Template for Six Thinking Hats

Parallel thinking keeps a group in one mode at a time instead of running several arguments against each other. The white hat gathers what is known and what is missing, the green hat generates options, the yellow hat looks for value, the red hat surfaces gut reactions, and the black hat examines risk. Separating these modes can make a discussion more holistic and less confrontational, because criticism and enthusiasm are scheduled rather than personal. A template helps by holding the sequence and the questions for each hat in one place, so a session does not drift back into unstructured debate.

The template is organised into a section per hat plus a conclusion. Blue hat questions frame the issue and the process: what issue you are addressing, how you define the problem, desired objectives or outcomes, what applying each hat will entail, and what type of decision you are aiming for. White hat questions cover available data, essential information, what is still missing, and steps to gather it. Green hat questions explore questions worth asking, thought experiments, new ideas or opportunities, alternative implementation options, and other scenarios to evaluate. Yellow hat questions establish the factors that would make an idea beneficial or successful, how you define success, how the idea improves processes, and potential long-term benefits. Red hat questions capture feelings, instinct, initial reactions, emotions, and what intuition says about the solution. Black hat questions examine failure scenarios, potential flaws, risks and consequences, reasons to refrain from proceeding, and challenges ahead. The conclusion covers notes, recommendations and next steps, signature, and timing fields.

Start with the blue hat. Record the session details, state the issue, define the problem, set the desired objectives or outcomes, agree what applying each hat will entail, and agree the type of decision you are aiming for. Then work through the remaining hats one at a time, keeping everyone in the same hat until that hat's questions are answered. Use the white hat to list what you know, what you still need and how you will get it. Move to the green hat for questions, thought experiments, new ideas, alternative implementation options and other scenarios. Use the yellow hat to test where the idea creates value and how success will be defined. Use the red hat to record feelings, instinct, initial reactions and emotions without justifying them. Use the black hat to surface failure scenarios, flaws, risks, consequences, reasons to stop, and challenges. Close with notes, recommendations and next steps, a signature, and the actual start and end times of the session.

Keep the hats in sequence and do not let a red hat comment turn into a black hat critique, or a green hat idea be judged before the yellow and black hats have had their turn. Record contributions under the hat they belong to, so the output shows what was explored rather than who said it. Give the blue hat, or facilitator, the job of holding the process and deciding when to move on. Pay particular attention to the white hat, because the quality of everything that follows depends on knowing what information you have, what you need and what is missing. Finish the black hat with a clear statement of risks and reasons not to proceed, and the conclusion with next steps, so the session ends with a decision path rather than only discussion.

It is not tied to one industry or job role. The template suits any individual, team or organisation that needs to work through a problem, brainstorm, plan or make a decision. Common settings include project planning, product and service decisions, process improvement, strategy discussions, and any meeting where a group risks talking past each other. It is used by practitioners who want a ready-to-use structure to run the session, capture the output, and keep a record of what was considered before a decision was made.