Institute of Professional Development

SEMESTER JULY 2013

ASSIGNMENT
CRITICAL THINKING
THINKING TOOLS -TONY BUZAN-MIND MAPPING EDWARD DE BONO SIX THINKING HAT

SUBMITTED BY: SUPPARAU A/L SOORIANARAYANANAN MATRIC NO: ________________ NRIC: 771001-01-6131 CONTACT NO: 019-6653518 EMAIL: suria_rau@yahoo.com

LECTURER : LEARNING CENTER : OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA DATE : 19 OCTOBER 2013

CONTENTS

Thinking Concepts 3 Types of Thinking ... 4 - 10 Thinking Tools Cognitive Research Trust (CORT) De Bono . 11-16 Edward De Bono Six Thinking Hat 17-21 Mind Mapping (Tony Buzan).22-23 Steps to Making A Mind Map 24 Basic Mind Maps .. 25 -26 How to Use Mind Mapping 27-29 Using Mind Maps Effectively 30 Conclusion . 31 References ... 32

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1)

THINKING CONCEPT
Everyone thinks. It is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to it, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed, or downright prejudiced. Yet, the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated. Critical thinking is that mode of thinking about any subject, content, or problem in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skilfully analysing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and socio-centrism. Knowing the building blocks of thinking is essential for critical thinking. Without understanding the building blocks we cannot identify, examine, and check/test/question those building blocks, therefore we cannot think critically. These building blocks, or elements, are an interrelated set of functions that cannot be separated into independent terms; instead, the elements work together to make the whole of critical thinking. These elements are: 1. Purpose - What is the purpose, goal or agenda? 2. Questions - What is the key question/problem that must be answered or solved? 3. Information - What is the key information needed to answer the question? 4. Conclusions - What tentative conclusions can be drawn from the information? 5. Interpretation - How can I best interpret the information? 6. Concept - What is the key concept or idea I need to understand to make sense of the information/data? 7. Assumptions - What am I taking for granted or assuming? 8. Implication - What does my reasoning imply? 9. Point of View - From what point of view am I approaching this question, problem, or issue? Identify its purpose, and question at issue, as well as its information, inferences(s), assumptions, implications, main concept(s), and point of view. Check it for clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance, logic, and fairness.

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2)

TYPES OF THINKING
Thinking skills are not mysterious entities existing somewhere in the mind. Nor are they like mental muscles that have a physical presence in the brain. What the term refers to is the human capacity to think in conscious ways to achieve certain purposes. Such processes include remembering, questioning, forming concepts, planning, reasoning, imagining, solving problems, making decisions and judgements, translating thoughts into words and so on. Thinking skills are ways in which humans exercise the sapiens part of being homo sapiens. A skill is commonly defined as a practical ability in doing something or succeeding in a task. Usually we refer to skills in particular contexts, such as being good at cooking but they can also refer to general areas of performance, such as having a logical mind, good memory, being creative and so on. A thinking skill is a practical ability to think in ways that are judged to be more or less effective or skilled. They are the habits of intelligent behaviour learned through practice, for example children can become better at giving reasons or asking questions the more they practice doing so. If thinking skills are the mental capacities we use to investigate the world, to solve problems and make judgements then to identify every such skill would be to enumerate all the capacities of the human mind and the list would be endless. Thinking skills are important because mastery of the basics in education (literacy, maths, science etc.), however well taught, are not sufficient to fulfil human potential, or to meet the demands of the labour market or of active citizenship. Countries across the world are recognising that a broad range of competencies are needed to prepare children for an unpredictable future. These higher order thinking skills are required, in addition to basic skills, because individuals cannot store sufficient knowledge in their memories for future use. Information is expanding at such a rate that individuals require transferable skills to enable them to address different problems in different contexts at different times throughout their lives. The complexity of modern jobs requires people who can comprehend, judge and participate in generating new knowledge and processes. Modern democratic societies require its citizens to assimilate information from multiple sources, determine its truth and use it to make sound judgements. The change rate itself accelerates exponentially as new technology produces even newer technology. We take for granted picture phones, television watches, personal digital assistants, video conferencing, and GPS tracking devices that keep us updated in real time on traffic conditions all of which were things of science fiction but a few decades ago. Think for a moment of all the things we have today that were not invented just a decade ago. We can no longer imagine with confidence what our lives will include a decade from now, never mind the myriad changes that will occur over the entire course of the lives ours.

