Most people are quite familiar with road maps, especially if they do any sort of traveling that entails driving in unfamiliar territory. These maps help them to know which direction to take in order to end up at a certain location. You could consider a road map as a sort of instruction manual for driving, as a large segment of the population could not manage to travel more than 20 or 30 miles without one.
Our brains have been compared to computers by many researchers. To a certain extent, this is very true. When you buy a new computer, most of the time it comes to you with some sort of operating system already installed. Included in this operating system are various types of software.
Each software program does something different. A word processor is for typing letters and reports. A web browser is used for going online. Your email program downloads your email from the server. The programs that are on a computer when you purchase it are usually just the basics.
When using your computer, what do you do if by chance you need to complete a task, and you find you do not have the proper software? You either download or purchase a program that will help you to do the task.
What are Mind Maps?
Your brain is your operating system. Even though everyone thinks in a different way, you use the same techniques that the majority of the people in the world also use. When you were born, you had certain ‘programs’ already ‘installed’ in your brain that are there to help you learn and memorize the things that are going to happen to you during your entire lifetime.
You have a program that remembers images, a program that remembers how things link together in order to form a system, and a program that remembers words and what they mean. Does this sound a bit like your home computer?
When you use mind mapping, your brain is working like your computer! Mind mapping is a moniker coined by none other than best-selling author Tony Buzan, who has taught this concept to people all over the world for the past 30 years.
Mind maps are a very effective way to get information that you want or need to remember, in and out of your brain. The brain has certain basic ways of doing things, just like a computer does. The difference is that the brain can take these basic ‘programs’ that it entered the world with, and refine them to help make the most of your memory and your sense of creativity.
You already have this power latent in your mind. Mind mapping simply takes advantage of the power within you in an innovative way.
Mind mapping has its own basic elements. The one that are absolutely necessary to harness the power of this amazing method are as follows:
The Use of Pictures and Images
When children are learning to read, most systems which were made to teach them the basics of reading use many pictures. This is because our brains have an awesome capability in that they can recall pictures and images very easily. It is as if you have a huge hard drive in your head that has a limitless capacity for ‘ brain shots’.
Brain shots are ‘photos’ of your life that you can bring to the forefront of your mind whenever you want to see them. This is a big part of using mind mapping! Since it is easier for us to remember an image than it is a group of words, mind mapping takes advantage of this capability.
Headings and Captions
The brain has a much easier time remembering words that stand alone, short groups of words, and short sentences such as captions. Headings are also very easy to remember. Take the front page of a newspaper for example. You could make the attempt to memorize the entire front page. You would have to do an awful lot of studying to be able to quote it verbatim, and it is doubtful that you could accomplish this task without making any mistakes.
A much easier method of remembering the information would be to write down the headlines and headers for each story, and then commit those to memory. This way, the headlines and headers would help you to remember probably 95% of each newspaper story, as long as you had read them thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Making a Connection
One of the things that your brain does best is analysis. It is an automatic occurrence that is similar to logic. It is natural for the brain to analyze how events, situations, actions, and more are connected to each other. Once your brain has figured this out, it will then create a picture that will bring to mind that structure. Much of the work that our mind does has to do with things being connected together in our memory. These associations work together to create a system.
Your memory is at its best when it is allowed to work the way that it was meant to. If you try to force yourself to remember things in a way that goes against the brain’s natural ability, you will find it tough going, indeed. Doesn’t it make more sense to work with your brain, instead of trying to go against it? Mind mapping is so advantageous because it falls right in line with the way that the brain works. Research has proven that the basic way man remembers things is by using his imagination and associating it with images.
When you think of a horse, does your mind see the letters H O R S E in neon lights? Of course not. It sees the image, or picture of a horse. We think in images! When we remember things, they appear in our mind as images first. The images then trigger words.
Mind mapping takes advantage of this. It is a way of taking notes that will enable you to learn things faster and easier than ever before. When you need to come up with an idea for something quickly, mind mapping is the way to go. Mind mapping can help you to take a complicated idea, and give it structure so that it is much easier to understand.
How Does It Work?
People who are relatively new to mind mapping say that after completing a few of them, they feel that they actually think in a different way. When you consider that mind mapping is the way our brains were originally designed to work, you can better understand why they would say this.
An idea map is a visual picture of the problem, topic, question or issue that you need a solution to. It is eye catching and colorful, and fits on just one sheet of paper. It is a different method from the usual step-by-step, linear method that most people use! When you have a picture of what is going on right there in front of you, it somehow makes you feel energized, and more capable of handling the project or problem at hand. With a visual ‘map’, the brain can think and plan in a different way – the way it was meant to think.
Mind mapping is a lot easier to learn than you might think from reading about it. It is a great deal like brainstorming, where a group gets together and shares their individual ideas and solutions for a common goal. Once you have learned the basics of mind mapping, you won’t want to think or learn new things in any other way. Your efficiency will be a peak level at work and at home, and you will be using more of your brain power than ever before.
The Inner Core Central to Mind Mapping
Mind mapping uses basic logic, and the brain’s proclivity for association to create a structure to build upon. Since our thoughts start off in the center of our mental state, mind mapping starts in the middle of a sheet of paper. Here, you will place a word or an image that will represent the idea/subject that you are thinking about. You will use colors to make this image, so as to make it stand out both on the paper and in your mind.
Think of this center image as the title of a book. What comes next in a book on the first few pages? The table of contents, which as you know is a listing of the chapters of a book. You want the main themes of your idea/subject to branch out from around this center image, just like the chapters of a book seem to flow outwards from a table of contents.
You have the option of printing (the brain reads printed letters more quickly) a word or words for this main theme, or you can create another image if you prefer. These central lines are the first level of thought, much like the main branches of a tree join to the tree’s trunk. You want the colors to match the ones on the middle image, and draw lines that are the same length, and curve toward the outer edge of the paper.
