Mind Mapping For Success
The concept of Mind Mapping has been around for centuries but unfortunately it is still one of those best kept secrets that unless someone gives you insight into the power of a Mind Map you may never hear of it. My goal is to provide you some of the benefits of Mind Mapping and some of the practical ways you can apply it to your everyday life and unleash the secret.
Mind Mapping is a concept that incorporates the association of images and words focused on a single concept or thought. When you think about a concept or topic you think visually however we typically express our thoughts in a linear fashion. Let me give you an example: If you were to think about a day at the beach and someone asked you to describe it you would write down all of the things that you saw or experienced in your day such as sand, water, people, volleyballs, hamburgers, horseshoes, waves, voices, laughter, music, french fries, refreshments, fish, fresh air, beach towels, sunscreen, sunshine, boats, jet skis, frisbees, footballs and more. So if you write these items down on a piece of paper it does not conjure up, visually, what you truly experienced. Words, by themselves, elicit less meaning than when grouped with images around a topic in color, with spatial awareness and logic. A Mind Map has so many benefits that is difficult to mention all of them but they range from memory enhancement and creativity to fun and organization all radiating from a central topic. It is difficult to explain a Mind Map without showing you the full effect visually but the basic concept can be explained in the following manner.
Practically, a Mind Map starts with a central theme or concept laid out in the center of the page (typically arranged in a landscape view) and incorporates words, images and color to convey a message. The main idea or theme is typically the largest area on the page and can have its own color with larger font. The primary topics that radiate from the central theme are done so with branches or nodes off of the main topic and these can be as few as 3-4 or as many as 10 or more. These primary nodes or branches should be done in a different color than the main idea and should also be arranged in a manner that allows for additional topics off of each of them. If we go back to our "Day at the Beach" theme and we have five primary nodes that radiate from the central topic we could illustrate these with the following:
Taste
Smell
Touch
Sight
Sound
These five primary nodes obviously incorporate all 5 senses but it gives us a better understanding of how we associate each thought in a logical manner and give each thought more meaning as we link back to one of our senses and associate it visually with our thought process. Keep in mind that different topics can fall under the same branch or node but for arguments sake we will keep it simple. So, under the Taste branch we can add - french fries, hamburgers and refreshments. Under Smell - sunscreen, fresh air and fish. Touch - Sand, Frisbee, football, horseshoes and beach towels. Sight - Sun, water, boats, jet skis and people. Sounds - Music, laughter, voices and waves. With each of these topics we can attach an image and color to all or some (depending on your artistic prowess) and further reinforce each topic. Do you see how this approach provides a better image of what you experienced? It's as if it is being portrayed more like a map (visual) than a laundry list. Now think about applying it to something more practical like your daily events, a business plan, a shopping list or a house project.
Mind Maps are known as "the ultimate visual organizational tool" and can provide a better means of communication within yourself or as a shared idea with a friend or colleague. They can be used to help us plan, project, communicate, brainstorm, problem solve, memorize and more.
Mind Maps are fun !
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed