Whether you are in the midst of a planning meeting with your co-workers or simply discussing a home renovation project with your significant other, you will likely experience a few hitches, challenges, conflicts and differences of opinion. Your brain will need to filter and process a multitude of thoughts coming from different directions at different moments.

Confusion is the biggest obstacle to clear thinking. We try to do too much at the same time. We allow ourselves to literally be bombarded by our thoughts. Everything gets mixed up: emotions, information, enthusiasm, logic, criticism and creativity. These all jostle around and bump into each other, making things unclear.

The secret to better reflection is to do one thing at a time, like a juggler who makes each movement in sequence, one by one. In coaching and leadership training, we often use the power of colours to create different perspectives and help see things from new angles. A recognized and widely-used method is Edward de Bono’s six hats approach, which breaks down the search for solutions into six separate phases, each represented by a different coloured hat that symbolizes a manner of thinking. This approach can be applied to a group during different types of meetings (goal planning, project development, conflict management, team stimulation) or to personal projects in the home, with your children, etc.

Edward de Bono suggests successively wearing six different coloured hats. You must wear one hat at a time, whether in a group or as a pair, and everyone gets the chance to wear the same hat. You will be “passing” the situation and possible solutions through the filters of the six hats, one by one, and concluding with a decision. When you put on a hat, you have to think in the manner that the hat represents. When you change hats, you have to change your way of thinking.

Each participant must be told and must understand what the hats represent. I also recommend buying six different coloured hats, as the impact is greater when you are physically wearing the hat.

The white hat represents information and is the colour of neutrality: just the facts, devoid of interpretations and emotional connotations. You bring numbers and information to the discussion. What are the facts? What information is needed?

The red hat represents the emotions, feelings, impressions and intuitions associated with the situation, without reason or basis. Red is also the colour of fire and passion. Intuition lets us create images. What do you feel? “I am convinced that…What inspires me is…I view this situation as a steep mountain. How will I climb it?”

A sunny colour, the yellow hat represents reasonable optimism, productive criticism, positive thinking and creativity. You examine the project’s value. The focus is on effectiveness while still allowing for wild ideas and dreams. What needs to be done to reach each of these solutions? What are the advantages?

The black hat represents objections, anticipated dangers and risks, caution. The keywords are: devil’s advocate, negative judgement, failure, mistake, oversight, chaos. You foresee and explain without arguing. For each solution, what are the risks? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

The green hat represents uncensored creativity, fertile ideas, movement and germination. You go beyond what is known, obvious or satisfactory. You leave your comfort zone. What are the other possible solutions, including the most far-fetched?

The blue hat represents the organization, facilitator, channeling of ideas. It is the hat that encompasses everything. Keywords include calmness, discipline and objectivity. You think about the problems and ask questions while pondering which solution should be kept. First, examine the priorities, what would be the next steps?

The leader or facilitator will decide in which order the hats will be worn based on the nature of the question. For example:

Step 1: Present the facts of the case or situation (white hat)

Step 2: Generate ideas (green hat)

Step 3: Raise objections (black hat)

Step 4: What if anything was possible? (yellow hat)

Step 5: Trust your instincts. What are your impressions? What do you feel? (red hat)

Step 6: Summarize, decide and end the session (the blue hat is always worn last)

The advantage of this fun approach is that it creates an inclusive, creative atmosphere and makes it easier for each person to contribute to the discussion. It puts everyone on the same wavelength at the same time, and problems are solved more quickly by concentrating on the task at hand. A more stimulated team will have a more aligned, global view of the situation. New ideas that are generated will be protected from immediate criticism and have a chance to grow. This method is much more productive than the usual arguing-style discussions. Moreover, this approach encourages lateral thinking, that is, thoughts swinging between the left and right brain, paving the way for creativity.

Applied to an exclusively personal context, the six hats approach can also bring about change. Be aware, in your professional or personal life, which hat you have the tendency to wear most often. For example, if you tend to wear the red hat, how would it feel to try the yellow hat and see how that impacts the people around you? How could it make a difference? I invite you to change your hat colour starting now. Have fun playing around with the concept.

I invite you to leave your comments.

Christine Lecavalier