Learn and utilize important tools and strategies to take your virtual/remote-working teams to the next level! Six Thinking Hats is a simple yet powerful tool created by Edward De Bono based on a principle of parallel thinking: everyone thinking in the same direction, from the same perspective, at the same time.
- More energized meetings and planning sessions
- Have shorter and more productive meetings
- Think clearly and objectively
- Less team conflict
- Cross-cultural communication
- Understanding of diversity in personalities
- Understanding different sides and views of a situation
- Greater collaboration and team productivity
- Better creativity and innovation
- Better problem solving
- Greater confidence in decision making
- Achieving significant and meaningful results
This tool helps people step outside the confines of fixed positions and one way of thinking. Western thinking style is based on adversarial debate: people thinking and interacting from differing perspectives and positions. This tool enables us to look at things in a collaborative way, beyond our normal perspective to see new opportunities.
To achieve improvements, you will have to change the way you do things. This means thinking up and considering new ideas. If you evaluate the change from a number of perspectives, you and your team will have a more rounded outlook on the ideas. This tool helps you do this. For example, how often does your team think of a new way of doing things only to meet an obstacle put forward by other members of the team? (Black hat thinking). By using this tool to take a balanced perspective, you and your team can see the ideas from a balanced viewpoint, moving the best, most viable ideas forward.
This seminar is conducted in an online setting specially adapted for remote and virtual teams that are bound to working from separate geographic locations and across time-zones or simply prefer to follow a seminar online versus coming together in a physical setting.
Teams will participate in a wide range of activities during the seminar designed to support the theory model going through the different types of hats and what they represent. The activities have been sculpted to maximize the need for team synergy and effective communication to complete challenges successfully. The event starts with a couple of ice-breakers.
Below is an example challenge as provided to the teams during the activity:Â
Prisoners’ Dilemma
An aspect of game theory that shows why two individuals might not agree, even if appears that it is best to do so. Two men are arrested, but the police do not possess enough information for an arrest. Each prisoner must choose to either betray or remain silent; the decision of each is kept quiet. What should they do?
This event is staged online using a combination of ‘Zoom Meetings’ and a selection of other software and websites, all of which are easily accessible or free to download. We can send an invitation via email containing all instructions and links prior to the event. We highly suggest installing the relevant programs and using a desktop or laptop for full experience. Tablet and smart phone access is possible but will contain less functionality.
Scoring and a winning team is not applicable as this is not a competitive activity, however this may be implemented upon the client’s wishes to add another dimension to the event.
The event briefing takes place in the central video conference room. The briefing will include a short tutorial for how to use the Video Conferencing software and best practices for operating within a group video chat. i.e. muting microphones when not speaking, looking at camera when speaking etc. After the briefing, participants will be separated into teams and invited by the facilitator to separate chat rooms, then the lead facilitator gives further instructions and objectives for the activity. The de-brief takes place again in the central video conferencing room. Briefing and de-brief usually take around 15 minutes each but can be extended upon request for more in-depth analysis of team performance.
Starting with a two to four hour half day option, this activity can be expanded to an eight hour full day event.
01.00 pm – Introduction to the model
01.15 pm – Demonstration activity and debrief
01.30 pm – Presentation of the model
02.15 pm – Experiential exercise
02.30 pm – Debrief exercise with facilitator led discussion
02.45 pm – Break
03.00 pm – Presentation continues
03.45 pm – Experiential exercise
04.00 pm – Debrief exercises facilitator led discussion
04.15 pm – Practice workshop using theory model in separate groups
04.45 pm – Final debrief
05.00 pm – End of seminar
Max People
Hours
Challenges
People per Team
Below are three options for Six Thinking Hats Online with different inclusions and rates all tailored to best match your budget and requirements. The Bronze option is a fixed program with few inclusions but the Silver and Gold packages include extra benefits and allow selection of some or all challenges. On the pricing page we offer further optional extras. The full day activity will have up to double the number of challenges.
All options include
One Western lead event instructor
Ice-breaking activities
Interstitial (between challenges) quick fire discussion topics
BRONZE
Introduction on the model
5 Games
One facilitator per 40 pax
SILVER
Seminar on the model
5 Games
One facilitator per 20 pax
Bronze Inclusions+
+Online handouts
+Raw footage of live stream for internal training purposes
+Pre-event meeting
GOLD
Seminar on the model
5 Games
One facilitator per 20 pax
Silver Inclusions+
+Introduction to an additional model of your choice
