IdeationIntermédiaire

Six Thinking Hats

Created by Edward de Bono, this framework directs the group to wear six metaphorical 'thinking hats', each representing a different mode of thinking. White = facts and data; Red = emotions and gut feeling; Black = critical judgment; Yellow = optimism and value; Green = creativity and alternatives; Blue = process and meta-thinking. By separating thinking modes, the group explores ideas more fully and avoids premature criticism.

Durée

45m–2h

Taille du groupe

2–20 people

Matériel

six coloured hat labels or cards (white, red, black, yellow, green, blue)

Source

Community

Comment l'animer

1
Explain the six hat colours and their meanings.
2
The Blue Hat (facilitator) sets the agenda — which hats to use and in what order.
3
Typical sequence for evaluating an idea: White (what do we know?) → Yellow (what's good about this?) → Black (what could go wrong?) → Green (how might we improve it?) → Red (how does it feel?) → Blue (what's our conclusion?).
4
The whole group wears the same hat at the same time. Diverging to your own hat is not allowed.
5
Spend 5–10 minutes per hat.
6
After all hats: the Blue Hat summarises and draws conclusions.

Conseils

The Black Hat is the most natural for most people — so always follow it with the Green Hat (creative responses to criticism).
Don't let the Red Hat devolve into a debate; it's for gut feelings only, not arguments.

Variantes

Use individual hats for one-on-one coaching. Run a 'mini hat' version with just 3 hats for quick decisions: White → Black → Green.

Contextes d'utilisation

Evaluating proposalsStrategic planningCreative problem solvingConflict de-escalation

🪡

Planifiez votre prochain atelier avec l'IA

Workshop Weaver vous aide à combiner des méthodes comme Six Thinking Hats en un agenda complet et minuté en quelques minutes.

Essayer gratuitement

Method descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices.