A client has weighed the same decision for three sessions. Every list of upsides sets off a worry, and every worry sets off a new idea. The six thinking hats break that loop by having the client look at the decision through one lens at a time, so facts, feelings, risks and benefits each get a turn.
Edward de Bono’s method works with one client or a whole team, and all it needs is a few prepared questions. You will see what each hat asks, how to run a session and which order to use for common coaching decisions. To use it in your next session, go to the section on running the hats with a client.
TL;DR
The six thinking hats are Edward de Bono’s way of looking at a decision one mode at a time. White covers facts, red covers feelings, black covers risks, yellow covers benefits, green covers new ideas and blue manages the process. In a session, open with the blue hat to agree the question and the order, then give each of the other hats a few focused minutes with its own questions. Keep the red hat short, and close with the blue hat to choose the next step. The order changes with the decision, so a client weighing two options needs a different sequence from one reviewing a year. Record the answers under each hat so the client can come back to them.
What Are the Six Thinking Hats?
The six thinking hats come from Six Thinking Hats, a 1985 book by Edward de Bono. De Bono was a Maltese physician who originated the term lateral thinking and wrote widely on thinking. Each colored hat stands for one way of thinking about a problem, and a person or group wears one hat at a time.
The idea behind it is parallel thinking. Instead of one person defending an idea while another attacks it, everyone looks in the same direction at the same moment. The official Six Thinking Hats program describes it as separating thinking into six clear roles, each linked to a colored hat, so people can focus or redirect a conversation by switching hats.
In coaching, the method helps a client who is stuck in one pattern of thinking. A client who only sees risks, or only sees the upside, gets to look at the whole decision before acting on it.
What Does Each Thinking Hat Ask?
Each hat has one job and a few questions that keep the client inside it. Use these questions as they are, or adapt them to the decision the client brings.
1. White hat for facts
The white hat looks only at information, meaning what is known, what is missing and where to find it. Opinions and guesses wait for other hats. With a client, this step often shows how much of a decision rests on assumptions.
- “What do we know for certain?”
- “What do we still need to find out?”
- “Where could that information come from?”
2. Red hat for feelings
The red hat gives feelings, hunches and intuition a turn, without asking the client to justify them. The de Bono Group describes it as the hat for sharing emotions, fears, likes and dislikes. Keep it short, so it captures a gut reaction rather than a debate.
- “What does your gut say?”
- “How do you feel about each option?”
- “What are you afraid of here?”
Sometimes the red hat brings up more feeling than the client can think through. When that happens, the emotional audit gives them five questions to settle the reaction before going on.
3. Black hat for risks
The black hat looks for risks, weak points and reasons something might not work, with the aim of dealing with them. The de Bono Group calls it probably the most powerful hat, and a problem when overused. A client who already worries a lot needs this hat kept to its turn.
- “What could go wrong?”
- “Where is this plan weakest?”
- “What would stop it from working?”
Risks named under the black hat can turn into anti-goals for clients, which are clear lines the client agrees not to cross. That gives the worry a practical use instead of leaving it as a reason to stall.
4. Yellow hat for benefits
The yellow hat looks for value and benefits, and asks why an idea could work. It balances the black hat, so a client who only sees problems gets a fair look at the upside.
- “What are the benefits?”
- “Why might this work?”
- “Who gains from it, and how?”
5. Green hat for new ideas
The green hat is for creativity, meaning new ideas, alternatives and possibilities, including ones that seem impractical at first. Judgment waits until later. This is the hat where a third option can appear that was not on the table before.
- “What other options are there?”
- “What would you try if there were no constraints?”
- “Could two of these ideas be combined?”
6. Blue hat for the process
The blue hat manages the thinking itself. It sets the question at the start, chooses the order of the other hats, keeps attention on the current hat and sums up at the end. In a one-to-one session, the coach often holds the blue hat at first and hands it to the client once the method feels familiar.
- “What exactly are we deciding?”
- “Which hat do we need next?”
- “What have we learned, and what is the next step?”
How to Run the Six Thinking Hats With a Client
A session follows a simple shape, in which you agree the question, work through the hats one at a time and then decide. In typical group programs, each hat gets about two minutes and the red hat about 30 seconds, so a full round need not take long. With a single client, give each hat as long as its questions need.
1. Agree the question
Explain the hats briefly, then put on the blue hat together and write the decision down in one sentence. A clear question keeps every later hat focused on the same thing.
2. Choose an order
Pick a sequence that fits the decision, using the orders in the next section as a starting point. Tell the client the order up front, so they know when their worries and their hopes will each get a turn.
3. Wear one hat at a time
Ask only the current hat’s questions, and when the client drifts, name it gently. A line such as “That sounds like a black hat point, so it can wait for that turn” usually works. Holding the line is what keeps the method from turning back into the usual back-and-forth.
4. Record the answers under each hat
Write what the client says under the name of each hat as you go. The record lets them see the whole decision at the end and come back to it after the session.
5. Close with the blue hat
The blue hat comes back at the end, when the client sums up what each hat showed and what they now want to do. End with one next step and a date, even if that step is only to gather the facts the white hat found missing.
Which Order Should the Hats Go In?