The Second Map Level and Beyond
Now you will begin to create your second thought level. The words or images on this level will be linked to the central branch that they are an offshoot of. Your lines will be thinner, but of the same color as the main branch they started from. Use single words if possible, and make sure you arrange each image or word on its own individual line. The lines show the association between the main center image or word, and the ideas that are represented by the single words and/or images.
See how your thoughts flow? They go from the main idea and branch off into more ideas, which are all related to one another in some way. Keep in mind that if you are doing mind mapping as a group exercise, no two mind maps are going to look alike. Everyone’s brain will use different words and images to associate ideas and plans.
What Mind Mapping Can Do For You
Mind mapping allows your creativity free reign. You are creating a diagram in a sense – a diagram that represents the main idea you are thinking about, and arranges other ideas and activities relevant to the main idea around it. Mind maps arrange these ideas in such a way that represents the connections they have to each other.
People have found mind mapping to be very useful in their business, personal life, family life, and to help them to learn large amounts of information is a relatively short period of time. Anytime you want to be able to think and remember better, you should consider drawing a mind map to help you see the big picture of what you want to achieve.
Basic Principles and Major Benefits of Mind Mapping
In summary, the basic principles of mind mapping are:
Express ideas through the use of single, key words or by drawing colorful images
Associate these ideas
Structure these ideas into a group
Group ideas in order of importance
See your ideas by creating them in image form
Use colors and images to further stimulate your mind
The major benefits of mind mapping include:
Creative thought is stimulated by the use of colors and images
Creative thought is further stimulate by the use of associations and power words
Thinking in depth about what it is you are trying to learn or accomplish
Time and paper saved versus taking notes the old-fashioned way
The traditional method of note-taking consists of listening to a speaker and writing down what the person says in a linear form. Even though it involves writing, it is very attached to the auditory stream of consciousness mode: one thing after another. Mind mapping, on the other hand, takes the ideas coming from the speaker and distributes them on the paper in various ways, adding the dimension of space, thus translating them into a more visual form. Since spatial organization is more associated with the right brain, this method allows the listener to take advantage of all of the left and right cortical skills of the brain.
Mind maps work by emphasizing the strength of the right hemisphere of the brain. In most people, that part of our brain is tasked with visual, associative, and non-verbal thinking as well as a lot of creative thinking. The left hemisphere, on the other hand, is responsible for analytical thoughts (which can only be examined one at a time) – such as when we are writing. Usually, we find it difficult to express our thoughts on paper. But when the right hemisphere is triggered in tandem with the left hemisphere, such as when we are producing a mind map, we overcome this difficulty.
Mind maps allow you to concentrate because both hemispheres of the brain are trained to be balanced and active at the same time, and because various sensory channels are being employed at the same time, multiple intelligences can be drawn together to help in comprehension and memorization.
Organizing Thoughts
By using mind mapping to organize and classify concepts in your mind first, you will find it easier to write about a string of concepts which are related in some way. Mind maps present information in relation to other data, which helps to mark which concepts are more important than others. So they are useful when you have muddled thoughts that need to be clarified, or bits and pieces of information whose relationships to one another have to be visualized. Mind maps work well when one is dealing with a complex scenario, particularly those which require a holistic point of view if they are to be grasped. When we use mind maps, complex problems become simpler to think through and find solutions to.
The Effects of Mind Mapping on Creativity
The predominant reason that most people underestimate their creative talents is that formal education has traditionally failed to adequately stress this mental ability, favoring instead more academic pursuits. Academics tend to stress the functions of the left hemisphere of the brain; the functions of the “creative” side of the brain – the right hemisphere – are not emphasized as much except in people who are deemed “artistically gifted”. Fortunately, many educators now try to integrate creative pursuits into a well-balanced education so that the products of their institutions will have an equally well-balanced personality.
Mind mapping helps one become more creative because it emphasizes brainstorming, free association and radiant thinking. Your present level of comprehension of ideas is graphically represented, which then translates to a higher level of understanding when extended to other ideas or sub-topics.
The human mind does not function the way a computer does. A computer operates solely in a linear manner. Your brain, on the other hand, operates not just in a linear fashion but also in an associative manner. That means that your brain undertakes the functions of comparing, integrating and synthesizing thoughts as you work. Almost all mental functions rely on association to proceed. Words are representations of ideas in your head. So every word is linked to an idea which in turn is connected to a lot of other ideas stored in your brain.
Since every word you can think of can trigger a host of associations in your mind, creativity is encouraged. One person may be able to generate one set of relationships between concepts using one key central idea, while another person could produce another set of relationships between concepts using the same key central idea. It is possible for just one word/term/concept/idea to be related to many others. Mind maps help us look for different and creative ways that ideas are related to one another within our minds. If you are persistent enough, you may be able to come up with a unique combination of relationships of ideas that may translate into a new product or service.
Speed
The nice thing about mind maps is that drawing your ideas in the form of keywords or symbols is a faster process compared to laboriously writing down lines of notes. Associations may also be created more quickly if you use keywords or symbols.
Relying on keywords during note-taking can reduce the amount of unnecessary notes by 90%. This boosts your effective writing/note-taking speed by up to 10 times its present level. You may improve your keyword writing speed even further if you develop the ability to abbreviate them. One of the best ways to do this is to eliminate vowels from the keywords as you write them. The eye has the ability to discern what words mean even without the appropriate vowels.
Mind maps take up less space than linear note-taking so they are more compact (but not less effective.) If you want to add more ideas to your mind map in the future, this is easily accomplished. Information is less arduous to summarize, especially if you gleaned data from different research sources.
List-style notes take a longer time to read and review, compared to checking out our mind map with just one glance. Furthermore, line-by-line notes are tedious to read which may induce our mind to wander and eventually forget what we have just read.
Having an Overview of the Subject at a Glance
Mind maps take advantage of the human mind’s ability to scan an entire page of information in a non-linear manner. This means that you are also able to view the entire series of relationships between ideas with just one look, which eases the cognitive load on your mind, and enables you to have a quick overview of the subject.
