Six Thinking Hats Review Essay Example
Six Thinking Hats Review Essay Example

Six Thinking Hats Review Essay Example

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The book I chose to review is "Six Thinking Hats" by Edward De Bono. What made me read this book repeatedly is its basic premise - that problems are best solved through orderly thinking and examining them from different perspectives. According to Edward de Bono, "Thinking is the ultimate human resource. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we become, we should always want to be better." In typical unstructured thinking, the process lacks focus, with the thinker jumping from critical thinking to neutrality to optimism and so on without any structure or strategy.

The Six Thinking Hats process aims to promote parallel thinking. People often develop their own unconscious thinking habits, which can be either effective or ineffective. However, when thinking collectively in a group, these

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individual strategies do not tend to align. Consequently, group discussions often lack convergence and veer towards aimless drifting, indecisiveness, and reactive responses" states de Bono.

The book "Six Thinking Hats" presents a useful method to improve thinking skills. It categorizes thinking into six modes, represented by colored "thinking hats":

  • White hat - focuses on facts, figures, and objective information
  • Red hat - emphasizes emotions and feelings
  • Black hat - deals with logical negative thoughts
  • Yellow hat - encourages positive and constructive thoughts
  • Green hat - stimulates creativity and new ideas
  • Blue hat - controls the other hats and guides the thinking process. Wearing a specific hat direct
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and influences thinking.

By clearly defining these different modes of thinking, discussions can become more focused and productive. Dr de Bono uses real-life examples to demonstrate how effectively using these "thinking hats" can:

  • Enhance clarity of thinking
  • Promote creativity
  • Improve communication and decision making

Employing various approaches to thinking and problem solving allows for a comprehensive examination of issues from different perspectives, addressing the needs of all involved individuals. The thinking hats are particularly valuable for learners as they highlight the importance of considering problems from multiple angles. They also help learners recognize any shortcomings in their problem-solving approaches and enable them to rectify these issues.

According to De Bono, the key to successfully using the Six Think Hats methodology is to deliberately focus the discussion on a specific approach as needed during a meeting or collaboration session. For example, if a meeting is called to review and solve a particular problem, the Six Thinking Hats method can be used in a sequence. It starts by exploring the problem, then generating a set of solutions, and finally critically examining the solution set to choose the most suitable solution. This approach ensures that groups collectively think in a focused manner and stay on task. It also helps them concentrate their efforts on the most crucial aspects of the discussion topic. However, if not well facilitated, this method can potentially lead to conflicts as individuals may feel coerced into following a specific direction.

It is crucial to be aware of any substantial disagreement regarding the thought process or the specific area of focus in order

to avoid issues. The author introduced six distinct states in which the human brain operates, representing them with corresponding colors as metaphors. By utilizing the six thinking hats method, any problem that arises can be addressed using various approaches. This approach enables us to incorporate emotions and creativity into decision-making, rather than solely relying on rationality.

Reading this book had a significant impact on me. It allowed me to consider decisions from multiple important viewpoints, which ultimately transformed both my thinking style and decision-making process. I even recommended this book to a pessimistic friend, who experienced its positive effects firsthand. It helped him develop a more optimistic mindset and approach in all aspects of his life.

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