Write better corporate proposals, using the Six Hats Theory

by Davina Schonle | Apr 1, 2022 | Strategy

Have you ever heard of the Six Hats Thinking Theory? It was created by Dr. Edward DeBono to help boost creative thinking, by dividing up the different styles of thinking into six "hats": logic, emotion, caution, optimism, creativity, and control. DeBono found that people have a tendency to think in one of these hats, more dominantly than the others. 

Considering all of these styles of thinking, when you’re writing your next proposal can help you create a more successful proposal - because you’ve considered every angle that people can be coming from, when considering your recommendation. 

When you send a proposal, you don’t know who's involved in the process and what colour hat they're going to be wearing. By considering all six hats when you’re writing your proposal, you’re going to create a proposal which is much more likely to resonate and speak to everyone. 

Using the Six Hats Theory when writing corporate proposals reduces the risk that your proposal is going to get turned down because it's not speaking to them. 

Here’s a breakdown of how you can use the Six Hats to write more successful proposals.

White hat thinking

The white hat likes information and data. So, you want to make sure you add some figures and statistics that support your recommendations. 

Red hat thinking

The red hat is about feelings and emotions. So, you could add in details about how your recommendation energises and motivates their teams, which leads to happier teams overall. 

Black hat thinking

The black hat is all about risk mitigation. So, think about some of the risks or ‘cons’ to your recommendations to address them from the get-go. This is where you are preempting possible objections and overcoming them upfront.

Yellow hat thinking

The yellow hat is about optimism. So think about the benefits and ‘pros’ to your recommendation. Be sure to explain how your solution will help them reach their goals, and include any added bonuses to your recommendations too.

Green hat thinking

The green hat is all about growth and creativity. This is where adding options can help, as it makes your recommendations feel flexible and adaptable. Think also about linking your recommendation to their growth strategies and goals.

Blue hat thinking

The blue hat is about the process, control and logistics. Include information around how you will deliver your solution and control the outcomes. It could be that you will do an assessment pre transformation and post transformation, and you will control it by doing check-ins and producing reports.

Obviously you don't make your proposal too long, but at least touch on these points so that you’re giving your proposal the best chance of success no matter who’s looking at it.

If you’d like to learn more about how to write the perfect proposal, you need to check out our ecourse - Secrets to Corporate proposals.