when you hear about a task: fear, anger, anxiety, laziness, laughter, excitement, shame? If you can be extremely sincere at this stage, then you will be able to include the intuitive component of your thinking.

yellow hat

- a hat of a good, positive mood. In order to solve the problem, and most importantly, to find an effective and useful solution, you need an energy charge. You need to tune in to the positive. Even if the task makes you feel negative, pessimistic, try to find a positive side to what is happening. So, we solve the problem in this hat cheerfully, cheerfully and with enthusiasm.

green hat

- the most fun of all hats!. This is the hat of a jester, a man who knows how to cheer the whole company. Also, this hat gives out the most original, ridiculous, funny and creative ideas. Here you can completely free your flow of fantasy!

Black hat

- Critic's hat. Being in the position of a black hat, you put on a mask of a pessimist. Such a person is able to critically evaluate the proposed solutions. Only he will be able to weed out garbage from the mountain and find a gold ingot in this mountain! Intelligence, extensive knowledge, scrupulousness in evaluation and, of course, an appropriate critical attitude help to critically evaluate decisions of a black hat. Please note that one black hat (if several people are participating in the discussion) is enough. It is also advisable to “let the black hat into battle” closer to the end of the discussion, so that enough options for solving the problem can accumulate, among which she will have to look for the most valuable.

blue hat

- a person who organizes the process of discussing the problem. That is, it is the organizer (coordinator) of the brainstorming session. He distributes hats to the participants, choosing which hat to wear. Selects the order in which the hats appear on the stage. Begins and sums up at the end of the discussion.

How to apply the technique of creativity

You can use the method in any situation where you need to think carefully to find a solution. Applications can be absolutely any - science, education, creativity, business, programming. We assure you that consideration of the situation with different parties in any case will improve your chances that you can solve the problem as efficiently as possible.

Links, bibliography

Literature on the 6 Thinking Hats Method

Today, hardly anyone will argue with the fact that information skills are necessary. How to form them? At the same time, it must be remembered that a person does not have direct access to the truth. People view what is happening from some angle, from some cultural, social or theoretical (if we are talking about science) positions. The presence of one's own and other people's descriptions of events, the logic of the emergence and development of an issue or problem, the presence of basic beliefs and cultural prescriptions often does not make it possible to understand the information that a person receives both from other people and from books or from the media. As a rule, the presence of certain stereotypes, constructs that do not allow to see the event or comprehend the perceived information of the text objectively, in a “pure form”, is revealed, but leads to the creation of certain interpretations of varying degrees of reliability. Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats" method is a simple and practical way to gain practical thinking skills for a more objective perception of information, no matter what area it concerns ( scientific knowledge, learning, interpersonal interaction).

Another problem of human thinking lies in the simultaneity of the flow of thought processes and emotional states: we are trying to do too much at once. Emotions, information, logic, imagination, intuition and creativity - all this speaks in us at the same time. Edward de Bono's "Six Hats" method of working to develop our thinking allows thinking person focus on one thing at a certain time. It allows you to separate emotions from logic, creativity from information, etc. Each hat sets a certain way of thinking.

The Six Hats of Thinking method is a method role play. Putting on a hat of a certain color (literally or mentally), a person plays a certain role that corresponds to it, looks at himself from the outside, looks at the problem from a certain point of view. Changing hats, changing roles, the angle of consideration of the issue. Using the Edward de Bono method, we can change automatic, reactive thinking to intentional, focused thinking. Intentional thinking allows you to work with incoming information and the situation much better. But 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.

Edward de Bono, in his book The Six Hats of Thinking, very descriptively explains the difference between the two types of thinking - reactive and intentional. “When you drive a car, you have to choose the road, follow the given direction and follow the movement of other vehicles. You do a lot of fast actions dictated by the previous or next moment. You follow the signals and react to them. This is reactive (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. Another type of thinking you use to map: you study the subject and make a plan. This requires an objective and neutral attitude. To make a plan, you need to look wider. This action is very different from simply reacting to traffic signs as they appear.”

In order to teach teenagers (grades 8-11) to work with incoming information both from other people and from printed texts (scientific articles, the media), a training was developed according to the method of Edward de Bono's "Six Thinking Hats".

Lesson 1. A brief introduction to the author of the method.

Edward de Bono's The Six Thinking Hats is a simple and easy tool to learn better:

• work with information
• find benefits and opportunities
• use intuition
• critically analyze problems
• generate creative ideas
• organize your thinking

Consideration of the first pair: White Hat and Red Hat Thinking.

white hat- objective facts and figures. Facts and figures too often become part of the argument that supports a particular point of view. Facts are more often given for some purpose than to report what really is in reality. And here it is important for us to find out both what we know on this issue, and what we do NOT know. We need to ask ourselves and our opponent the following questions:

• what information is available;
• what information is needed;
• how and where to get the missing information.

