Why does it seem like some meetings are ultra-productive and some just fall flat?
A big part of the problem is that most people go into a meeting with no plan for handling the various objectives and personality types with which they’ll be working.
Familiarizing yourself with various meeting techniques and having a plan will solve many of the common issues. We give you many of these strategies in our Ultimate Meeting Guides.
But right now, we’re going to zero in on Dr. Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. Dr. de Bono’s theory was created for brainstorming/collaboration meetings, but it can apply to a wide range of situations.
Put simply, the Six Thinking Hats strategy is a way of making various meeting roles clear. By having certain participants put on certain “hats,” you’re crystallizing what their role is and what inputs are desired from them, and thus how they can achieve success within this meeting.
Blue = Leadership. The blue hat (and this hat wearer doesn’t necessarily have to be the boss) supervises and collects the meeting’s ideas. This hat is all about process.
White = Data. The white hats bring the data to the table. They provide the factual and analytical points for the discussion. For this hat, just the facts, Jack.
Red = Emotion. Red hat wearer should consider all emotional aspects of a discussion. No matter what the data says, how will the clients or shareholders feel about the decision? This hat is all about gut feelings.
Green = Creativity. Green hat participants try to be as creative as possible during the discussion. What other ways could we look at this issue, no matter how wild or unconventional it might seem? This hat is all about creativity.
Yellow = Sunny Disposition. The yellow hats are to consider all the positive aspects of the potential decisions. Yellow hats are all about the benefits.
Black = Devil’s Advocate. Somebody has to be the assigned naysayer! It’s critical to consider the potential downsides, so the black hat bearers consider all the possible negatives. The black hat advises caution.
Maybe it seems a bit silly to have everyone “put on a hat” as they come into a meeting, but the benefits of doing so are well proven (see slide 4 of our embedded slide show), so why not try it?
Here are a few of the benefits you’ll notice in your meetings:
We think Dr. de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats is an excellent technique. It’s simple and clear, and also flexible enough to use in any situation. And that’s not just our yellow hat talking.
Brad Volin heads up the Sales and Marketing department, and is excited about expanding the company internet presence, especially into social media. Brad has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T. and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Brad has been in the conferencing industry for more than 10 years.
"Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive, that everyone wants to get to work and deal.
"Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive, that everyone wants to get to work and deal.
Well-executed, project management meetings help ensure the project’s risks are known and addressed, schedule and costs are being controlled,.
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