Six Thinking Hats Methodology for modern meetings | Sopheon

Have you ever been in a meeting, and the conversation jumps around? One minute you might be talking about an idea, and then all of a sudden, someone is expressing their feelings about the idea, and the idea is almost killed before you bring out the facts about it. Or, someone brings up another idea, and you jump over to it. You may end up leaving the meeting feeling like some great topics were brought up, but they were not adequately discussed, and the meeting drifted on and never got back to them.  

If this sounds familiar, then you may want to try the Six Thinking Hats Method. 

In today’s episode, I share the concept of the Six Thinking Hats methodology and how it can be implemented in modern meetings. I share how you can make thinking more of a process and a way of executing a way of being. I reveal the thinking hat colors, what they represent, and how they bring fairness, balance, and equal contribution into meetings, creating better outcomes. I share two examples of how the methodology can bring structure to meetings and ideation sessions. I also share how we successfully used the Six Thinking Hats methodology at Sopheon and how it has benefited our cross-functional and divisional alignment. 

“If you have a meeting with a group of people and you put them into different modes of thinking, it allows you to focus.” - Paul Heller 

This week on Innovation Talks: 

• The thinking hats colors and the modes of thinking they represent 
• How to use the thinking hat colors to focus on a mode of thinking and bring structure, fairness, and balance to a meeting 
• An example of how the Six Thinking Hats methodology can be used to ensure all members contribute
• How to create a safe place for expressing fears, worries, and concerns
• How to create cross-functional alignment and team working across divisions
• How to leverage the thinking hats for innovation 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Book: Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono 

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon 

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