Have you ever been to a meeting and left it frustrated by not having the chance to really express your ideas? Perhaps it was because of poor facilitation, dominant stronger voices or even a fear of the boss? Many meetings are dysfunctional, rambling and ineffective. Conflict, politics, power plays and posturing can all lead to frustration in meetings. Would you like to run meetings which are efficient, effective and decisive? This course explains two powerful methods where people think in parallel rather than in adversarial ways. By adopting a similar thinking style delegates are able to overcome the conflicts, inefficiencies and problems often seen in conventional meetings.

The Six Hats Method is a technique which gets the whole group thinking with the same outlook at the same time. It is based on ideas in the book, Six Thinking Hats, written by Edward De Bono and published in 1985. This method is proven to reduce conflict, ensure a rounded view, speed up the meeting and deliver better decisions. It has been used in board rooms, committee metings, jury rooms and business discussions in order to give an efficient structure to the meeting and to ensure that all points of view are heard in a constructive manner. It leads to faster and better decisions. Another benefit is that you get better implementation buy-in because everyone has participated and had their input heard.

The Disney Method is a creativity technique attributed to Walt Disney. It leads a group to adopt four different viewpoints of a problem and so to generate, critique and refine creative solutions. It is a structured brainstorm which delivers innovative but practical solutions.

Two other meeting methods are briefly explained. The NHS method is a simple and practical approach. It is used to speed up meetings and decision making in the NHS in the UK. The Amazon method is used at meetings where improtant deicisons are needed. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is a strong advocate of this approach which starts with a silent period of reading and reflection.

This short course shows you exactly how and when to use these methods. It will make you a much better facilitator of meetings. It will speed up meetings and you will be pleased to see your meetings deliver effective outcomes in a very positive manner. These essential management tools will help you in your career.

N.B. Six Thinking Hats is a trademark of the company Edward De Bono Ltd.