Presenting the mind map to other people helps them to see where the flow of your thoughts is headed and how ideas are associated in your mind. When you need to review the subject tackled in the mind map, all you have to do is glance at it – it will immediately refresh your memory.
Emphasizing Associations
Mind maps were developed based on the human mind’s special way of relating thoughts to each other. A linear way of note-taking, according to Tony Buzan, actually limits creativity and memory since there is little leeway for the brain to create associations about ideas. In addition, using line-by-line or list-style notes trains the brain to think that there is a limit to the links between ideas – that once the reader comes to the end of the list, he has “finished.” Buzan says this dulls the thinking process. In reality, links between ideas go on infinitely in our minds. Line-by-line note-taking is also deemed less effective than mind mapping because we often include superfluous words in addition to keywords in each line. When we are writing down such long phrases and sentences, we may lose out on other important keywords and ideas being presented (particularly if we are listening to a speech.) The other aspect of Radiant Thinking is its use of keywords that are connected to the key central idea we thought of. Research headed by Dr. Gordon Howe of Exeter University showed that note-taking improves when there are keywords, and the fewer keywords used the better it is for retention of information. A keyword is defined as a term which encompasses the most relevant meaning in the most direct way. It is also the term which provides the fastest recall for the person taking notes. Out of the masses of words which we see, speak and hear, keywords make up just 1% to 10% of that.
Improved Learning and Memory
Can mind mapping help one to study better? Tony Buzan believes so. The problem with formal education is that we gain content from it, not the process of learning. Buzan claims that his Mind Mapping technique will help users tap into the full range of their intelligence, enhance thinking skills, and significantly add to our memory and creative abilities.
Linking means that you remember better those things which are interrelated compared to those which are not connected in any way. You can prove this to yourself – how many times does the “right” idea crop up in your mind? Doesn’t it usually pop up when you bump into something that is related to that concept? For example, you could be trying to remember where you placed your car keys – you just know you had them with you when you parked the car last night. So you pat down the pants you are wearing today and suddenly you remember – your car keys are in the pockets of the pants you were wearing yesterday. You just had to make the right connection so you could remember.
Linking is obviously valuable for comprehension and understanding, particularly when used during note-making and mapping out your study activities. You can improve your learning if you deliberately search for ways that different topics are interrelated. This is profoundly demonstrated by mind mapping, where each idea is connected to another by a line, a color, or a symbol.
The effectiveness of mind maps stems from their function as spatial structure mnemonics. That means that your mind remembers where each idea was placed within the mind map. The shape and the structure of the mind map act as visual cues to trigger memory about the location of the idea.
Contrary to what some people might think, mind maps do not eliminate the value of any note-taking processes which you might be using right now. When used in tandem with the note-taking systems you are used to, mind maps will most likely add to their value by enhancing their effectiveness. For example, if you are used to writing down notes line-by-line, a mind map can complement this style by helping you to see how the ideas all relate to one another.
Disagreements
However, some academic researchers dispute Buzan’s claims as being mere marketing hype to promote his Mind Maps consultation business. These claims, the academics state, are founded on misconceptions about the brain and cerebral hemispheres. Mind mapping, they say, may not be applied with equal rates of effectiveness to all learning tasks. Farrand, Hussain and Hennessy showed in their 2002 study that undergraduate students who used the mind map technique experienced a limited but noteworthy effect solely for recall (equal to 10% over baseline per 600-word text) while preferred study techniques only displayed a -6% hike from the baseline. Such an advantage by the mind map users remained strong only for the first week, after which the students were considerably less motivated to use the technique, as opposed to employing their preferred note-taking strategies. The researchers proposed that learners opt for other techniques since they were not used to using mind maps. They also said that learners were not very eager to use mind maps despite their being categorized as a “memory enhancing” method.
Another study done by Pressley, VanEtten, Yokoi, Freebern, and VanMeter revealed that learners absorbed data better when they emphasized soaking up content rather than trying to find a particular style of note-taking that worked.
Disadvantages
Mind mapping can have its drawbacks. As the above studies show, it’s not easy to change your ways of doing things, and changing form the linear system that we have been taught to use since childhood to a very different way of writing down notes requires a great effort that a lot of people are not ready to make.
In addition, when you approach a new subject, you may not have a clear enough grasp of it to be able to organize your thoughts about it from the start. To make a good mind map, you need to choose your main subject and the subsidiary ideas around it, and the appropriate keywords. If you’re not ready to do that, then linear note-taking might be more appropriate. There’s no reason you can’t transform them to a mind map later on.
With mind maps, everything is supposed to be contained on a single page, but you don’t necessarily know where a subject is going to take you and how much space should be allotted to a particular sub-group. It can be irritating when you want to add something to a category and there isn’t enough space in that part of the page.
Even though mind mapping is said to be more intuitive than linear note-taking that is not entirely true. It’s not just because we have always used the linear method that we find it comfortable. Language is first and foremost auditory, and writing is translating the auditory messages into a more permanent form. Speaking is necessarily linear, and the linear writing method is the one that comes closest to our way of speaking
Buzan’s Mind Maps have seven key features, namely, Organization, keywords, Association, Clustering, Visual Memory, Outstandingness, and Conscious Involvement.
Here are some guidelines to creating your own personal Mind Map. First, draw an image of your central key idea in the middle of a blank piece of paper. Be sure to use 3 colors for this. You can use images, codes, symbols, and dimensions throughout your Mind Map (when necessary.) From the central key idea, you may radially link supporting ideas – be sure that these are written with upper or lower case letters on their own line branching out from the central key idea. Central lines radiating from the central key idea must be thicker yet flowing naturally to the supporting ideas where the lines become thinner. Each line should allow enough space to print the supporting idea allocated for that space. Colors are important though you may use them to highlight certain ideas as you wish – you are free to create your own color code as you make your mind map. The important thing to remember is that you have to create associations as you create the mind map: which color represents this concept? Does using upper-case letters create focus on a supporting idea? Does one ‘tree branch’ of radiating lines display a clear relationship or set of ideas?