Key points:

• note conflicting/contradictory points of view;
• assess the relevance and accuracy of the information;
• separate facts from assumptions;
• identify actions needed to address gaps;
• learn about moods and emotions.

red hat- thinking in a red hat is associated with emotions and feelings, as well as with irrational aspects of thinking (intuition, premonitions). Red hat thinking is almost the exact opposite of white hat thinking - neutral, objective, almost completely devoid of emotional overtones. But it plays an important role, if you exclude emotions and feelings as components from the process of thinking, then they will hide in the background and imperceptibly affect thinking, distort vision and, as a result, direct the focus of attention in one direction, not giving a breadth of perception of the whole picture as a whole. .

Red hat thinking makes it clear:

• what I feel now;
• what my intuition tells me;
• what my "inner voice" is telling me.

In addition, a good decision should end with emotions. Emotions are a very reliable indicator of satisfaction with the course of the issue, the decision and the possible consequences. If our head tells us that the decision we made is correct, but there is longing in our soul, then can we say that this is exactly what we need, that our needs (at all levels) are satisfied.

Key points for using the red hat:

• limited to 30 seconds;
• it is allowed to express feelings, hints of intuition and "inner voice";
• no need to make excuses and explain the reasons for your feelings;
• use as part of a thought process that facilitates decision making;
• apply after the decision has been made.

White hat thinking and red hat thinking are opposite poles when evaluating information that comes to us, whether it be in written or oral form. From monitor screens, from printed texts and from the statements of other people, two types of information come to us - verified facts and unverified ones (beliefs of other people). But verified facts can have varying degrees of probability. There is a probability spectrum, as Edward de Bono points out, which can be expressed as follows:

• always true;
• usually true;
• generally true;
• overall;
• rather yes than no;
• about half the time;
• often;
• sometimes true;
• occasionally true;
• known cases;
• never true;
• cannot be true (debatable).

We will enlarge and somewhat transform this list and place it on one straight line.

Absolute facts are statements that this moment development of human knowledge are close to 100% truthfulness or plausibility. It is worth noting that, according to Edward de Bono, "truth" refers to verbal gaming system, known as philosophy, facts are related to verifiable experience. However, the degree of ability to verify the facts also varies. Take the statement "The earth revolves around the sun," which is a common fact these days. And some centuries ago, Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for this unthinkable, "heretical" statement. It was an absolute fact that the Sun revolves around the Earth, and it is the Earth that is the center of the universe, which was confirmed by visual daily observation, without any exceptions.

Relative facts are statements that at a certain level of our perception appear to us exactly like this (the sky is blue), or with the transition to a more detailed and scientific consideration, they require clarification and correction (there are 365 days in a year).

Estimates and judgments - statements by one person or a group of people of their point of view, expressing an opinion about one of the sides of a phenomenon or process, transferring a particular sign to the whole situation as a whole (The life of ordinary people is constantly deteriorating; Petrov absolutely does not know mathematics; You never wash for utensils).

Emotions in this context are statements that reflect the emotions of the speaker (or writer), for example, "Ivanov s** loch."

The task. On the ruler "absolute fact - relative fact - evaluation, judgment - emotion" place the following statements:

Gagarin's flight lasted 108 minutes.
Students in 8th grade are smarter than those in 7th grade.
The birch is taller than the spruce.
UFO does not exist.
2x2=4
The paper is white.
The cake is not tasty.
You are doing great.
Zhukovsky is the father of Russian aviation.
You are losers.
The Forex exchange is the most popular currency exchange.
I love life!
Man is descended from apes.
Everything in the world is relative.

1. What have I learned about working with information?
2. Is the information embedded in the statement of the interlocutor or in the printed text and not supported by expressive facial expressions and gestures always a fact? How can you check the truth of a statement?
3. Is it always possible to attribute a statement expressed expressively to emotions?
4. Under what hat after consideration various options problem solving we make the final choice? How can you check the correctness of the decision for the person himself?

Lesson 2. Consideration of a pair - Black hat and Yellow hat.

Black hat- thinking in the Black Hat should be logical and truthful, this is not an attack, not a critical attack, this is a critical study. Thinking in the Black Hat should be based on the logic of conformity and inconsistency. This is not “I will prove to you that you are wrong”, this is a critical ANALYSIS of the problem. Under the Black Hat, we find out the consequences, factors, the impact of the process or the implementation of our decision on values, we check for compliance and non-compliance, for shortcomings.

Questions we ask "under the Black Hat":

• what are possible problems;
• what are the likely difficulties;
• what you need to pay attention to;
• what is the danger.

Key points. Thinking in the Black Hat:

• helps in making the right decision;
• indicates difficulty;
• explores weak points;
• can match with white hat;
• an exceptionally effective evaluation tool when used after the Yellow Hat.

yellow hat- Requires conscious effort. Unfortunately there is more to the negative relationship natural causes than for positive. Black hat thinking can protect us from mistakes, risks and dangers. Positive thinking should be a mixture of curiosity, enjoyment, and the desire to get things done.

Questions "under the yellow hat":

• what are the benefits;
• what are positive sides;
• what is the value;
• whether the concept of this proposal is attractive;
• can this be implemented.

These opposite, and at the same time complementary, Black Hat Thinking and Yellow Hat Thinking can be used both to assess a problem situation and to assess the behavior of another person. It does not happen that in a person there are either only negative or only positive features. It is rather our emotional attitude towards him. It does not happen that in a situation or in an event there are only negative moments. Although it is often necessary to make a conscious effort in order to find positive moments in situations that seem hopeless, hopeless, dead-end, critical to us. The search for positive moments in this case comes down to the question "What did this teach me or teach me?" etc.

Tasks.

Event - a person won a million dollars. List the possible negative consequences of this event.

Event - a person was fired from his job. List the possible positive consequences of this event.

Recall from your life examples of positive events followed by negative consequences, and negative events followed by positive consequences.

Divide a sheet of paper into two parts, write down your negative qualities and your positive traits. What qualities turned out more? What qualities do you see in other people, more positive or negative? What is it connected with?

Questions for reflection at the end of the lesson:

1. What kind of thinking, critical or positive, is more developed in the "Western" person and is most often used?
2. Are there absolutely positive or negative events, ideas, character traits, etc.?
3. What can happen if you use only positive or only critical thinking when solving a problem or assessing a situation?

Lesson 3. Consideration of the pair - Green hat and Blue hat.

green hat thinking is directly related to new ideas and ways of looking at things. By putting on the Green Hat, one goes beyond old ideas to find something better. The green hat is about change. Green hat thinking is a deliberate and concentrated effort of the mind to find creative ideas and alternatives.

Questions "under the green hat":

• what creative ideas are available;
• what are the possible alternatives;
• how to overcome the difficulties found under the Black Hat.

Creativity is needed when all other methods have failed. Creative thinking may require provocative statements with deliberately irrational ideas. It includes " thought experiment”, with the inclusion of the Yellow and Black Hats, we can evaluate the proposed alternatives and extraordinary solutions (what are the good sides ?; what are the difficulties and dangers?)

blue hat- a special hat. This is reflective thinking, thinking about thinking. Under the Blue Hat, we manage the process of perception and processing of incoming information. Focusing is one of the key roles of the Blue Hat. Asking a question is the easiest way to focus thinking. Certain skills and abilities are needed here: the ability to set the right questions, the ability to accurately define and formulate the problem, the ability to set a task for thinking. Under the Blue Hat, we draw up a program: regulations in the broad sense of the word; what hats we will use and in what order (simple and complex sequences). Under the Blue Hat, we make generalizations and conclusions (observation and review; comments; summing up, conclusions).

Questions "under the blue hat":

• where to begin;
• what's on the agenda;
• what are the goals;
• what hats to use;
• how to sum up;
• what to do next.

Key points. Under the blue hat thinking:

• focuses and redirects attention;
• fixes the requirements for the thought process;
• requests a resume;
• makes or requests decisions.

Task (this task was developed for an ecology lesson in the 10th grade).

- Tennis balls became silent legs
(http://www.membrana.ru/articles/inventions/2006/12/11/193900.html)

— Coffee house in the form of a coffee maker
(http://www.membrana.ru/articles/inventions/2008/04/17/184800.html)

— New plastic bottles
(http://www.membrana.ru/articles/global/2006/05/31/164500.html)

Tell those present:

under the White Hat - the facts that we know, what we do not know;
under the Green hat - what are the creative ideas for the application of this invention and its introduction into production (for example, in our country);
under the Yellow Hat - pluses, positive aspects of such products;
under the Black Hat - difficulties that may be encountered in the implementation of this product; idea flaws;
under the Red Hat - their attitude to the idea proposed by the authors;
under the blue hat - control: whether all statements corresponded to the declared hat; summary and conclusions.

Discussion and discussion of articles in the group may take longer than the first two, or may be divided into several sessions until each participant in the training has worked out the thinking skills under different thinking hats.

Questions for reflection at the end of the lesson:

1. Under what hat do we define and formulate a problem?
2. What will be the process of considering a situation or problem if there are no frameworks and regulations?
3. In what situations can consideration of a question end with Green Hat thinking?
4. Thinking in which hat turned out to be the most difficult and unusual for you? In which hat did you most enjoy working with the article? What, in your opinion, did you succeed and what didn’t work while working on the article?

So, let's sum up. The Six Thinking Hats method is used in any discussion (search for new ideas, problem solving, conflict resolution) as a convenient way to control thinking and switch it. With this method, you can learn to better understand the peculiarities of your thinking, control your way of thinking and more accurately relate it to the tasks in order to more effectively use the process of thinking in solving problems. The method allows you to divide thinking into six types, or modes, each of which corresponds to a metaphorical colored "hat". This division allows you to use each mode much more effectively, and the whole process of thinking becomes more focused and stable. The Six Hats method enriches our thinking and makes it more comprehensive.

Literature:

1. Bono E. Six thinking hats / per. from English. - Mn .: Potpourri, 2006. - 208 p.
2. Materials of the training "Effective thinking". Moderator — Galkin Dmitry Vladimirovich — business coach (Centre for Personnel Technologies 21st century, high school Economics — Moscow), fully qualified trainer in de Bono methods (Cavendish Training, Oxford), Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Associate Professor of Tomsk State University, head of the De Bono Center, Tomsk, creative director Center for Practical Thinking, Moscow