On this specially priced 3-week course we have combined 3 workshops by Sophie Kay

Decisions, decisions: a tricky step to navigate in our family history. Is the person named in the historical record we’ve just discovered really our ancestor, or simply a namesake poised to confuse and confound us? How can we make our mind up what to do next?

Facts, agreements and conflicts of evidence, creativity and even our own feelings about the research all have a part to play in how we make our decisions. As it happens, we have a helpful scaffolding to step us through this: enter the Six Hats Method for decision making in family history research! Adapted from an original method by Edward de Bono, this approach involves a series of imaginary coloured ‘hats’, each representing a crucial aspect of thought. By cycling through the hats one or more times, we can reach a balanced and reasonable conclusion about the evidence in front of us.

We’ll see WHAT the Six Hats method is, WHY we need it, and HOW to apply it in both traditional and genetic genealogy research. We’ll acquire hands-on experience of each of the Hats through fun, practical exercises on genealogical case studies, and discuss how we can combine the Hats into a powerful framework for supporting our onward ancestral journey.

Six Hats for Genealogy

Is this search result really my ancestor? Hone your decision-making skills and tackle complex scenarios throughout traditional family history research in this interactive workshop on the Six Hats Method for genealogy.

Six Hats for Genetic Genealogy

Are you drowning in your DNA matches? The clear, rigorous framework of the Six Hats Method for Genetic Genealogy may lead you to an answer – this fun and informative workshop will show you how, and sharpen your knowledge of DNA analysis too.

Six Hats in Action

Put theory into practice and broaden your genealogical horizons in this hands-on workshop when we’ll delve into participants’ own case studies. This is a golden opportunity to confront challenges from your own research! We’ll discuss the practicalities of implementing the Six Hats Method across a variety of eras and places, and how to integrate good decision making into your genealogy workflow.

Practical, fun and accessible, this course is suitable for novices and seasoned genealogists alike.

• 20% Discount for all Society of Genealogists Members
• Recordings available until 18 March 2026  for everyone who pre-books

Click here for information about our events.  Contact events@sog.org.uk if you have any questions.