Six Thinking Hats

Six Thinking Hats, proposed by Edward de Bono, is a parallel thinking method that separates facts, feelings, risks, benefits, creativity and process into six coloured "hats" to make group discussions more focused and less confrontational.

Thinking ModelCognitive EfficiencyDecision MakingProblem Solving
Estimated time: 30 min
Difficulty: Beginner
Enhances Cognitive Efficiency
Six Thinking HatsOpen Practice Tool

Thinking Model Definition & Principles

Six Thinking Hats is a parallel thinking framework created by Edward de Bono. Instead of everyone arguing from mixed positions, you deliberately put on one "hat" at a time: the White Hat for facts and information, the Red Hat for feelings and intuition, the Black Hat for caution and risks, the Yellow Hat for benefits and opportunities, the Green Hat for ideas and alternatives, and the Blue Hat for managing the process and summarising outcomes.

In practice, a facilitator defines a clear topic and guides the group to think under the same hat at the same time, so that everyone is temporarily aligned on one perspective instead of mixing data, emotions and judgement all at once.

Some practitioners also add a Grey Hat as an optional lane for neutral evidence and background information. The grey hat is an extension on top of the classic Six Thinking Hats, not a replacement for them.

This thinking model can significantly enhance your cognitive efficiency and decision-making abilities, helping you solve complex problems more effectively. By applying this model, you can improve your time management efficiency and overall productivity.

To see where this model sits in a full problem-solving flow and how it combines with other models and tools, visit theThinking Playbookspage for stage-based chains by scenario.

How to Apply This Thinking Model

Below are the specific steps to apply this thinking model to enhance your cognitive efficiency and decision-making abilities. Following these steps can significantly improve your time management and problem-solving efficiency.

1

Define the topic and participants

Write down the core question for this session in one sentence and clarify who should be involved in the discussion.

Tips

  • Keep the topic focused instead of solving everything at once
  • Let people know in advance that you will use Six Thinking Hats.
2

Plan a hat sequence for this session

Choose a practical sequence of hats, for example starting with White (facts), then Red (feelings), Black & Yellow (risks and benefits), Green (ideas), and finally Blue (summary & decisions).

Tips

  • You do not always need all hats in one session; cut or repeat hats based on your goal and time.
  • It is fine to revisit the same hat later if new information appears.
3

Run focused rounds under each hat

Make it explicit which hat the group is wearing now and only accept contributions from that perspective within the timebox.

Tips

  • Gently nudge people back to the current hat if they drift off
  • Capture notes for each hat on a shared board so they can be reviewed later.
4

Integrate insights and decide next steps

Under the Blue Hat, cluster key points from all hats, resolve contradictions, and turn them into concrete decisions or experiments.

Tips

  • Highlight assumptions and main risks that require follow-up
  • Pair each action item with an owner and a date.

Thinking Model Application Cases

Below are practical application cases of this thinking model in real-world scenarios, demonstrating how it enhances cognitive efficiency, time management, and decision-making abilities. These cases can help you better understand how to apply this model to your own work and life.

Product review meeting

Use Six Thinking Hats to structure a review around a new feature proposal so that data, risks and ideas are heard without the loudest voice winning by default.

Scenario

Start with White Hat data and user feedback, then Red Hat feelings, Black/Yellow Hats for risks and upsides, Green Hat for alternative ideas, and finally Blue Hat to agree on a decision and follow-up actions.

Outcome

By applying this model, problems can be effectively solved and expected results achieved.

Thinking Model Practice Tools

Use our online tool to practice this thinking model and enhance your cognitive efficiency and decision-making abilities. This interactive tool can help you better apply the model principles, improving your time management and problem-solving efficiency.

Need classroom handouts or template packs? Open the tool and use the export feature (PNG / PDF).

Online Practice Tool

Use this interactive tool to practice thinking model principles, enhancing cognitive efficiency and decision-making abilities.

Open Free Online Tool

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Six Thinking Hats – Thinking Model Guide | Zen of Thinking