Note-taking when listening to a speaker is different from note-taking when reading a document or article. But the commonality between them is that you will have to find out what the main theme is first, then jot down the keywords of that main theme in the middle of the paper.
Keeping an ear or eye out for the sub-themes comes next. These sub-themes may also be indicated through keywords, then linked to the main theme by a line. Good keywords are generally nouns or action words that bring back strong recall of the concept and its meaning. Supporting details may be inked in, in areas near the sub-themes they are related to, then lines are drawn from these supporting details to connect to the sub-themes. You may use polygons of any sort (not just circles) drawn around the main theme and then the sub-themes to set them apart from one another. You could also try numbering each ‘tree branch’ of information to further organize your thoughts.
You will find as you go along that you will be able to see, with one glance, what the dominant ideas of the speech or article are. But do not think that the ideas have to be confined to what the contents of the speech or article are. You may opt to include any insights you have that cropped up in the course of the study or work session. The advantage of this note-taking method is that it is tailored to the needs of every person since each person has a unique way of organizing his ideas. One person’s mind map may be gibberish to another person.
Color coding when mind mapping can be done in three ways: by the theme of your mind map, by the ‘tree branch’ or area of relationship, by the source of your information, and by keywords. Color coding by theme acts like a traffic sign informing you what that part of your mind map is generally about. Color coding each ‘tree branch’ denotes a specific relationship among ideas included in the tree branch. Color coding each area of the mind map based on where you derived the information also works well – this is particularly applicable to group work. Color coding keywords helps you zero in on important concepts without disregarding minor details.
Color coding becomes easier if you have the right tools. These could be colored pens, such as fine point felt-tipped markers, colored pencils (though these may provide less clarity), watercolor pencils, watercolor brushes, and perhaps even paper with different background hues. Some people prefer to sketch their mind maps with sharpened graphite pencils first then color in the appropriate areas later on. This technique is convenient when you want to erase an idea or even a whole ‘tree branch’ from the paper.
You can create a mind map using plain paper and differently-colored pens. Or you can opt to use the different kinds of mind-mapping computer software programs that are out on the market. Some people might find it easier to take linear notes at the start, then translate these notes into mind maps later on – it’s up to you because mind mapping lends itself to each person’s unique note-taking style.
When you are creating the mind map, it is advisable to keep your writing small since you will be attempting to place all your related ideas on one page.
Remember that, essentially, there is no limit to how vast your mind map can become. A sub-topic in the first mind map you create may become the central key idea in the next mind map you draw. This is the beauty of mind mapping – relationships may go on as extensively as they exist in your mind.
Okay, so you drew a mind map, then put it away for awhile. Then you took it out again and looked at it. Does it make sense to you? It should – because the symbols and relationships which you integrated into it are those which have a personal meaning to you. If you used keywords for your central key idea and the sub-themes, all the better. Keywords are easier to remember than whole sentences (which is why mind maps are believed to be superior to linear note-taking.) Good keywords would be those which help you to recall meaning more satisfactorily.
It is possible that in the course of drawing your mind map, you may have repeated a keyword twice or several times. Examine this closely, then decide whether you should use that keyword as the central key idea for a new mind map. It is possible that the keyword may generate a whole host of related ideas which can be organized in the following mind maps. If you are using your mind map to brainstorm solutions to a problem, repeating a keyword is a positive sign – it could mean that you have discovered an appropriate solution.
It is important that you only place one keyword or term on one line because every word and image can make you think of more than one possible association. If you list just one keyword or term, it is possible to generate a lot of ideas from it. It is also easier to remember.
During the course of drawing your mind map, it is possible that you will run out of details to add to it. Don’t panic – just add some lines (to the ‘tree branch’ of related ideas) that do not contain any information at all. You could take a break during this time, perhaps do something else for awhile, then come back to the task again. You may find that new associations grow in your mind when you do this; you could jot them down later in those blank lines. By the way, there is no such thing as ‘stupid’ ideas when you are free-associating. An idea that seems inane or dumb when you first think of it may seem like a truly creative, great concept when you examine it later on.
Another thing that could happen is that you could think of a really fantastic idea at inopportune times (like when you’re taking a shower or driving your car.) It helps to have a planner you could jot down such ideas in, to transfer them to your mind map later on. What happened is that your mind was thinking of your mind map even when you were doing something else – then it came up with that association which you simply had to write down. If paper is not at hand, try to keep that ground-breaking thought in your mind until you can get to your mind map. You really need to put down your brainchild on paper though – think of it as a brain purge. Otherwise, your conscience will nag you that you have thoughts which need to be jotted down.
How to Read Someone Else’s Mind Map
If you were to be given someone else’s mind map, you might be confused by the sheer amount of words on it. How does one read a mind map? Well, this is where the use of symbols, colors and conventions proves useful. The middle of the page will contain a central key idea that is usually blocked off by a circle or other polygon. This central key idea (if it follows the Buzan ideal) will use 3 colors. Look around the central key idea and you will find other sets of keywords that may also have been set apart from the rest of the mind map through such conventions as use of different colors or other shapes. These are the sub-topics of the central key idea – you know this is so because they should be connected to the central key idea through lines (preferably relatively thick ones). Then look for other lines which are connected to these sub-topics – again, if they follow Buzan’s rules, the words connected to these lines are sub-sub-topics because they are linked by thinner lines than the sub-topics. Buzan advocates that the flow of the lines and keywords should be counter-clockwise – which is why some people opt to put numbers at each ‘tree branch’ so that people will know which sub-topic comes first.
