Each hat represents a distinct direction of challenging the problem.
- White Hat – Information – during the white hat discussion, only the facts are presented.
- Red Hat – Emotions – everyone shares their gut feelings without any justification for them.
- Black Hat – Discernment – cautious thinking, what could go wrong.
- Yellow Hat – Optimism – discuss the benefits.
- Green Hat – Creativity – time to present the oddball ideas, with little criticism.
- Blue Hat – Direction – The chairperson wears the blue hat and can direct the discussion into a different mode.