Edward De Bono's Masterthinker's Handbook

1. Masterthinking is a Skill, Not Just Innate Intelligence

Far too many people believe that thinking is a matter of intelligence: If you are intelligent you will automatically be a good thinker.

Thinking is a skill. The fundamental premise of masterthinking is that thinking is a learnable skill, much like carpentry or skiing, rather than an inherent trait tied to intelligence. Many intelligent individuals fall into the "intelligence trap," where their ability to defend a single viewpoint prevents them from exploring alternatives, leading to poor thinking. This trap can manifest as:

• Using intelligence to support pre-existing views.
• An inclination towards negative criticism for quick achievement.
• A reluctance to admit error due to ego.
• Jumping to conclusions too rapidly.
• Arrogance about one's own thinking abilities.

Intelligence vs. Thinking. Intelligence represents the mind's innate potential, akin to a powerful car engine. Thinking skill, however, is the operational ability to use that mind effectively, like the skill of a car driver. A powerful engine poorly driven yields less effective results than a humble car driven with mastery. Therefore, improving thinking skills requires conscious effort and practice, regardless of one's IQ.

Objective exploration. A masterthinker prioritizes objective exploration over proving themselves right. They are constructive, cooperative, and understand that emotions and values are integral to human decision-making, but they do not let ego or prejudice dictate their thought process. This objective stance allows for continuous improvement and effective problem-solving, recognizing that the thinking itself is always more important than the thinker.

2. Cultivate Thinking as a Skill Through Deliberate Practice

If you want to become a masterthinker those are the five steps you have to take.

Deliberate steps. Becoming a masterthinker is a deliberate journey, not an accidental outcome. It requires a conscious commitment to improving one's thinking abilities, moving beyond the common complacency that assumes one's thinking is already sufficient. This journey involves five crucial steps:

• Want to become a masterthinker: A genuine desire to improve, overcoming the ego that believes one's thinking is already perfect.
• Focus on thinking: Consciously observe your own thought processes and those of others, making thinking an area of active interest.
• Set aside time for thinking: Dedicate specific periods for active, generative thought, rather than merely reacting to incoming information.

Techniques and practice. Effort alone is insufficient; effective thinking requires specific techniques and consistent practice. Just as an athlete practices running, a masterthinker must regularly apply and refine thinking skills. This practice builds:

• Fluency: The ability to use techniques rapidly and with ease.
• Confidence: Mastery of techniques and the assurance of achieving useful results.

Willpower over intelligence. Ultimately, becoming a masterthinker is more a matter of will and sustained effort than innate intelligence. It's a gradual process of continuous improvement, where each step builds upon the last, leading to greater effectiveness and confidence in tackling any intellectual challenge.

3. Understand the Two Modes: Active and Reactive Thinking

This masterthinker's handbook deals with both active and reactive thinking.

Active thinking. This mode of thinking is proactive and generative, occurring when you need to initiate action or create something new. It involves defining what facts are needed and actively seeking them out. Examples include:

• Deciding on a vacation destination.
• Planning a new business venture.
• Troubleshooting a broken car.
• Choosing a career path.
  In active thinking, the thinker generates the material and shapes the future.

Reactive thinking. In contrast, reactive thinking involves responding to information or situations presented to you. The facts are typically laid out, and the task is to interpret, evaluate, or organize them. This is common in academic settings or when processing external data. Key questions in reactive thinking are:

• Do you understand this?
• Is this correct or wrong?
• How can this information be organized or used?
  This mode focuses on making sense of existing material.

Interplay of modes. While distinct, active and reactive thinking often intertwine. A scientist might reactively understand a situation before actively designing an experiment, or an investor might reactively analyze market data before actively making an investment decision. The techniques presented in this handbook are designed to enhance proficiency in both modes, recognizing their complementary roles in comprehensive thinking.

4. Bones: Uncover the Essential Structure of Any Situation

Bones are the basic elements or components. They are permanent and do not change.

Picking out the bones. The "Bones" technique is about identifying the fundamental, structural elements of any situation, problem, or concept. Just as bones provide the body's framework, these are the core ingredients around which everything else is organized. This process simplifies complex matters, allowing for clearer understanding and focused action.

Big bones vs. small bones. Not all elements hold equal importance. "Big bones" represent the major, crucial elements, while "small bones" are other important but less critical factors. Identifying big bones helps prioritize thinking and avoid overlooking key aspects. For instance, in a house fire, "saving human lives" and "limiting damage" are big bones, while the specific type of fire hose might be a small bone.

• Big Bones (Broad Type): Main elements that summarize many aspects (e.g., "finance" for a business).
• Big Bones (Key Type): Crucial points that are central to the situation, even if they don't cover many other elements (e.g., "boredom" as the core issue for a novel product).

Application in thinking. In active thinking, you deliberately list all necessary elements to solve a problem or make a decision. In reactive thinking, you sift through presented material to extract its core structure, first identifying broad big bones, then key big bones, and finally other relevant small bones. This systematic approach ensures a solid foundation for further thought, as ineffective bone identification leads to ineffective thinking.

5. Muscle: Identify and Leverage the Driving Forces of Thought

By muscle we mean force and power.

Purpose-driven force. "Muscle" in thinking refers to the force or power that drives an argument, a plan, or a decision. Just as physical muscles enable movement, thinking muscle propels ideas forward towards a defined purpose. A masterthinker consciously identifies this force, whether in their own active thinking or in the reactive evaluation of others' arguments.

Types of thinking muscle: There are various forms of muscle, each contributing unique power:

• Information Muscle: The strength derived from the quantity and credibility (hardness) of facts and data.
• Logic Muscle: The power of sound reasoning, moving from known premises to necessary conclusions.
• Emotional Muscle: The persuasive force of feelings and emotions, often expressed through adjectives and adverbs.
• Value and Belief Muscle: The deep-seated influence of underlying value systems and beliefs on perceptions and decisions.
• Habit Muscle: The inertia and momentum of established patterns, clichés, and standard opinions.
• Channel Muscle: The leverage gained from utilizing existing means or established routes to achieve a goal.
• Motivation Muscle: The driving energy, will, and desire that fuels action and sustains effort.

Assessing muscle. In active thinking, you assess what muscle you can deploy to achieve your purpose. In reactive thinking, you analyze the muscle an originator uses to make their case, discerning whether it's based on hard facts, sound logic, emotional appeal, or ingrained beliefs. Recognizing these forces is crucial, as they often override pure information or logic in real-world decisions.

6. Nerves: Organize Your Thinking with Four Strategic Networks

Nerves are for connecting things and making things happen.

Connecting and organizing. "Nerves" represent the coordinating and organizing aspect of thinking, linking ideas and processes to bring about results. This involves using structured networks to direct attention and facilitate action. The Body Frame Thinking (BFT) method introduces four distinct networks, each starting from a different edge of the paper, to guide specific types of thinking tasks.

The four networks:

• Achieving Network (Right-to-Left): Focuses on finding ways and means to achieve a defined purpose. It cascades from a broad purpose to broad concepts, then to specific means, and finally to detailed implementation, emphasizing alternative routes at each step.
• Exploring Network (Bottom-to-Up): Used for expanding and elaborating on a subject, like a growing tree. It encourages free association and brainstorming, moving from a central subject to various branches of related ideas without strict hierarchical levels.
• Analyzing Network (Top-to-Down): Serves for division and classification, breaking down a subject into its constituent parts or grouping items under headings. This network helps in understanding how something works or in creating an orderly structure for information.
• Organizing Network (Left-to-Right): A project-oriented network for putting things together to achieve a known objective. It lists ingredients, sequences actions, and considers timing, often following an A+B=C logic to build towards a desired outcome.

Purpose-driven application. Each network has a distinct idiom and purpose, and clarity on which network to use is key to its effectiveness. Whether achieving a goal, exploring a topic, analyzing a problem, or organizing a project, these "nerve" networks provide a powerful framework for structured and productive thought.

7. Fat: Ruthlessly Trim Irrelevant Detail for Clarity

In terms of thinking "fat" refers to excess unnecessary material.

Identifying the superfluous. "Fat" in thinking refers to any material that is unnecessary, irrelevant, or merely padding. Unlike "bones" (essential structure) or "muscle" (driving force), fat adds bulk without substance or power. A masterthinker develops a keen "sense of fat," an intuitive awareness of what is non-essential, to ensure thinking remains slim and trim.

Impact of fat. Excessive fat can obscure the core message, dilute the force of an argument, and make thinking difficult to follow. While some detail might be relevant in a different context, it becomes fat if it doesn't serve the immediate purpose of the thinking. The key questions for assessing fat are:

• Is it necessary?
• Is it relevant?
• Is it important?
  If the answer to these is no, or if the thinking would remain effective without it, then it is fat.

Context and purpose. The assessment of fat is always relative to the context and purpose of the thinking. In factual reports, fat should be minimized, but in artistic expression, descriptive "fat" might be essential for beauty and emotional engagement. The goal is not always to eliminate all fat, but to be consciously aware of its presence and its contribution (or lack thereof) to the overall objective.

8. Skin: Master the Art of Presentation and Communication

The skin is the outer wrapping. The skin is the wrapping in which our thinking is enclosed in order that it may be presented to others or to ourselves.

Presentation matters. "Skin" represents the appearance and presentation of one's thinking. Excellent thinking can be lost if poorly presented, as no one is obligated to search for hidden value in a disorganized or unclear delivery. A masterthinker understands that effective presentation is not superficial but crucial for ensuring their ideas are appreciated and understood.

Key aspects of presentation:

• Physical Presentation: For written material, this means readability, ample spacing, and clear formatting. For spoken communication, it involves speaking slowly, clearly, and varying tone, breaking the message into digestible sections with frequent summaries.
• Conclusions and Key Points: Generally, it's best to present conclusions and key points upfront, setting the listener's mind and preventing confusion. While a "build-up" approach can be powerful, it demands exceptional skill to maintain interest and clarity.
• Structure: Employing either a "tree" structure (hierarchical headings and subheadings) or a "necklace" structure (equally ranking, sequential sections) helps organize content logically. Consistency and clear demarcation between sections are vital.

Effective communication. Beyond mere presentation, "skin" encompasses communication, which inherently involves another person. A masterthinker constantly asks:

• Why should the other person listen to you?
• Where is the other person at (their understanding, motivation)?
• What do you want from the communication (their action, feeling, knowledge)?
  By keeping the audience firmly in mind, tailoring the message, and clarifying objectives, communication becomes a powerful extension of the thinking process.

9. Health: Evaluate the Overall Soundness and Value of Your Thinking

The most important thing about the human body is that it should be healthy.

Evaluating thinking. "Health" in the BFT method refers to the overall evaluation of thinking, assessing its soundness, weaknesses, deficiencies, and potential dangers. This final stage involves stepping back to gain a holistic perspective on the thinking produced (in active thinking) or presented (in reactive thinking), ensuring its validity and effectiveness.

Two key questions for active thinking: When evaluating a plan or decision in active thinking, a masterthinker asks:

• Is it good in itself? This assesses the inherent viability and soundness of the idea, independent of the individual. Would it work for anyone? Is it logically consistent and practically feasible?
• Is it good for me? This considers the personal fit and implications for the thinker. Does it align with personal values, resources, and capabilities? Is it sustainable and beneficial in the long run for the individual involved?

Holistic assessment. While "muscle" evaluates the power and source of thinking, "health" takes an overarching view, synthesizing all elements—bones, muscle, nerves, fat, and skin—to determine the thinking's ultimate value and robustness. This comprehensive evaluation ensures that the final output is not only powerful but also sound, relevant, and effectively communicated, leading to truly masterly outcomes.

Last updated: December 6, 2025