There is no single correct order. Sequences start and end with the blue hat, and the hats in between depend on the decision. Programs used in Six Thinking Hats training include these, and each can be adapted to the client.
| Decision | Hat order |
|---|---|
| Generating first ideas | Blue, white, green, blue |
| Choosing between options | Blue, white, green (optional), yellow, black, red, blue |
| Finding a solution to a problem | Blue, white, black, green, blue |
| Quick feedback on a plan | Blue, black, green, blue |
| Reviewing performance | Blue, red, white, yellow, black, green, blue |
For a client weighing two options, such as a job offer against staying put, the choosing order works well. Facts come first, then any new options, then the benefits and risks of each, and finally a gut check. Putting red near the end lets the feeling respond to everything the client has just seen.
When Should a Coach Use the Six Thinking Hats?
A client who keeps returning to the same worry, or rushes past every risk, is a good candidate for the hats. The pattern a coach hears usually points to the hats the client is skipping, and the figure below pairs common patterns with the hats to bring in.
They also fit decisions where feelings and facts are tangled, such as a career move or a change in a business. For a decision about strengths and the market around them, SWOT analysis for coaching covers similar ground with a different structure, and the two work well side by side.
The hats are less useful when the client has already decided and wants help acting, or when a strong emotion needs attention first. In those cases, start with the action plan or the feeling, and come back to the hats if the decision opens up again.
Using the Six Thinking Hats With Teams
With a group, everyone wears the same hat at the same time. The whole team looks at the facts together, then the risks together and so on, which keeps people from defending positions they took early on.
Whoever leads the session holds the blue hat, keeps time and records the answers on a shared board. Every hat invites one kind of comment rather than a free-for-all, which the de Bono Group says helps reduce conflict and keep egos in check.
A short red hat round also helps before a team makes a decision final. In practice it often takes the form of dot voting on each option, which gives every person a quick, equal say.
Things to Watch For
A few points help the method run well and keep its claims honest.
- Some hats are harder for some people. A habitual critic may struggle with the yellow hat, and someone who avoids conflict may struggle with the black hat. Give them extra time and an example question, and treat which hats come easily as useful information.
- Colors carry meanings. A green hat is a Chinese term for a man whose wife is unfaithful, so check how colors land with clients from other cultures. Any colors work, as long as each hat is clearly different.
- The evidence is thin. A Cambridge University Press review of 42 thinking frameworks found sparse research evidence that training in the hats improves thinking in general. Use the method as a practical structure, not a proven technique.
- It is a thinking tool, not therapy. If a decision brings up distress the client cannot work through, refer them to a qualified professional.
Conclusion
The six thinking hats give a stuck client a way to look at a decision piece by piece instead of all at once. Facts, feelings, risks, benefits and new ideas each get their own turn, and the blue hat keeps the whole process on track.
Start with the blue hat and one clear question, choose an order that suits the decision and record what each hat shows. The client leaves with a fuller picture and one concrete next step, which is often what three sessions of going round in circles were missing.
Key Takeaways
- One hat at a time. Keeping the client in a single mode stops worries and hopes from cancelling each other out.
- Blue opens and closes. Agreeing the question at the start and the next step at the end gives the session its shape.
- Match the order to the decision. Choosing between options needs a different sequence from reviewing performance.
- Keep red short. A quick gut reaction is more honest than a long discussion of feelings.
- Write it down. Answers recorded under each hat let the client see the whole decision and return to it later.
- Listen for the missing hat. The way a client talks about a decision shows which kind of thinking they skip.
- Keep claims modest. The hats are a useful structure, but research on their wider effects is sparse.
A six hats session produces a lot of useful thinking, and it only helps if the client can find it again. With Simply.Coach, you can record the answers under each hat in your coaching session notes and keep every session’s notes in one place, so the next session picks up where this one ended.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who invented the Six Thinking Hats?
Edward de Bono, a Maltese physician who originated the term lateral thinking, introduced the method in his 1985 book Six Thinking Hats. He wrote many books on thinking, and the de Bono Group still runs official training in the method.
What are the benefits of using the Six Thinking Hats technique?
The de Bono Group lists benefits such as considering issues more systematically, generating more and better ideas, reducing conflict and making meetings shorter. For a coaching client, the main gain is seeing a whole decision before acting, although research on wider effects is sparse.
What is the 6 thinking hats concept?
The concept is parallel thinking. Instead of arguing for and against an idea at the same time, a person or group looks at it in one mode at a time, such as facts, feelings, risks, benefits or new ideas, each linked to a colored hat.
How to use the 6 Thinking Hats method?
Open with the blue hat to agree the question and the order. Work through the other hats one at a time with their own questions, keeping the red hat short, and record the answers. Close with the blue hat to sum up and choose a next step.
What order should the six thinking hats be used in?
Sequences start and end with the blue hat, and the middle depends on the decision. For choosing between options, a common order is blue, white, green, yellow, black, red and blue. For quick feedback on a plan, it is blue, black, green and blue.
Can you use the six thinking hats on your own?
Yes. The hats can be used by one person working alone or by a group. A client can run a short sequence on a decision between sessions, writing a few lines under each hat, and bring the notes to the next session.
How long does a six thinking hats session take?
In group programs, each hat is often given about two minutes and the red hat about 30 seconds, so a round can be quick. With a coaching client, give each hat as long as its questions need and plan the round to fit inside the session.