e-Writing
from the desk of Elsie Lee, ELIX Virtual Management

Benefits of Mind Mapping

By Elsie Lee
Wednesday, September 18, 2002

• What is a mind map?
• What can you do with a mind map?
• How to do a mind map?
• How to plan your business with a mind map?
• Computer mind mapping

Following his research into notes taking techniques, Tony Buzan invented Mind Mapping. It was based on the idea of making the notes as brief as possible and as interesting to the eye as possible.

The surprising result was that mind maps could be used in many different ways other than just simple note taking. I have found it very useful in business and project planning, especially for web site development.

What's a mind map?

A mind map consists of a central word or concept; around the central word, you draw 5 to 10 main ideas that relate to that word. You then take each of those child words and again draw 5 to 10 main ideas that relate to each of those words. In this way, an exponential number of related ideas can quickly be produced with virtually no mental effort.

What can you do with a mind map?

* Note taking
* Creative Writing & Report Writing
* Meetings & Think Tanks
* Giving a Talk
* Business Planning
* Project Management

How to do a mind map?

Mind mapping (or concept mapping) involves writing down a central idea and thinking up new and related ideas which radiate out from the center. By focusing on key ideas written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you understand and remember new information.

How to plan your business with a mind map?

At an early stage of planning, you start with a central idea and then draw branches of related ideas from the center. Use lines, colors, arrows, and branches to show connections between the ideas generated on your mind map. These relationships may be important in developing your business such as finance and marketing.

Draw quickly without pausing, judging or editing. All of these things promote linear thinking and the idea of mind mapping is to think creatively and in a non-linear manner. There will be plenty of time for modifying the information later on but at this stage, it is important to get every possibility into the mind map. Sometimes, it is one of those obscure possibilities that may become the key to your success.

After the initial drawing of the mind map you may wish to highlight things, add information or add questions. For this reason, it is a good idea to leave lots of space.

To learn more about mind mapping, visit http://www.maps.jcu.edu.au/netshare/learn/mindmap/howto.html

Computer mind mapping

With the advancement of technology, you can now keep your mind map in electronic format and modify it over time. ELIX Virtual Management assists clients in converting their crayon drawn mind maps into electronic versions for professional presentation, easy reference and continuous modifications.

You can easily restructure your mind map, moving words and trees of words around and export it to a word document, presentation or as a web page with links to extra information (hidden files).

To view sample mind maps, visit www.elix.com.sg