Saturday, February 7, 2009

De Bono's Six Hats

One problem solving technique commonly used is brainstorming - a technique with which I'm sure you are all familiar. However, we all see things from our perspective. One variation to try to force you out of your "common sense" is the De Bono hats. There are many references on the web and published so you can look them up for yourself.

One thing I'm contemplating is whether you can do this within your own field. Sometimes we try to solve all problems with whatever tool we're best at. Try using a tool other than your favorite for the problem.

For example, maybe Excel isn't the best tool for presenting your data. Perhaps a Word document would be better or even - dare I say - Powerpoint.

Don't use duct tape and vise grips to fix everything. Get to learn different tools and give them a try.

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