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Criterion
Paper matrix with six colored hat cards for information, feeling, value, caution, ideas and process control.
Facilitation
Six Thinking Hats
Paper illustration of an assumption matrix with prioritized test cards
Decision Making
Assumption Surfacing
Paper illustration for Alignment Mapping.
Facilitation
Alignment Mapping
Stakeholder Mapping
Facilitation
Stakeholder Mapping
Purposedifferent
When a topic gets stuck too quickly in the same thinking mode, Six Thinking Hats deliberately separates the perspectives. This means facts, risks, creativity, and emotional signals get worked through one after another instead of mixed together.Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it.When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable.When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first.
Complexitydifferent
MediumLowMediumLow
Timedifferent
45-90 min45-90 min1-2 h60–90 min
Participantsdifferent
4-122-84-122-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Perspective Notes, Decision Inputs, Action ItemsAssumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning PlanAlignment Map, Open Issues, Decision QuestionsStakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes
Tagsno overlap
FacilitationOptionsDecision
AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery
AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation
StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange
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