Attention-Directing Tools

Most practical thinking takes place in perception.

Most thinking mistakes are not mistakes of logic but mistakes of perception.

(Edward de Bono)

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Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“Of the people who shaped my thinking over the course of my life, Edward de Bono had the biggest impact. Before I started reading his books, I used to think he teaches creativity. I’ve since realized that what he actually teaches is thinking – creativity is just one aspect of it.”

“What was the biggest insight from his work so far?”

“That an essential aspect of thinking is directing attention.

This was a paradigm shift for me. I used to think of thinking and perception as two distinct entities. As a result of this insight, I integrated them into a single system. 

Take the familiar example of thinking of a certain color. As a result, all objects of that color in the environment start magically popping into view. Through the use of a linguistic label you’ve directed the attention toward a specific subset of things in the environment.

Or take a decision you want to make. The likelihood of getting a favorable outcome depends on a number of factors. The quality of the decision depends on directing attention to and considering all these factors. For this purpose, Edward de Bono created a specific linguistic label: CAF – Consider All Factors.

Unlike the color in the previous example, which was used as a tool for directing attention, this is a specifically designed attention-directing tool. 

He has designed a number of these tools as a means to teach thinking as a skill – to children and adults alike. His CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) program, teaches six such tools:

AGO (Aims, Goals, Objectives)
APC (Alternatives, Possibilities, Choices)
C&S (Consequences & Sequel)
CAF (Consider All Factors)
OPV (Other People’s Views)
PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting)

along with his Six Thinking Hats framework:

Red Hat: Emotions
Yellow Hat: Logical positive (Value Sensitivity)
Black Hat: Judgment (this is our default – and often only – hat)
White Hat: Information
Green Hat: Creativity (Lateral Thinking)
Blue Hat: Organization of thinking

This is a wonderful system. For me it’s also a blueprint for creating more such tools.”

“Is prioritization also a tool for directing attention?”

“It is. One of the most important: directing attention to the Most Important Thing (MIT) at a particular moment.”

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