Thinking Hats

One of Edward de Bono's numerous contributions to the discipline of creative thinking is the six thinking hats.

The idea is basically that you are aware of what thinking and communication mode you are in - what hat you are wearing. That puts things in perspective, sorts statements in a meaningful way, and makes it less likely that people misunderstand each other. E.g. if you're wearing the black hat, you might be playing devil's advocate, and put attention on things that might not work. If that is clear, and announced up front, it is likely that people will take less offense to the criticism, and it is more likely to be useful. If you announce you're wearing a red hat, irrational emotional outbursts are more acceptable, and don't necessarily have to be analyzed logically. Etc. You can have a meeting using that system. Or you can use it in brainstorming, to categorize different kinds of ideas.

Below is a more detailed explanation: more >