By the way, it is not recommended that you show your unfinished mind maps to other people – most likely they will not understand the flow of your thinking and will just get confused as to where your thoughts are headed. Show the finished results of the work, not the unfinished mind maps.
The Need to Practice
At the start, mind mapping requires practice. But those who master the art of mind mapping eventually find that more information is absorbed and recalled in proportion to the effort required to do the mind mapping.
Buzan advocates that people trying out mind mapping should do up to 100 mind maps before they can become comfortable with the tool – whether it is applied for note-taking, planning, organizing, or simply jotting down one’s thoughts and feelings. One persistent user of hand-drawn mind maps believes that it is advantageous for mind mappers to create at least one mind map every month regularly. He feels that mind mappers will eventually want to use larger and larger pieces of paper as the relationships between their ideas expand.
The Importance of Colors
When you communicate, only 7% of the meaning is conveyed to the brain through words. Your mind relies more on visual cues. So, visual elements like shape and color enhance the process of communication. Color definitely has an impact on mood and behavior.
Usually, line-by-line note-taking only relies on two colors – black (the color of your pen) and white (the color of your paper.) The use of these two colors in combination has a hypnotic effect on the viewer – which may explain why so many people fall asleep reading or are lulled into a trance-like state in a classroom. The writer Ronald E. Green, in “The Persuasive Properties of Color” revealed that colorful visual aids make readers more eager to read and willing to participate by an amazing 80%. Companies that stress color as a key feature in their products really know something then – not only can they sell their products better but color really works at imparting knowledge better. Jan V. White of “Color for Impact” noted that presentations which incorporate color are actually 60% more simple to view. In addition, White said such presentations cut down on search time by 80%, boost attention span by 82%, and enhance comprehension by 70%. White further stressed that color in presentations improves recall by 60% and brand recognition by 70%.
If you have ever looked at the weather map in the newspaper or displayed on the evening news on TV, you will notice that it is colored in different parts to show the differences in the weather in various parts of the country. It is definitely easier to look at and understand than a black and white map, isn’t it? This is an application of the same principle in mind mapping: color is the lifeblood of visual aids.
When you make a presentation, such as a mind map, your audience will form a lasting impression within the first 90 seconds. In that time, color will help determine by 60% whether your audience will reject what you have to say or be willing to accept the content. If you use mostly loud colors, it makes you seem like you are trying too hard – thus undermining your authority as a speaker. Having poor color sense gives the impression that your IQ is much lower than it really is. Thus, if you are going to present your mind map to a group, make sure that it is both intelligent and attractive to look at.
Are Hand-Drawn Mind Maps Superior to Computerized Ones?
This boils down to personal preferences. Some people swear by hand-drawn mind maps; others believe computerized mind maps made with the help of specialized software are better. One user engaged in business still likes to use hand-drawn mind maps but opts for the computer software version when he has to create a mind map that will be shared with other people, or has to be continuously amended and updated over time. Computer software mind map programs are called ‘graphical information organizers’, or software that falls under ‘graphical organization of information networks.’
Tony Buzan himself at first did not consider most mind mapping software out in the market to be part of the mind mapping technique – he devoted himself to the application of mind maps for learning (such as for studying in college.) But now he has also come out with his own personal mind mapping software – the iMindMap program.
Computer software does pose some benefits for mind mappers. One, the map can be quite large, if you wish. With a paper mind map, you are limited by the size of the paper. The software could feature pre-set symbols (as opposed to you inventing symbols of your own.) You can also change the organization of your mind map even after it has been drawn. Web or desktop files can be linked to map nodes. You can email the map to other people or simply post it on your website. There are map templates available nowadays which you could use if you don’t want to start from scratch. A mind map made with software can feature as high a level of detail as you wish. If you create a large map, you can search it. With all these advantages, the popularity of mind mapping software has definitely risen – one estimate is that 60,000 people per month try out the mind mapping software sites.
Tony Buzan markets his own software product as THE one program that can duplicate the effectiveness of the traditional hand-drawn mind maps. Its key features (according to Buzan) are: “unlimited visual variety, portability, freedom, brain friendliness, and effectiveness.” But if you want to explore other possibilities, Wilipedia has a list of 61 programs besides Buzan’s here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mind_Mapping_software
The Importance of Listening
Bad listening habits are observed by people around us on a daily basis – and even we may be guilty of practicing them as well. When we listen to a speaker, do we often reject the subject out of hand as being “not interesting enough?” Or do we pass judgement on the speaker based on his mannerisms or delivery, thus not paying attention to the content of his speech? On the other hand, we might get too carried away by the topic of the speech and fail to be critical listeners. Do we listen mainly for facts, or do we predominantly look for testimonials or even entertainment instead? Do we attempt to outline the entire content of the speech? Are we just pretending to pay attention to the speaker? Do we permit distractions to prevent us from listening? Do we dodge difficult portions of the speech? Do highly emotional trigger words have the ability to agitate us to the point that we become very hostile? And do we just daydream throughout the speech, wasting both our time and that of the speaker’s?
Bad habits such as these prevent us from taking advantage of someone’s efforts to communicate to us. And bad listening habits are also responsible for creating terrible mind maps. How can you create a mind map that makes sense to you if you were not able to listen to the flow of the speaker’s ideas? How can you know where one idea links up with another to form a certain relationship if you fail to listen well? And if you do not know how to listen well, how can you learn to communicate the same ideas to other people when they ask you about it?
A mind map is only as good as the creator’s ability to form relationships between concepts. To understand relationships between concepts, you have to listen closely and find out where one relationship ends and another begins. And to become a good speaker yourself, you must first be able to listen to how the source of your knowledge imparted his ideas then attempt to replicate the process. And part of replicating that process is creating a good mind map on which you can base your own presentation.
The ARCURRC Model of Listening
Buzan outlines the steps of the listening process in his ARCURRC model. Looking through this model allows you to zero in on any of the steps that you may be deficient in or experiencing problems in so that you can attempt to improve your listening habits. The ARCURRC model is broken down into seven steps, namely: Assimilation, Recognition, Comprehension, Understanding, Retention, Recall, and Communication (or Use.)
