The Six Thinking Hats method helps teams and individuals:

1. Save time by providing a framework to:

• Participate in productive thinking together meetings that are focused on delivering necessary results.
• Clear up confusion on rapidly changing challenges and complex issues.
• Minimize personality conflicts.
• Become better focused and to the point in discussions.
• Separate out: facts from emotions; the positive from the negative; critical thinking from creative thinking.
• Help individuals focus on what is important rather what is irrelevant.
• Put quiet employees on an equal playing field with those who are more talkative or monopolize meetings.
• Sidestep egos which get in the way of performance.

• Make better decisions based on thorough and clear thinking.
• Be better prepared to implement change.
• Create communication plans that are clear and concise.
• See all sides of a situation to avoid being blindsided.
• Sort through wide ranges of data, quickly, to work with just the necessary information. Avoid getting bogged down in unnecessary detail.
• Solve problems that are high priority rather than problems that are easy to solve and of little consequence.
• Design action plans that are supported by the group and can be implemented.
• Complete documentation of decisions and actions for future reference.
• Think through business challenges more thoroughly.

• Break the idea killer habit that shuts down the creative process.
• Generate powerful new ideas that are outside of the mainstream.
• Follow a practical process for idea evaluation.
• Consider a broader range of possible solutions and selecting the one that best meets the business need.
• Select opportunities to pursue based on balancing value against risk.
• Develop action plans to minimize risk.
• Sell well thought out ideas to management and clients with more confidence.
• Look for innovative solutions more regularly out-think the competition.