Dont take sides during meetings. Try on these 6 hats instead.Published inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min readJust now-- See you next weekIssue #253: scrobbling, sign language, and self-perceptionBy Harris SockelThe problem with normal meetings, writes Bobby Powers in a review of one of his favorite books Six Thinking Hats by physician and prolific author Edward de Bono is that rather than collectively viewing a problem from various perspectives, each person chooses a side and digs in their heels.This isnt always true, but it often is. People are usually polite about it, but they come into a meeting with an idea or theory, and (sometimes) subtly campaign for it. As Powers quotes Bono in his review: It is so often the case in an argument that both sides are right but are looking at different aspects of the situation. As a result, we wait our turn to speak and then talk past each other.As weve explored previously in this newsletter, meetings are some of the most expensive (but most valuable!) parts of being at work. Theyre practical and emotional at the same time often, the most memorable meetings are the ones where people express some of their most vehement feelings, hopes, and fears. Basically, meetings are what makes work (and the third of your life spent there) feel human and motivating.But they can easily become bogged down in entrenched, or unspoken, disagreement. To solve this, Powers says Bono (who throughout his career published over 25 books containing frameworks for thinking) recommends a colorful, structured process for examining any idea: the six hats.The White Hat: Objective data, metrics, and informationThe Red Hat: Emotion, feelings, and intuitionThe Black Hat: Risks, cautions, and pessimismThe Yellow Hat: Benefits, hopes, and optimismThe Green Hat: Creativity, ideas, and new approachesThe Blue Hat: Control, organization, and guidanceThe key is for everyone in the group to wear each hat together. Go through them one at a time. When youre all wearing the White Hat, pull up your OKRs. When its Red Hat time, get very emo and dont explain why (this is key! please dont explain your feelings whilst under the influence of RH):Image credit: Bobby Powers, Revolutionize Your Meetings with Edward de Bonos Six Thinking HatsIts a meeting tactic, but its also good advice for decision making: Everyone can (and should) give themselves the freedom to be fully emotional and objective, hopeful and cautious, adventurous and risk-averse. Also todayLesser-known fact: For over 100 years (between 1880 and the 1980s), sign language was banned in schools for the deaf because prevailing wisdom prioritized lip-reading (now generally considered less effective as a communication tool). Catarina Dias, whose mom lost her hearing at 13 (when the ban was in effect) is learning sign language herself now, and writes: Its a way to honour my mums resilience and the culture she was never fully allowed to embrace.From the Medium archive: If youre worried someone else doesnt think highly of you, the core issue isnt how they may or may not perceive you its how you perceive yourself while youre around them. (More To That)Last.fm, the 23-year-old music streaming service, is arguably better than Spotify (for some) because its humble, timeless, and creates a nuanced, evolving collage of all the music you listen to across platforms (YouTube videos, vinyl players, and your digital music library) to recommend more songs based on your preferences. Its highly adept at listening to what youre listening to, a technique called scrobbling. (Michael Perera) Your daily dose of practical wisdomTo figure out what you were meant to do in life, focus on the why and watch the how emerge like magic. (Dan Koe)