Assimilation pertains to the joint physical capacity of your ears and your brain to hear and grasp the sounds in your environment. If you feel that you might have a problem with assimilation, it might help if you were to undergo a thorough hearing exam to rule out problems with your hearing. Even people who have no doubts about their ability to hear and grasp sounds might find it beneficial to have such an exam done since they would then definitely know if they are at the normal level – and if they can surpass that level.
Recognition talks about the capacity of your mind to decode sounds and their meaning which has been received by your ears. It gives a base level at which your mind can identify a particular sound as being caused by a certain object – such as words coming from a person, music coming from a radio, or the sound of an engine being revved up. Recognition is an ability we develop quite quickly in early childhood but that we may fail to practice as we grow up because we tend to “tune out” background sounds. You can keep your power of recognition if you keep trying to identify the source and nuances of different sounds – practice makes perfect.
Comprehension is the capacity of your mind to precisely interpret the information that is fed to it. Some people might have a problem with the internal structures connecting their hearing apparatus to their brain, which would explain why they find it hard to comprehend sounds and their meaning. It could also be traced to a problem within the brain itself. This would require a diagnosis by a doctor.
Understanding is concerned with the ability of your mind to form a relationship between information that has undergone assimilation, recognition and comprehension to previously-absorbed knowledge that is now stored in its memory banks. Good listeners try to continuously stay alert about their level of understanding and improve on this skill.
Retention indicates the capacity of your brain to keep previously-heard knowledge in its memory banks. If you find it hard to retain information, you might want to work on your capacity to understand. This would entail structuring and restructuring concepts as they are being communicated to you. In the end, you will be able to find it easier to store information in your memory – or improve your retention.
Recall is also an aspect of memory, as we previously mentioned, and represents the capacity of your mind to draw out stored knowledge from its memory banks. You improve recall by structuring ideas in better ways as you absorb them, just like when you want to improve retention.
The last phase of the listening process is Communication, or Use. In this stage, the information which you have assimilated, recognized, comprehended, understood and retained is then recalled and may be employed for delivering your own message to other people. You communicate with other people either through spoken, written, or representational means. If you want to talk to yourself – yes, this is also Communication – you simply think. A good listener can eventually become a good communicator to other people as well.
As we said before, it is important to have good listening skills if you want to produce good mind maps. A good listener is able to absorb the content of a speaker’s message more effectively, can comprehend such ideas better, and is in a better position to create a good mind map since he knows how the different ideas are interrelated to one another based on the speaker’s presentation and on how he connects the speaker’s ideas to the knowledge in his own memory. The mind map that results from this will make more sense not only to the person creating it but also to the people who will have a chance to look at it.
At the start, mind mapping requires practice. But those who master the art of mind mapping eventually find that more information is absorbed and recalled in proportion to the effort required to do the mind mapping.
Buzan advocates that people trying out mind mapping should do up to 100 mind maps before they can become comfortable with the tool – whether it is applied for note-taking, planning, organizing, or simply jotting down one’s thoughts and feelings. One persistent user of hand-drawn mind maps believes that it is advantageous for mind mappers to create at least one mind map every month regularly. He feels that mind mappers will eventually want to use larger and larger pieces of paper as the relationships between their ideas expand.
The Importance of Colors
When you communicate, only 7% of the meaning is conveyed to the brain through words. Your mind relies more on visual cues. So, visual elements like shape and color enhance the process of communication. Color definitely has an impact on mood and behavior.
Usually, line-by-line note-taking only relies on two colors – black (the color of your pen) and white (the color of your paper.) The use of these two colors in combination has a hypnotic effect on the viewer – which may explain why so many people fall asleep reading or are lulled into a trance-like state in a classroom. The writer Ronald E. Green, in “The Persuasive Properties of Color” revealed that colorful visual aids make readers more eager to read and willing to participate by an amazing 80%. Companies that stress color as a key feature in their products really know something then – not only can they sell their products better but color really works at imparting knowledge better. Jan V. White of “Color for Impact” noted that presentations which incorporate color are actually 60% more simple to view. In addition, White said such presentations cut down on search time by 80%, boost attention span by 82%, and enhance comprehension by 70%. White further stressed that color in presentations improves recall by 60% and brand recognition by 70%.
If you have ever looked at the weather map in the newspaper or displayed on the evening news on TV, you will notice that it is colored in different parts to show the differences in the weather in various parts of the country. It is definitely easier to look at and understand than a black and white map, isn’t it? This is an application of the same principle in mind mapping: color is the lifeblood of visual aids.
When you make a presentation, such as a mind map, your audience will form a lasting impression within the first 90 seconds. In that time, color will help determine by 60% whether your audience will reject what you have to say or be willing to accept the content. If you use mostly loud colors, it makes you seem like you are trying too hard – thus undermining your authority as a speaker. Having poor color sense gives the impression that your IQ is much lower than it really is. Thus, if you are going to present your mind map to a group, make sure that it is both intelligent and attractive to look at.
Are Hand-Drawn Mind Maps Superior to Computerized Ones?
This boils down to personal preferences. Some people swear by hand-drawn mind maps; others believe computerized mind maps made with the help of specialized software are better. One user engaged in business still likes to use hand-drawn mind maps but opts for the computer software version when he has to create a mind map that will be shared with other people, or has to be continuously amended and updated over time. Computer software mind map programs are called ‘graphical information organizers’, or software that falls under ‘graphical organization of information networks.’
Tony Buzan himself at first did not consider most mind mapping software out in the market to be part of the mind mapping technique – he devoted himself to the application of mind maps for learning (such as for studying in college.) But now he has also come out with his own personal mind mapping software – the iMindMap program.
