Legend has it that the pirate captain Jean Lafitte knew the waters off New Orleans like the back of his hand. Many times, when threatened with capture, Lafitte would guide his ship into the morass of islands, bayous and inlets making up the Mississippi Delta, and then just disappear, leaving frustrated pursuers in his wake.
How could he do this? Experience, for one thing, coupled with familiarity of the area. That, and using the hand-drawn charts he carried with him every time he ventured out. It helps to have a chart when navigating unfamiliar waters. The tool of mind mapping is a way for people to chart a passage from the barest glimmer of an idea to it's fulfillment.
Mind mapping helps people take in-depth looks at complicated subjects. It's a helpful planning technique for organizing thoughts, generating ideas and exploring relationships. Mind maps were invented in the 1970's by Tony Buzan, but have probably been around in one form or another since the first caveman scratched out a hunting plan in the dust outside his cave.
Nowadays, people use mind maps in business, education, or personal life to solve problems and better understand ideas.
How Mind Mapping Works
Complex subjects are composed of interrelated elements, parts that, when joined together, create the "big picture." Sometimes it's hard to see this grand design using linear lists and clunky outlines. Mind maps, however, let people visualize and understand how elements of a complicated subject relate to one another - and they do it in a dynamic, visually-oriented way that allows anyone to "get" the picture.
A manager wants to plan a new marketing campaign. Or a gardener is thinking about designing a landscape. To start the mind mapping process, they would write down their key word or phrase, one that best describes their subject in as few words as possible- "Marketing Plan," or "Successional Perennial Garden."
The key word should be circled. Then it's a matter of brainstorming sub-categories, things that relate to or are elements of the key subject. Parts of the whole can then be sub-divided further, into more elements, completion tasks, phases, etc.
Mind maps can be uses creatively, as a brainstorming tool for coming up with off-the-cuff relationships, or for a more thoughtful, critical thinking approach to understanding a subject.
In order to further explore relationships, savvy mind mappers use shapes, borders, colors, and symbols to differentiate sections of their maps. The mind map structure is perfect for presentation, and helps outsiders quickly visualize and understand a subject's overall structure.
An effective map will outline the shape of a subject, isolate and highlight the importance of it's parts, and show how they relate to one another.
Mind Mapping Software
Traditionally, mind maps have been created on paper medium, but increasingly popular software programs are available at the click of a mouse.
Mind maps can be sketched quickly by hand to explore a subject, but software programs offer the same ease of use bundled with built-in diversity and helpful add-ons. Applications come as either stand-alone software, or web-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications that are available to users anywhere there's an Internet connection.
Some applications are specialized by industry, such as business or education,and offer various levels of complexity, including a diverse range of "bells and whistles". Compare features, as some may allow integration with Microsoft Outlook and Excel, provide tools for animated presentations, interface with Power Point or video, or include full suites of project management tools. Many offer users free versions.
Mind mapping software or SaaS applications include, but are not limited to, the following brands:
- Mindomo
- Mindmeister
- FreeMind
- iMindMap
Benefits of Mind Mapping
Teachers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and students are among the many people who can benefit from mind mapping. Using mind maps will allow folks to
- abandon lists for outlining ideas and taking notes
- manage and retain their information more efficiently
- communicate ideas easily and in a a way that enhances understanding
- promote thinking and shorten the learning curve
- recognize patterns and relationships in their information
- synergize parts into a whole
How to Create a Mind Map
- write down subject keyword and draw circle around it
- brainstorm sub-heads, and write them down as they come
- draw relationship lines from the subject words to the sub-headings
- create sub sub-heads
- add notes as they come to further enhance the subject
Mind maps work best for fleshing out ideas. They're creative media, and, as such, should be somewhat "sketchy." Mind mappers should be careful not to strive for too much detail. Use symbols and color to add to understanding of the subject, and avoid loading up mind maps with too much text - use the note feature (if using software) to further explore elements.
Used judiciously, mind mapping can help organize thoughts in brainstorming sessions and create a chart people can use to navigate the sometimes stormy waters of project management and implementation.
Sources:
1) from Innovation Tools website, article entitled "10 Mistakes to Avoid with Mind Mapping Software," by Chuck Frey
2) The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain's Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan; Plume Press, 1996
Richard Freeland - Hi! Glad to meet you. I'm a registered landscape architect in Georgia, specializing in sustainable land planning, garden design, and ...
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