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Preparation for accelerating change must include development of a full range of thinking skills. Change means adapting, and adapting means problem solving, predicting, questioning, applying old skills to new situations, and analysing and evaluating options. We don't know the situations to which we will have to adapt, but we do know they will need a range of thinking skills if they are to be successful. Knowing how to think in any given situation - which type of thinking to employ - is a vital skill. The start point is understanding that there are many different ways to think; that how we think should be a matter of conscious choice. So, the mind we have is a wonderful thing. You may have heard it is like a computer but we are using only a portion of its capability. We can improve our thinking skills by understanding specific types of thinking, how they work, and practicing to improve our thinking abilities. If we become more conscious about those skills, we become better as a person, family member, and worker. If how to think is a choice, what are the key types of thinking skill? Here are some of the most commonly used categories. Rather than simply repeat dictionary definitions of thinking skills, here is the brief descriptions of how we see the terms being used in the real world of work:

a)

CRITICAL THINKING
A working definition of critical thinking is exercising or involving careful judgment or evaluation, e.g., judging the feasibility of an idea or product. Critical thinking is a very important skill to develop. We are asked to analyse and understand so many things in this very fast-pace world. If you are going to be able to compete, keep up with, and actually move ahead, your ability to think critically will be a valuable tool. Once you learn and perfect this skill-pass it on and teach others. The following are several statements about critical thinkers. Critical thinkers are able to do the following things: Open minded about new ideas. Are intellectually independent. Know when there is a need for more information about something. Ask questions. Base their judgments on evidence. Look for connections between subjects. Know the difference between a conclusion that might be true and one that must be true. Analyse and understand concepts, information, and behaviour. Break things down and separate fact from opinion. Question everything that doesnt make sense. Try to avoid common mistakes in reasoning Be honest with themselves. Overcome confusion. Try to separate emotional thinking from logical thinking. Do not argue about something that they know nothing about.

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 Try to build a vocabulary so that they can understand what others are saying and make their ideas clear to others

b)

CREATIVE THINKING
A working definition of creative thinking is having unusual ideas and innovative thoughts, able to put things together in new and imaginative ways that it is like thinking outside of the box. The following will help you to understand our usual pattern of thinking and begin to see things in a different way out -side of the box. Creative thinking is a great skill to develop. Your ability to develop new and imaginative ideas, concepts, plans, and other things will make you a valued person and team member. Developing this skill helps you to solve problems better by using creativity. The value of creative thinking is all around us. Just turn on the television or pick up a magazine to see new or evolving innovation. Creative thinking calls for taking risks and stepping past what we know. The more you practice this skill, the better you get at it. Creative thinking is a tool that can help you and others. Here are some other creativity tips to help you to develop your creative-thinking skills: Dont get hooked on finding the right answer. There can be many right answers in a creative process; it depends on your point of view. Dont always be logical. Sometimes we need to look at something in a very different or not so logical way to create a better way. Break the rules (of thinking) sometimes. New breakthroughs have happened because of someone not always following the rules. Be impractical. If we are always practical, we will always see things the same way. Sometime we have to step out of what is usual or safe. Let yourself be playful. Creativity is a fun process; so let go and step out -side of the box. Be a little foolish. Its okay that is part of freeing your mind to think new thoughts. Let yourself fail. You get better with practice. Always consider yourself to be creative. This goes to our never saying we cannot do something; we need to always try.

C)

LOGICAL THINKING
Logical thought can see only itself. Logical thinking is not as common as it might seem at first glance. In general, we think logically only when we are presented with some new difficulty. For example, if we were to answer the question 'What is two plus two?' with 'four', quite probably we did not think logically, we did not think at allwe simply retrieved a preestablished response when we were asked. We may at one time have had to work that out with logicfind an example of two things and added two more things to

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them and see that we consistently arrived at four, or we may simply have memorized some addition table like a parrot at school; at any rate, the answer is now automatic and logical thinking is not required to supply it. There is nothing wrong with thiswe surely don't want to have to work out two plus two every time it comes up, as the answer doesn't change; only we should not confuse automatic retrieval of stored information with logical thinking. Logical thinking is a process that requires some attention to be directed to each step of the process. When a step is skipped, it has been filled by some assumption, desire, fantasy; but each step in which logic is applied requires an effort of attention. Logic is like finding one's way through a maze, a maze whose end is the same regardless of the hopes and fears of the person negotiating it. A particular turn is objectively right or wrong, that is, it leads more quickly to progress toward the end or it doesn't. And the end is pre-determined, fixed, and immutable. The end is also unknown, or there would be no point in pursuing the thought to find it, unless one was interested in the steps, say, to design a computer program. What logical thought cannot do is pursue an initial intent other than the intention to follow its course to wherever it leads. Computers follow logical thought, and may be capable of piecing together pieces of logical thought to create new pathways, but that is as close as they can come to thought, having no attention. They are incapable of intending it, just as they are incapable of pathological or psychological thought. Logical thought lacks scale, lacks hierarchical ordering by quality. It can only compare like things quantitatively and then apply pre-established rules to produce a result or decision. It is a powerful tool in its sphere, but its sphere is limited and completely uncreative. Logical thinking, also known as critical thinking, refers an order of thinking that challenges assumptions. It is the academically disciplined method of actively and cleverly conceptualizing, analysing and evaluating data generated by observation, experience, reasoning as a guide to self-belief and action.

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c)

POSITIVE THINKING
As mentioned by Abraham Lincoln "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." So what exactly is positive thinking? You might be tempted to assume that it implies seeing the world through rose-colored lenses by ignoring or glossing over the negative aspects of life. However, positive thinking actually means approaching life's challenges with a positive outlook. It does not necessarily mean avoiding or ignoring the bad things; instead, it involves making the most of potentially bad situations, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst. Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist someone who practices positive thinking. Research is beginning to reveal that positive thinking is about much more than just being happy or displaying an upbeat attitude. Positive thoughts can actually create real value in your life and help you build skills that last much longer than a smile. The impact of positive thinking on your work, your health, and your life is being studied by people who are much smarter than me. One of these people is Barbara Fredrickson. Fredrickson is a positive psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina and she published a landmark paper that provides surprising insights about positive thinking and its impact on individual skills Positive thinking is linked to a wide range of health benefits including:

Longer life span Less stress Lower rates of depression Increased resistance to the common cold Better stress management and coping skills Lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death Increased physical well-being Better psychological health

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d)

NEGATIVE THINKING
Negative thinking is a common but easily reversible problem. It can have an adverse effect on your health by increasing stress and it can keep you from pursuing personal and professional opportunities to improve your life. By breaking your negative thinking habits and replacing them with positive exercises, you can conquer the frame of mind that stops you from achieving true happiness . Identifying your negative thinking is the first step towards letting it go. These are the common types of negative thinking. There is overlap among them, but giving each type a name makes it easier to remember them. (If you do any more reading in cognitive therapy, you may come across the term distorted thinking. S ome authors use that term instead of negative thinking. But it sounds harsh.)

The Big Four Types of Negative Thinking

All-or-Nothing Thinking. "I have to do things perfectly, because anything less than perfect is a failure." Disqualifying the Positives. "Life feels like one disappointment after another." Negative Self-Labelling. "I feel like a failure. I'm flawed. If people knew the real me, they wouldn't like me." Catastrophizing. "If something is going to happen, it'll probably be the worst case scenario."

Other Common Types of Negative Thinking

Mind Reading. "I can tell people don't like me because of the way they behave." Should Statements. "People should be fair. If I'm nice to them, they should be nice back." Excessive Need for Approval. "I can only be happy if people like me. If someone is upset, it's probably my fault." Disqualifying the Present. "I'll relax later. But first I have to rush to finish this." Dwelling on Pain. If I dwell on why Im unhappy and think about what went wrong, maybe Ill feel better. Alternately, If I worry enough about my problem, maybe I will feel better. Pessimism. Life is a struggle. I dont think we are meant to be happy. I dont trust people who are happy. If something good happens in my life, I usually have to pay for it with something bad.

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Consequences of Negative Thinking

Negative thinking is an obstacle to self-change. Any change feels like a big deal. You cant see the small steps, and you dont have the energy to take big steps, therefore you feel stuck. All-or-nothing thinking is the most common type of negative thinking, and is the main cause of many problems including anxiety, depression, and addiction. All-or-nothing thinking leads to anxiety because you think that any mistake is a failure, which may expose you to criticism or judgment. Therefore you dont give yourself permission to relax and let your guard down. All-or-nothing thinking can lead to depression because when you think you have to be perfect, you feel trapped by your own unrealistic standards. Feeling trapped is one of the known causes of depression. All-or-nothing thinking can lead to addiction because anxiety or depression feels so uncomfortable that you may turn to drugs or alcohol to escape. In conclusion, it can be extremely difficult to focus on the good when, seemingly, bad things are happening in your life. However you can train your mind to focus on the good things in your life rather than dwelling on the bad. This is about changing the way you think, changing your thinking pattern. You will find a lot of people in life who just dont think there is a problem so there is no need to change. If this is you then do nothing. If you want to change you must think there is a need and you will start to recognise what things need to change and it usually starts with your perception of life. Everybodys perception of life is different; therefore everyones reality is different. I dont live in the same world as you and you dont live in the same world as me. That might sound a strange concept to some people, but think about it for a few minutes, it could change the way you see the world.