Computer software does pose some benefits for mind mappers. One, the map can be quite large, if you wish. With a paper mind map, you are limited by the size of the paper. The software could feature pre-set symbols (as opposed to you inventing symbols of your own.) You can also change the organization of your mind map even after it has been drawn. Web or desktop files can be linked to map nodes. You can email the map to other people or simply post it on your website. There are map templates available nowadays which you could use if you don’t want to start from scratch. A mind map made with software can feature as high a level of detail as you wish. If you create a large map, you can search it. With all these advantages, the popularity of mind mapping software has definitely risen – one estimate is that 60,000 people per month try out the mind mapping software sites.
Tony Buzan markets his own software product as THE one program that can duplicate the effectiveness of the traditional hand-drawn mind maps. Its key features (according to Buzan) are: “unlimited visual variety, portability, freedom, brain friendliness, and effectiveness.” But if you want to explore other possibilities, Wilipedia has a list of 61 programs besides Buzan’s here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mind_Mapping_software
Buzan’s Mind Maps have seven key features, namely, Organization, keywords, Association, Clustering, Visual Memory, Outstandingness, and Conscious Involvement.
Here are some guidelines to creating your own personal Mind Map. First, draw an image of your central key idea in the middle of a blank piece of paper. Be sure to use 3 colors for this. You can use images, codes, symbols, and dimensions throughout your Mind Map (when necessary.) From the central key idea, you may radially link supporting ideas – be sure that these are written with upper or lower case letters on their own line branching out from the central key idea. Central lines radiating from the central key idea must be thicker yet flowing naturally to the supporting ideas where the lines become thinner. Each line should allow enough space to print the supporting idea allocated for that space. Colors are important though you may use them to highlight certain ideas as you wish – you are free to create your own color code as you make your mind map. The important thing to remember is that you have to create associations as you create the mind map: which color represents this concept? Does using upper-case letters create focus on a supporting idea? Does one ‘tree branch’ of radiating lines display a clear relationship or set of ideas?
Note-taking when listening to a speaker is different from note-taking when reading a document or article. But the commonality between them is that you will have to find out what the main theme is first, then jot down the keywords of that main theme in the middle of the paper.
Keeping an ear or eye out for the sub-themes comes next. These sub-themes may also be indicated through keywords, then linked to the main theme by a line. Good keywords are generally nouns or action words that bring back strong recall of the concept and its meaning. Supporting details may be inked in, in areas near the sub-themes they are related to, then lines are drawn from these supporting details to connect to the sub-themes. You may use polygons of any sort (not just circles) drawn around the main theme and then the sub-themes to set them apart from one another. You could also try numbering each ‘tree branch’ of information to further organize your thoughts.
You will find as you go along that you will be able to see, with one glance, what the dominant ideas of the speech or article are. But do not think that the ideas have to be confined to what the contents of the speech or article are. You may opt to include any insights you have that cropped up in the course of the study or work session. The advantage of this note-taking method is that it is tailored to the needs of every person since each person has a unique way of organizing his ideas. One person’s mind map may be gibberish to another person.
Color coding when mind mapping can be done in three ways: by the theme of your mind map, by the ‘tree branch’ or area of relationship, by the source of your information, and by keywords. Color coding by theme acts like a traffic sign informing you what that part of your mind map is generally about. Color coding each ‘tree branch’ denotes a specific relationship among ideas included in the tree branch. Color coding each area of the mind map based on where you derived the information also works well – this is particularly applicable to group work. Color coding keywords helps you zero in on important concepts without disregarding minor details.
Color coding becomes easier if you have the right tools. These could be colored pens, such as fine point felt-tipped markers, colored pencils (though these may provide less clarity), watercolor pencils, watercolor brushes, and perhaps even paper with different background hues. Some people prefer to sketch their mind maps with sharpened graphite pencils first then color in the appropriate areas later on. This technique is convenient when you want to erase an idea or even a whole ‘tree branch’ from the paper.
You can create a mind map using plain paper and differently-colored pens. Or you can opt to use the different kinds of mind-mapping computer software programs that are out on the market. Some people might find it easier to take linear notes at the start, then translate these notes into mind maps later on – it’s up to you because mind mapping lends itself to each person’s unique note-taking style.
When you are creating the mind map, it is advisable to keep your writing small since you will be attempting to place all your related ideas on one page.
Remember that, essentially, there is no limit to how vast your mind map can become. A sub-topic in the first mind map you create may become the central key idea in the next mind map you draw. This is the beauty of mind mapping – relationships may go on as extensively as they exist in your mind.
Okay, so you drew a mind map, then put it away for awhile. Then you took it out again and looked at it. Does it make sense to you? It should – because the symbols and relationships which you integrated into it are those which have a personal meaning to you. If you used keywords for your central key idea and the sub-themes, all the better. Keywords are easier to remember than whole sentences (which is why mind maps are believed to be superior to linear note-taking.) Good keywords would be those which help you to recall meaning more satisfactorily.
It is possible that in the course of drawing your mind map, you may have repeated a keyword twice or several times. Examine this closely, then decide whether you should use that keyword as the central key idea for a new mind map. It is possible that the keyword may generate a whole host of related ideas which can be organized in the following mind maps. If you are using your mind map to brainstorm solutions to a problem, repeating a keyword is a positive sign – it could mean that you have discovered an appropriate solution.
It is important that you only place one keyword or term on one line because every word and image can make you think of more than one possible association. If you list just one keyword or term, it is possible to generate a lot of ideas from it. It is also easier to remember.
During the course of drawing your mind map, it is possible that you will run out of details to add to it. Don’t panic – just add some lines (to the ‘tree branch’ of related ideas) that do not contain any information at all. You could take a break during this time, perhaps do something else for awhile, then come back to the task again. You may find that new associations grow in your mind when you do this; you could jot them down later in those blank lines. By the way, there is no such thing as ‘stupid’ ideas when you are free-associating. An idea that seems inane or dumb when you first think of it may seem like a truly creative, great concept when you examine it later on.
