The Six Thinking Hats

THE SIX THINKING HATS 

You probably take thinking for granted. Edward de Bono thinks you shouldn't. He is the Venezuelan author of The Six Thinking Hats (in English). 
Did you know that ALL decisions are based on emotion?
Did you know that once you start listing the negative points about a topic, which we are hard-wired to do, you can't switch it off? Save that method of thinking for later.

De Bono has discovered that there are six ways of thinking. He has associated these six ways with six colored hats to aid in remembering them and as a shorthand way of calling for that type of thinking from your colleagues.

This book is short and very accessible. The book includes a short summary that refreshes your understanding in about two minutes. 
Very worthwhile for anyone. As architects we make thousands of decisions most days and millions on every project. This will help make them better decisions.

Book Description from the amazon site:
YOUR SUCCESS IN BUSINESS DEPENDS ON HOW WELL YOU THINK 
Six Thinking Hats can help you think better-with its practical and uniquely positive approach to making decisions and exploring new ideas. It is an approach that thousands of business managers, educators, and government leaders around the world have already adopted with great success. "The main difficulty of thinking is confusion," writes Edward de Bono, long recognized as the foremost international authority on conceptual thinking and on the teaching of thinking as a skill. "We try to do too much at once. Emotions, information, logic, hope, and creativity all crowd in on us. It is like juggling with too many balls." 

The solution? De Bono unscrambles the thinking process with his "six thinking hats": 
* WHITE HAT: neutral and objective, concerned with facts and figures 
* RED HAT: the emotional view 
* BLACK HAT: careful and cautious, the "devil's advocate" hat 
* YELLOW HAT: sunny and positive 
* GREEN HAT: associated with fertile growth, creativity, and new ideas 
* BLUE HAT: cool, the color of the sky, above everything else-the organizing hat 

Through case studies and real-life examples, Dr. de Bono reveals the often surprising ways in which deliberate role playing can make you a better thinker. He offers a powerfully simple tool that you-and your business, whether it's a start-up or a major corporation-can use to create a climate of clearer thinking, improved communication, and greater creativity. His book is an instructive and inspiring text for anyone who makes decisions, in business or in life.

Amazon link 

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