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3) THINKING TOOLS
COGNITIVE RESEARCH TRUST (CORT) DE BONO
Most people do not bother any more about their thinking than they do about walking or breathing. Thinking seems a natural enough process and one is happy with one's competence. There is, however, much more individuality in thinking styles and sufficient difference between individuals to suggest that thinking may be a skill about which something can be done. It is with this in mind that Edward de Bono designed the CoRT Thinking Lessons for schools. The earlier the children can be taught to think the greater advantage they will have to understand and assimilate other subjects. "The CoRT Thinking Lessons are now the most widely used materials for the direct teaching of thinking as a basic skill. The lessons have been in use since 1970 and in the intervening years a great deal of experience in the direct teaching of thinking as a skill has been accumulated. The CoRT Thinking Lessons, in six sections, To be effective thinking does require an information base. But it is absurd to suppose that if we have enough information it will do our thinking for us. Only in very rare instances can we ever have such complete information that thinking is superfluous. In most cases we have to supplement inadequate information by use of our thinking skills. I have lectured to hundreds of thousands of industrialists, scientists, engineers, architects, teachers, public servants, and many other groups. Again and again there arises the complaint that nowhere in their education had they been taught how to think. There need not be any complicated mystique about thinking. The CoRT Lessons have been designed to be practical and usable, in a wide variety of situations ranging from the jungles of Venezuela to IBM corporate headquarters in Paris. They have been used in the elite schools and in schools in disadvantaged areas. On the whole they have been used by teachers who have not had any previous training in the use of the lessons. The basic format allows lessons to be used over a wide range of ages (6 years to adult) and abilities (IQs of 75 to 140). This is not as surprising as it may seem, for the CoRT Lessons are concerned with the basic thinking processes and these are the same for any age. The lessons are designed to be simple and practical. "In teaching the CoRT Lessons the idiom is: simple, practical, clear, focused and serious." - Edward de Bono

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The CoRT Thinking Lessons are divided into 6 Groups:

CoRT 1 Breadth CoRT 2 Organisation CoRT 3 Interaction CoRT 4 Creativity CoRT 5 Information & Feeling CoRT 6 Action

a)

CoRT 1 -Designed to encourage people to broaden their thinking. In the thinking of both children and adults, the dominant fault is often the tendency to take too narrow a view. An example of this would be to take up an instant judgment position on an issue without examining all the factors involved, before you reach, or make a decision. The lessons in CoRT 1 define attention areas into which thinking can be directed: Looking for plus and minus points Considering all factors Consequences Aims and objectives Assessing priorities Taking other people's views into account.

By making the deliberate effort during the lessons to direct their thinking towards these areas, we can develop the habit of broadening our thinking. Research has shown that the use of these lessons can have a considerable effect in increasing the number of aspects of a situation that are considered.

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b)

CoRT 2 - Deal with five common thinking operations. We begin by focusing on the subjects of deliberate attention, so that it can use in an organised manner: asking specific questions and looking for specific answers. The next five lessons deal with the overall organisation of thinking so that it can be used in a deliberate and productive manner. The intention is to treat thinking as an organised operation rather than a discursive ramble in which one thing leads to another. Some of the lessons in the second half refer to processes learned in CoRT 1 (BREADTH) but the lessons can still be used even if CoRT 1 has not been taught, by omitting references to it. The thinking tools on CoRT 2 are concerned with some basic thinking operations and their organisation for use. Understanding the tools is only a small part of the lesson. Practice of the tools is the main purpose of the lesson so that the student can use a particular thinking tool fluently and deliberately as required, just as a carpenter uses tools CoRT 3 -Deals with two-people situations. The thinker is no longer looking directly at the subject matter but at someone elses thinking. The main area is that of argument, debate, conflict, opinion, etc. These lessons provide ways of assessing evidence. We also examine different strategies used to prove a point and the two main classes of error. There are two practical procedures for helping to solve conflicts; "Examine Both Sides (EBS)" and in the mapping operation called "Agreement, Disagreement, and Irrelevance (ADI)." The aim of CoRT 3 is to encourage pupils to listen to what is being said and to assess its value. We are also encouraged to adopt a constructive approach to resolving arguments.

c)

d)

CoRT 4 -Creativity Creativity is always fun and highly motivating to the people involved. This sense of fun should be kept throughout CoRT 4, but at the same time creativity is a serious matter. The purpose of creativity is to arrive at an effective new idea, not to offer some bizarre gimmick. It is unfortunate that in ordinary language the word "creativity" is often applied to artistic creativity, which involves emotional resonance, craftsmanship and many other characteristics in addition to the ability to create new ideas.

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In CoRT 4 the type of creativity that is developed is the 'design' type of creativity. This type of thinking Edward de Bono has called 'lateral thinking' (a word which is now officially recognised in the Oxford English Dictionary). Many of the processes put forward in CoRT 4 arise directly from the nature of lateral thinking. The processes are put forward as thinking tools which can be applied deliberately and directly in order to produce a result. CoRT 5 -Creativity

e)

The CoRT 5 Thinking Lessons are concerned with practical information: with eliciting information and with assessing it. Some of the lessons are concerned with making the student aware of different aspects of information. For example, the lesson on shooting questions and fishing questions clarifies the difference between these two types of questions and encourages the student to use each type deliberately in order to elicit information. The lesson on ready-mades illustrates the substitutes that are often offered in place of personal thinking. CoRT 6 - Action

f)

The CoRT 6 set of Thinking Lessons stands entirely on its own and can be used on its own. Nevertheless it is part of the CoRT Thinking programme which was originated by the Cognitive Research Trust of Cambridge.

That is where the CoRT comes from. It can also be regarded as being short for cortex, which is part of the brain where thinking is believed to take place. The "action" in the title of this set of lessons suggests that the purpose of the thinking is to end up with some action.

Indeed the Operation stage sets forth specific action steps. The thinking id therefore contrasted with thinking that is contemplative. It is made clear, however, that explanation or description is a legitimate purpose of thinking. In this sense "action" also refers to the deliberate "putting into action" or "act" of thinking. This implies purpose and deliberate application as distinct from reverie. It is almost as if the teacher were to say "let's have some action", meaning mental action or thinking.

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QUICK SUMMARY OF CORT 1 -6

CoRT 1 PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) The Treatment of Ideas CAF (Consider All Factors) The Factors Involved RULES Compare C&S (Consequence and Sequel) Focus on the Consequences AGO (Aims, Goals, Objectives) Focus of the Purpose PLANNING Evidence: Value Random Input CoRT 2 CoRT 3 EBS (Examine Both Sides) CoRT 4 CoRT 5 Information - FI & FO (information IN and information OUT) Questions - FQ & SQ (Fishing questions & Shooting questions) Clues - CS & CC (Clues Separately & Clues Combined) Contradiction Co & FCo (Contradictions & False Conclusions) Guessing - SG & BG (Small guessing & Big guessing) Belief - BP & BO (Belief Personal & Belief Others) Ready-mades RM-H & RM-S (Ready-Mades Help & ReadyMades Substitute) Emotions - EM & EG (Ordinary Emotions & EgoEmotions) Values - VH & (Value High Value Low) Simplification Clarification & (Simplification Clarification) VL & & SF CF & CoRT 6

Recognise

YES, NO & PO

TARGET

Analyze

Evidence: Type

Stepping Stone

EXPAND

CONTRACT

Select

Evidence: Structure ADI (Agreement, Disagreement, Irrelevance)

Concept Challenge Dominant Idea

TEC (TargetExpandContract)

Find Ways

Other

PURPOSE

Start FIP (First Important Priorities)

Being Right 1

Define the Problem

INPUT

SOLUTIONS

Organize

Being Right 2

Remove Faults

APC (Alternatives, Possibilities, Choices) - Focus on Alternatives DECISIONS

CHOICE

Focus

Being Wrong 1

Combination

OPERATION

Consolidate OPV (Other People's Views) - The other People Involved

Being Wrong 2

Requirements

TEC-PISCO

Conclude

Outcome

Evaluation

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4)

EDWARD DE BONOS SIX THINKING HATS

'Six Thinking Hats' is an important and powerful technique. It is used to look at decisions from a number of important perspectives. This forces you to move outside your habitual thinking style, and helps you to get a more rounded view of a situation. This tool was created by Edward de Bono in his book '6 Thinking Hats'. Many successful people think from a very rational, positive viewpoint. This is part of the reason that they are successful. Often, though, they may fail to look at a problem from an emotional, intuitive, creative or negative viewpoint. This can mean that they underestimate resistance to plans, fail to make creative leaps and do not make essential contingency plans. Similarly, pessimists may be excessively defensive, and more emotional people may fail to look at decisions calmly and rationally. If you look at a problem with the 'Six Thinking Hats' technique, then you will solve it using all approaches. Your decisions and plans will mix ambition, skill in execution, public sensitivity, creativity and good contingency planning. Six Thinking Hats is a good technique for looking at the effects of a decision from a number of different points of view. It allows necessary emotion and scepticism to be brought into what would otherwise be purely rational decisions. It opens up the opportunity for creativity within Decision Making. The technique also helps, for example, persistently pessimistic people to be positive and creative. Plans developed using the '6 Thinking Hats' technique will be sounder and more resilient than would otherwise be the case. It may also help you to avoid public relations mistakes, and spot good reasons not to follow a course of action before you have committed to it.

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I)

THE YELLOW HAT

Calls for optimism, positive aspects The yellow hat is for optimism and the logical positive view of things. Wearing the yellow hat allows you to look for benefits, feasibility and how something can be done. Questions you might ask while wearing the yellow hat include: What are the benefits of this option? Why is this proposal preferable? What are the positive assets of this design? How can we make this work? Yellow hat thinking is a deliberate search for the positive. Benefits are not always immediately obvious and you might have to search for them. Every creative idea deserves some yellow hat

II)

BLACK HAT
Judgment, caution and evaluation Wearing the black hat allows you to consider your proposals critically and logically. The black hat is used to reflect on why a suggestion does not fit the facts, the available experience, or the system in use. Wearing your black hat you might consider the following: Costs. (This proposal would be too expensive.) Regulations. (I don't think that the regulations would allow ...) Design. (This design might look nice, but it is not practical.) Materials. (This material would mean high maintenance.) Safety issues. (What about handrails?) Mistakes can be disastrous. So the black hat is very valuable. It is the most used hat and possibly the most useful hat. However, it is very easy to overuse the black hat. Caution, used too early in the problem solving process, can easily kill creative ideas with early negativity

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III)

WHITE HAT
Calls for information known or needed gathering just the facts The white hat covers facts, figures, data and information. Too often facts and figures are embedded in an argument or belief. Wearing your white hat allows you to present information in a neutral and objective way. Questions you might ask while wearing your white hat include: What information do we have here? What information is missing? What information would we like to have? How are we going to get the information? When you put on your white hat, you focus directly on the information what is available, what is needed, and how it might be obtained. Proposals, opinions, beliefs and arguments should be put aside.

IV)

RED HAT
The red hat covers intuition, feelings, hunches and emotions. Usually, feelings and intuition can only be introduced into a discussion if they are supported by logic. Often, the feeling is genuine but the logic is spurious. Wearing the red hat allows you to put forward your feelings and intuitions without the need for justification, explanation or apology. Putting on the red hat, you express what you feel about the project. Examples: My gut-feeling is that this will not work. I don't like the way this is being done. This proposal is terrible. My intuition tells me that prices will fall soon. The red hat allows feelings to come into the discussion without pretending to be anything else. It is always valuable to get feelings out into the open .

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v)

GREEN HAT
The green hat is specifically concerned with creating new ideas and new ways of looking at things: Creative thinking Additional alternatives Putting forward possibilities and hypotheses Interesting proposals New approaches Provocations and changes The green hat makes time and space available to focus on creative thinking. Even if no creative ideas are forthcoming, the green hat asks for the creative effort. Often green hat thinking is difficult because it goes against our habits of recognition, judgment and criticism. Typical questions include: Are there any other ideas here? Are there any additional alternatives? Could we do this in a different way? Could there be another explanation?

VI)

BLUE HAT
Controlling the sequence of thinking. The blue hat is the overview or process control. It is for organizing and controlling the thinking process so that it becomes more productive. The blue hat is for thinking about thinking. In technical terms, the blue hat is concerned with metacognition. Wearing your blue hat, might make the individual: Look not at the subject itself but at the 'thinking' about the subject. Set the agenda for thinking Suggest the next step in the thinking, I suggest we try some green hat thinking to get some new ideas" Ask for a summary, conclusion, or decision, "Could we have a summary of your views?

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Example of using Six Hat Thinking

The directors of a property company are looking at whether they should construct a new office building. The economy is doing well, and the amount of vacant office space is reducing sharply. As part of their decision they decide to use the 6 Thinking Hats technique during a planning meeting. Looking at the problem with the White Hat, they analyze the data they have. They examine the trend in vacant office space, which shows a sharp reduction. They anticipate that by the time the office block would be completed, that there will be a severe shortage of office space. Current government projections show steady economic growth for at least the construction period. With Red Hat thinking, some of the directors think the proposed building looks quite ugly. While it would be highly cost-effective, they worry that people would not like to work in it. When they think with the Black Hat, they worry that government projections may be wrong. The economy may be about to enter a 'cyclical downturn', in which case the office building may be empty for a long time. If the building is not attractive, then companies will choose to work in another better-looking building at the same rent. With the Yellow Hat, however, if the economy holds up and their projections are correct, the company stands to make a great deal of money. If they are lucky, maybe they could sell the building before the next downturn, or rent to tenants on long-term leases that will last through any recession. With Green Hat thinking they consider whether they should change the design to make the building more pleasant. Perhaps they could build prestige offices that people would want to rent in any economic climate. Alternatively, maybe they should invest the money in the short term to buy up property at a low cost when a recession comes. The Blue Hat has been used by the meeting's Chair to move among the different thinking styles. He or she may have needed to keep other members of the team from switching styles, or from criticizing other peoples' points.

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6)

MIND MAPPING TONY BUZAN WHAT IS A MIND MAP?

Originated in the late 1960s by Tony Buzan Mind Maps are now used by millions of people around the world from the very young to the very old whenever they wish to use their minds more effectively. A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills word, image, number, logic, rhythm, colour and spatial awareness in a single, uniquely powerful manner. In so doing, it gives you the freedom to roam the infinite expanses of your brain. The Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance. Similar to a road map, a Mind Map will:

Give you an overview of a large subject/area Enable us to plan routes/make choices and let us know where we are going and where we have been Gather and hold large amounts of data Encourage problem solving by seeing new creative pathways Enable us to be extremely efficient Be enjoyable to look at, read, muse over and remember Attract and hold the eye/brain

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WHAT DO YOU NEED, TO DO MIND MAPPING?

Because Mind Maps are so easy to do and so natural, the ingredients for your Mind Map Recipe are very few:

Blank unlined paper Coloured pens and pencils Your Brain Your imagination!

When you use Mind Maps on a daily basis, you will find that your life becomes more productive, fulfilled, and successful on every level. There are no limits to the number of thoughts, ideas and connections that your brain can make, which means that there are no limits to the different ways you can use Mind Maps to help you.

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7 STEPS TO MAKING A MIND MAP

1) Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways. Why? Because starting in the centre gives our Brain freedom to spread out in all directions and to express itself more freely and naturally. Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for the central idea. Why? Because an image is worth a thousand words and helps us use our Imagination. A central image is more interesting, keeps us focussed, helps us concentrate, and gives our Brain more of a buzz! Use COLOURS throughout. Why? Because colours are as exciting to our Brain as are images. Colour adds extra vibrancy and life to our Mind Map, adds tremendous energy to our Creative Thinking, and is fun! CONNECT your MAIN BRANCHES to the central image and connect our second- and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc. Why? Because our Brain works by association. It likes to link two (or three, or four) things together. If we connect the branches, we will understand and remember a lot more easily. Make our branches CURVED rather than straight-lined. Why? Because having nothing but straight lines is boring to our Brain. Use ONE KEY WORD PER LINE. Why Because single key words give our Mind Map more power and flexibility. Use IMAGES throughout. Why Because each image, like the central image, is also worth a thousand words. So if we have only 10 images in Mind Map, its already the equal of 10,000 words of notes!

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Drawing Basic Mind Maps

To draw a Mind Map, the following steps can be use: 1. Write the title of the subject you're exploring in the center of the page, and draw a circle around it. This is shown by the circle marked in figure 1, below. (The simple example shows someone brainstorming actions needed to deliver a successful presentation.) Figure 1

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As you come across major subdivisions or subheadings of the topic (or important facts that relate to the subject) draw lines out from this circle. Label these lines with these subdivisions or subheadings. (See figure 2, below.) Figure 2

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As we "burrow" into the subject and uncover another level of information (further subheadings, or individual facts) belonging to the subheadings, draw these as lines linked to the subheading lines. These are shown in figure 3. Figure 3

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4.

Then, for individual facts or ideas, draw lines out from the appropriate heading line and label them. These are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

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As we come across new information, link it in to the Mind Map appropriately. A complete Mind Map may have main topic lines radiating in all directions from the center. Sub-topics and facts will branch off these, like branches and twigs from the trunk of a tree. We don't need to worry about the structure we produce, as this will evolve of its own accord.

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HOW TO USE MIND MAPPING

Mind Maps are useful for:
a)

Brainstorming The process of brainstorming involves capturing tons of ideas and a lot of them oftentimes make no sense. Mapping the ideas into a mind map allows us to easily capture all the things that are put out and we can easily later on structure the ideas into something more meaningful. Summarizing information, and note taking Mind maps are ideal for summarizing information, such as that found in books. With branches as your main concepts, you can flesh out concepts and ideas with your (scattered) notes and structure them for easy comprehension. If you want to see some examples of this, we gave away some of the mind maps that we used to write posts. Project Management There are tons of software applications and tools available for managing projects, but for smaller projects mind maps are a great way to oversee and manage a project. An easy way to get started is to have our main project as the core idea and to have these branches set up:

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Budget Resources People Scope Deadline

Basic structure of a mind map for project management. These are the very basic components of every project and with a mind map we can easily do project management. All we need is to setup these branches and regularly review them as we go through the project.

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Problem Solving There are many approaches to problem solving but a popular method is the 5W + 1H outline. This where we ask ourself a list of questions that we need to answer:

Who What Where When Why How

Problem solving example using a mind map. This is a great situation to use mind maps for because as we expand each section, we will oftentimes see relationships between our answers and that is something we can pinpoint on our mind map. This will help us clarify the problem which makes the solution more apparent as we go through all questions. To get started, our problem has to be the core idea in the mind map and have each branch represent one of those questions. Try to answer each question in isolation when we start off and as we go through all of them we will oftentimes come to a solution.
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Decision Making When it comes to making decisions, its always a good idea to have a list of options to pick from. We can easily do this with pen and paper, and with mind maps. Each method allows us to map out the options but the big advantage of mind maps is that we can make it visual for ourselves. Due to its visual nature we can easily spot relationships between options and especially as we map out different scenarios its easier to make connections between options in order to find out what the best decision is for us. Plus, making decision trees (another effective way to help us make the right decision) is much more effective with mind maps.

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f)

Knowledge Management Storing notes on specialized topics are very common with text notes. Most of the time you just end up with papers and walls of text about a topic that make it very difficult to review. Months or years down the line when we want to review our notes, we will hate ourselves for not using mind maps. If there is anything in particular we want to review its really inefficient to try to find that somewhere between hundreds of paragraphs. Instead, opt for using mind maps to take care of our knowledge bank. Especially with software based mind maps, its absolutely amazing how easy, simple and effective knowledge management can be. Lets say we want to create a knowledge bank about business networking. We have tons of PDF documents with tips, an Excel file with contact details, a mind map on networking using social media, and text notes of books such as Never Eat Alone and Love is The Killer App (both amazing books on business networking). How would we create a knowledge bank with all this information scattered in different files and in different formats?

Very bare and simple example of how to use mind maps for knowledge management. Notice the different attachments used to centralize all information. The solution is to centralize all the information and to have it tied in one place. We can aggregate all this information into one mind map which will act as our knowledge bank. With use of attachments in mind maps we can manage all this information in a structured manner and in a format which makes it very easy to review.

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Getting Stuff Done I will be the first to admit that a mind map is not ideal as a to do list. Pen and paper still rock in that department. However, that doesnt mean that mind maps cant help us get stuff done. They absolutely can. Especially if we use a productivity method such as Agile Results or we map out our GTD horizons in a mind map and transfer the detailed tasks onto our task manager. There are endless ways on how mind maps can help us get things done.

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Using Mind Maps Effectively

Once we understand how to take notes in Mind Map format, we can develop our own conventions for taking them further. The following suggestions can help us draw impactful Mind Maps:

Use Single Words or Simple Phrases Many words in normal writing are padding, as they ensure that facts are conveyed in the correct context, and in a format that is pleasant to read. In Mind Maps, single strong words and short, meaningful phrases can convey the same meaning more potently. Excess words just clutter the Mind Map. Print Words Joined up or indistinct writing is more difficult to read. Use Color to Separate Different Ideas This will help us to separate ideas where necessary. It also helps us to visualize the Mind Map for recall. Color can help to show the organization of the subject. Use Symbols and Images Pictures can help us to remember information more effectively than words, so, where a symbol or picture means something for us, use it. (We can use photo libraries like iStockPhoto to source images inexpensively.) Using Cross-Linkages Information in one part of a Mind Map may relate to another part. Here we can draw lines to show the cross-linkages. This helps us to see how one part of the subject affects another.

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CONCLUSION
It can be difficult to think critically about an idea or concept without putting it down on paper. Sometimes, when we think, our thoughts fly out too quickly to think coherently. A mind map can ensure that we get all of our thoughts about an issue down on paper in a lucid and organized manner. With the use of a mind map, we can use the evidence and information to make connections we might not have been able to make without it.

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References
"Mind Map noun - definition in the British English Dictionary & Thesaurus - Cambridge Dictionaries Online". Dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2013-07-10. "Who invented mind mapping". Mind-mapping.org. Retrieved 2013-07-10. Mind Mapping , Developing your ideas, Information Skills for Researchers http://www.ipo.gov.uk/tmcase/Results/1/UK00001424476 Mind Maps Trademark, UK http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4801:4qhaee.2.17 Mind Maps Trademark, USA Amazon.com listing, Hardcover edition, retrieved March 7, 2012. de Bono, Edward (1985). Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Management. Little, Brown, & Company. ISBN 0-316-17791-1 (hardback) and 0316178314 (paperback). Six Thinking Hats; Official training materials, DeBono Thinking Systems Edwards, J. (1991b) Research work on the CoRT method. In S. Maclure & P.Davies (eds.) Leaning to Think: Thinking to Learn. Oxford:Pergamon, 19-30. Dictionary.com, "critical thinking," in Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Source location: Dictionary.com, LLC. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/critical thinking. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: June 22, 2013. Dictionary.com, "critical thinking," in Dictionary.com Unabridged. Source location: Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/critical thinking.

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