Another thing that could happen is that you could think of a really fantastic idea at inopportune times (like when you’re taking a shower or driving your car.) It helps to have a planner you could jot down such ideas in, to transfer them to your mind map later on. What happened is that your mind was thinking of your mind map even when you were doing something else – then it came up with that association which you simply had to write down. If paper is not at hand, try to keep that ground-breaking thought in your mind until you can get to your mind map. You really need to put down your brainchild on paper though – think of it as a brain purge. Otherwise, your conscience will nag you that you have thoughts which need to be jotted down.
Everyone who has gone through formal education has had to create an essay at one time or another. Essays are considered important by instructors since they help in assessing how much content about a subject has been absorbed by the learner, as well as finding out how individual facts are interconnected in the mind of the student. But not everyone knows how to create an essay the right way. Most people just start writing sentence after sentence – then they wonder why their instructor marks their essay as being “disorganized” or “haphazardly done.”
The Buzan Study Skills Handbook gives instructions on how to write an essay using a mind map. You could try using these steps when you are writing an essay at home or during an exam. First, make a mind map which encompasses the necessary sub-topics of your subject. Of course, it is understood that there should be a central image forming your central key idea – your subject. Then, pay attention to what the subject theme or question is demanding of you – this will give you ideas as to what the next branches of your mind map should be about. Each ‘tree branch’ or relationship of ideas is called a Basic Ordering Idea by Buzan. At this point, you may opt to free-associate as to what keywords (or sub-branches) you should attach to each Basic Ordering Idea. Using different colors will help you organize these details. Next, take some time to rest then re-examine your mind map – Do you need to re-organize it? Should you add or remove individual details or whole ‘tree branches’ altogether? Feel free to draw another version of your mind map, if necessary. Now you are ready to write the first draft of your essay, based on the way your mind map is organized. Make sure to write it fast, and don’t dawdle over any difficult portions – the important thing is to maintain the flow of thought. Then take another look at your mind map and do another draft of your essay – this time you can cross-references, add quotations or more facts if you feel this will make your essay richer, and change or add to your conclusions where needed. Now, what do you know? – You have just created an essay using a mind map!
Whether you are a student tasked with allocating time for a research paper, or an employee who has been delegated the job of estimating the schedule for a project, you can definitely benefit from the mind mapping technique when trying to estimate project time. How? Well, what is common between the two scenarios is that planning for a paper or a project will both require you to know the TASKS to be done and the TIME it will take for you to accomplish each task. The employee might differ from the student in that he will also have to figure out WHO has to do each task for the entire project as well. But mind mapping will still work anyway.
Let us take the first job which is figuring out what tasks have to be done. As usual, you start with a key central idea. If you are a student, this could be the main topic assigned to you by your instructor – like “The Differences between Monotheistic Religions of the World.” If you are an employee, this would be the project title – possibly “Installing a Computer Network for Company ABC.” Then, having put that down, you start free-associating on all possible ideas that the subject brings to mind. Bear in mind that at this point there is no right or wrong idea – you are simply trying to generate ideas.
After you have jotted down all the possible ideas that you can think of in the ‘tree branch’ where they belong, you are ready to create a list of tasks that have to be done. Each tree branch of ideas will help you narrow down the appropriate task that goes with it. For example, for “The Differences Between Monotheistic Religions of the World”, you might have written down “Judaism” and “Christianity”. Your task for “Judaism” then is to list all the features of that religion which make it monotheistic. Same goes for “Christianity” – you will also have to write down what are the traits of Christianity that would make you classify it as monotheistic. See how easy it is? You now have your first task. Each set of ideas that fall under each religion will help you decide which task comes next. You might disagree and say that determining the features of each religion should not be the first task – that is also possible. With mind mapping, remember that each person might think of different associations for each idea so it is possible that you could come up with a completely different set of tasks. It’s your call.
The next job at hand is to determine the time it will take you to finish each task. You do not have to be 100% precise at this, just give a ballpark figure as to how much time you need for every task. Obviously, not having done the task yet, you do not know the exact time you require. But giving a ballpark figure allows you to budget your time accordingly instead of being on “floating” status. It breaks the paralysis that comes when you panic and try to be 100% accurate at this stage.
Let us examine the case of “Installing a Computer Network for Company ABC.” If you listed the following tasks:
Ask for client’s specifications for computer network.
Canvass prices of appropriate personal computer models at computer stores.
Submit estimated cost of personal computers to client.
Then you may start estimating how much time each of these three tasks would require to be accomplished. The first one might just take one day of meetings with the client. The second one could take a little longer since you would have to talk with the sales representatives of computer stores about their personal computer models. The last one might also take you an entire day of meetings with the client since he would have to consider your proposal closely before coming to a decision. Note that each task might possibly require more time than you initially budgeted for it. So integrate “buffer time” into your estimate – adding more time to accomplish each task so you have leeway to work without the stress of an imminent deadline making your work harder.
The last job for the above employee is delegating each task to the appropriate person on the project team. For example, as far as “asking for client’s specifications for computer network” is concerned, that could be assigned to Employee X. “Canvassing prices of appropriate personal computer models at computer stores” would be designated as Employee Y’s job. And to “submit estimated cost of personal computers to client” – that might be given to Employee X to do. Another possibility is that one person could do all three jobs – you will have to figure out whether delegating the tasks would make the project proceed more efficiently or not.
Do you see now how mind mapping can help you at each stage of your work? At each stage, creating a mind map can bring out a host of ideas which would be applicable. After you produce your mind map, you can then list the relevant ideas using a linear method (i.e. as Task #1, Task #2, and Task #3.) When you have narrowed down the details of your work, you can then put the relevant ideas in the format appropriate for your work. If it is a research paper, use the format recommended or desired by your instructor. If it is a project estimate, there is also a format that would best appeal to the client.
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