Six Thinking Pencils

Designed by Kristin Eva Olafsdottir, Iceland

The “Six Thinking Hats” is a creative thinking method invented by Edward de Bono early in the 1980s. It helps thinkers to be more effective and innovative by providing a means to plan thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive way. For this year’s New Year gift Gagarin has applied the method to pencils for a more practical brainstorm meeting method.

The pencils are colour coded and each colour stands for a certain direction of thinking. Each participant selects one pencil and then approaches the discussion with a mindset matching the pencil’s colour. By switching pencils the participants systematically redirect their thoughts on the subject. This ensures that the group thinks together in a focused manner.

WHITE . INFORMATION
Data, facts, information known or needed.

YELLOW . BENEFITS
Benets. Why something may work.

RED . FEELINGS
Feelings, hunches, gut instinct and intuition.

BLACK . CRITIC
Potential problems. Why something may not work.

GREEN . CREATIVITY
Creativity, possibilities, alternatives,solutions and new ideas.

BLUE . OVERVIEW
Managing the thinking process, focus, next steps and action plans.