Why Choose Six Thinking Hats Training Course?

The Six Thinking Hats Training Course gives professionals a structured, practically applied framework for improving decision-making, problem-solving, and collaborative thinking — developed by Edward de Bono and used by organisations worldwide to examine situations from multiple perspectives rather than arguing from fixed positions.

Effective decisions require more than experience and intelligence. They require the ability to separate facts from emotions, assess risk objectively, generate creative alternatives, and guide productive discussions toward clear outcomes. The Six Thinking Hats methodology provides exactly that — a shared thinking language that transforms how individuals and teams approach complex challenges.

This course introduces each thinking style, demonstrates how they work together, and builds the practical facilitation and application capability to use the framework in real workplace situations across planning, problem-solving, innovation, and decision-making.

 

What are the Goals?

The Six Thinking Hats Training Course is designed to develop structured thinking and decision-making capability across individual and team contexts.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the Six Thinking Hats methodology and apply each thinking style to business challenges
  • Improve individual and team decision-making processes using structured parallel thinking
  • Apply White Hat objective analysis and Red Hat emotional intelligence to balanced judgement
  • Apply Black Hat risk assessment and Yellow Hat positive evaluation to critical decisions
  • Apply Green Hat creative thinking to generate innovative solutions and challenge assumptions
  • Facilitate meetings and structured discussions using Blue Hat process management
  • Reduce conflict and improve collaboration through shared thinking frameworks
  • Develop a personal roadmap for applying the Six Thinking Hats in daily practice

 

Who is this Training Course for?

The Six Thinking Hats Training Course is suitable for a wide range of professionals and will particularly benefit those involved in planning, problem-solving, and decision-making at any level.

This course is suitable for:

  • Managers, supervisors, and team leaders
  • Project managers and business analysts
  • HR professionals and innovation and strategy teams
  • Executives and senior decision-makers
  • Anyone who facilitates meetings, leads teams, or contributes to organisational problem-solving

How will this Training Course be Presented?

The Six Thinking Hats Training Course is delivered through a highly interactive learning approach that connects methodology to immediate workplace application.

Delivery methods include:

  • Practical exercises applying each thinking hat to real business scenarios
  • Group discussions and collaborative problem-solving sessions
  • Case studies demonstrating the methodology across different decision contexts
  • Role-playing activities and structured hat-based discussions
  • Action planning sessions developing personal application roadmaps

The Course Content

  • Introduction to parallel thinking and its benefits
  • Understanding the origins and principles of the methodology
  • The limitations of traditional thinking approaches
  • Overview of the six thinking styles and their purposes
  • The role of structured thinking in decision-making
  • Establishing rules for effective hat-based discussions
  • Identifying individual thinking preferences
  • Applying the framework to everyday workplace situations 
  • Understanding White Hat thinking and objective analysis
  • Gathering facts, data, and relevant information
  • Distinguishing facts from assumptions and opinions
  • Identifying information gaps and uncertainties
  • Understanding Red Hat thinking and emotional intelligence
  • Recognizing emotions, intuition, and gut reactions
  • Managing emotional influences in decision-making
  • Combining facts and feelings for balanced judgments 
  • Understanding Black Hat thinking and risk assessment
  • Identifying weaknesses, obstacles, and potential challenges
  • Evaluating consequences and possible failures
  • Improving critical thinking and sound judgment
  • Understanding Yellow Hat thinking and positive evaluation
  • Identifying benefits, opportunities, and value creation
  • Building constructive and solution-focused discussions
  • Achieving balance between caution and optimism 
  • Understanding Green Hat thinking and creative exploration
  • Generating innovative ideas and alternatives
  • Challenging assumptions and conventional thinking
  • Using creative thinking tools and techniques
  • Encouraging innovation within teams and organizations
  • Exploring opportunities for continuous improvement
  • Overcoming barriers to creativity and innovation
  • Developing practical and actionable solutions 
  • Understanding Blue Hat thinking and process management
  • Facilitating productive meetings and discussions
  • Managing group thinking and collaboration
  • Structuring complex decision-making processes
  • Applying all six hats to real business challenges
  • Leading teams through structured problem-solving sessions
  • Developing action plans and implementation strategies
  • Creating a personal roadmap for applying the Six Thinking Hats

Certificate

  • AZTech Certificate of Completion for delegates who attend and complete the training course

In Partnership With

Anderson Copex Coventry

Do you want to learn more about this course?

Register now or contact our team to discuss schedules, delivery formats, and customised options.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about our training courses

The methodology works by separating different modes of thinking — facts, emotions, risk, optimism, creativity, and process — so that a group focuses on one thinking dimension at a time rather than having multiple competing perspectives clash simultaneously. This parallel thinking approach reduces conflict, improves focus, and leads to more complete and balanced analysis than conventional debate or discussion.  

Day 3 covers Black Hat and Yellow Hat thinking, applying Black Hat to identify weaknesses, obstacles, and potential failure modes through rigorous critical thinking, and Yellow Hat to identify genuine benefits, opportunities, and value creation. Delegates develop the discipline to apply both perspectives consistently — avoiding the common failure modes of either uncritical optimism or unproductive negativity.  

Blue Hat thinking manages the thinking process itself — it is the hat used to plan which hats to use, when, and for how long, and to summarise outcomes and define next steps. Day 5 focuses on Blue Hat facilitation skills, developing the ability to structure productive meetings, manage group thinking, and guide teams through complex decision-making in a way that is focused, efficient, and outcome-oriented.  

Day 2 covers White Hat and Red Hat thinking, examining how White Hat focuses purely on facts, data, and information gaps — separating what is known from what is assumed — and how Red Hat legitimises emotions, intuition, and gut reactions as valid inputs to decision-making. Delegates develop the ability to combine objective analysis and emotional intelligence into more balanced, human judgements.  

Day 4 focuses on Green Hat thinking, examining how to generate innovative ideas, challenge assumptions, explore alternatives, and overcome the barriers to creativity that most professional environments create. Delegates develop practical creative thinking techniques they can apply individually and facilitate within teams to encourage the kind of innovative thinking that routine problem-solving processes rarely produce.  

By establishing a shared thinking language and focusing the group on one thinking mode at a time, the methodology removes the ego-driven, positional debating that generates most team conflict. When everyone wears the same hat simultaneously, discussion becomes collaborative rather than adversarial — making it significantly easier to explore difficult topics, challenge ideas, and reach decisions without personal friction.  

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