What are Mind Maps and Why Use Them

byDaveSw

5.7K followers

Updated 9 years ago

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BACKGROUND

I first used mind maps long ago...I was planning out my future in the US Army, at the ripe old age of 24 I think. I had gotten married at 20, had 2 girls in two years, and my family was already in place...

It lacked only a solid plan to see it all through to whatever end. I wanted to determine what that should be... .

At the time I was assigned to a small remote (from other US bases) unit in Bavaria outside of Augsburg. It had become obvious that I would have considerable off time, along with the requisite time away from the home for remote duties.

Because of wanting to plan my future and provide for the family, I had to think things through…

Mind mapping was how I did it. At the end of that exercise, which I will be describing here, I visually could see my options, I had annotated the advantages of one move versus over doing something different, and it showed me clearly the direction I needed and wanted to go.

It was right in front of me...

This was a nifty little tool, I discovered!

I use myself as an example and a testament to reinforce to you that this mind mapping process really works.

Over the years that followed that initial mapping exercise, I stayed on that path pointed clearly out, and it served me well, I was able to travel far personally and professionally.

Mind mapping can do this for you too!

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Really it is NOT a complicated thing

Mind maps are a method for you to visually present, organize, and understand any issue or subject you want to figure out. Although there are no absolutes in the process, there are indeed some guidelines that will help you get the most out of using them.

THE MIND MAP PROCESS

There are just a few steps involved, and you will need the following (if doing it by hand): A blank piece of paper and three or four pens or pencils having different colored ink or pencil lead.

We will walk through how it is done...Later I will mention the software you can also use to construct them. Note I will mention only the free tools, because unless you are really into mind maps, they will suffice for 99% of us! Personally I still will use the blank paper route, it just fits my style better.

Mine normally end up being very colorful, full of arrows and splashes of this or that, much like a spider web, with branches spreading out in all directions. There are lots of connecting lines, and arrows, bolded circles, and many double lines under key points…

MIND MAPS AND THE BRAIN

This whole process works like your brain…You start by having an idea, and this leads to another related idea, which may lead to yet another thought or idea, and so on...

So start by writing in the middle of your blank paper the subject you are using the mind mapping exercise for. This could be a problem, an opportunity, a product, anything you want to use this process for.

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TIP: USE THESE TO HELP YOU DOCUMENT YOUR THOUGHTS.

By writing these thoughts down on the mind map as they come to your head, they are documented for your later use. How many thoughts have you had disappear on you, as in, "I wish I would have written that down"?...Mind mapping helps to prevent this...

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OK for demonstration purposes I am going to mind map beach life...

I like beaches, I want to have a beach life in many places, and there are certain criteria for what I want on those beaches...

I want to figure out what is important when considering beach life, how and when I will establish this beach life as well as where, and I want to have some concerns addressed when thinking about this beach life...

Here's how I go determining this using a mind map...The first step looks like this:

This is the subject, it is in the middle of my formerly blank page, and I used red color and a circle with lines as a background...Anyone looking later at the mind map will see this is the central subject...

The next step is to add in subcategories of the beach life I am seeking. I use different colors so they signify sub points to the beach life...

The mind map now looks like this:

You see that I have started to add more subpoints to the subpoints...You would do the same, moving ever outward until you have a complete picture of the subject...

To save time, I have a completed copy of this sample here:

I have gone through the process letting my thoughts flow freely and writing them down as they came to me...In this process I added in all my concerns, added in the what, where, when and how to the subject...

Looks kind of messy yes? No problems, it is effective...

Here's why...

Did you realize that people think in images, not in words…

If you think of a beach, it is not the word “beach” that you see, it is a picture of a beach…It could be a crappy beach, a nice beach, a tropical beach, each of us sees the individual beach we envision.

Your beach may have palm trees, white sand, lounge chairs, a bar, a strong sun shining down, blue water, lots of others on the beach, or you alone, etc.

In my case, this is what my beach life would encompass, where my beach lives will come to pass, how I will establish them and when...I now have a plan!

In that plan, everything revolves around that central point, beaches...The ideas branch out from the main point as they come to mind, and support the main point...

Having it visually in front of you helps provide solutions, shows how you will get things done and when you will do them, and also may indicate problems you will encounter, and effective fixes for these problems.

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FREE FLOWING - AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT

Mind maps can help you break free of any blocks you may have, you are just free-flowing and annotating the thoughts you have concerning the subject, and results can be quite helpful...

Having problems deciding what to post? Do a mind mapping exercise! I personally find mind maps easier to use than an normal linear outline. It follows naturally how my brain functions (as little as it may function that is!).

One of the reasons I think mind maps work well is that the connections you make and annotate help you remember things – using the graphics, the different colors, the circles, bold underlining, arrows, and lines helps you “see” the complete picture, remember it, and act on it…

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Basically they are used for almost anything you can imagine. Creating products, planning for services, planning an event, or even for planning your future, like I did so many years ago.

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"RELATIVES" TO MIND MAPPING

• PRESENTATIONS. If your mind map will be seen by others, you may want to edit them a bit so they are cleaner and easier to understand and others can see the connections, problems, and solutions.
• FORMAL SETTINGS. I have had to clean up many over the years, because I have used them to depict deployments of large groups of people and equipment, how we create and rolled out new equipment, or even the process flow for writing, editing and publishing DA (Department of the Army) regulations…
• BRAINSTORMING. Brainstorming is a process where you just let your thoughts flow as well, and mind mapping is taking that tool to the next level. You are recording your thoughts as they occur on your piece of paper.
• INFOGRAPHICS. Mind maps have a close relation to infographics too. I say this because infographics can have a vast amount of information in a small space, just like mind maps.
• CONVERSATIONS OR MENTORING SESSIONS. Other areas where mind maps are also useful for, or used often is when you may be having a serious or not so serious conversation with someone – starting and creating the mind map as you speak adds to the communication process through triggering that visual learning sense…

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Unlike in the beginning of the 80's when I was 24, today there are many tools or software programs you can use to create your mind maps with.

My opinion: If you are using the mind map for a formal presentation this may be a good way to go...Otherwise I prefer hand drawing the mind maps...

Here's a sample of an animated power point template you could use:

Looking at this and the other shots below you can see it looks a lot nicer than my mind map...

But that can come at a cost. If you do use such tools, do not let them get in the way of your creative process - if it restricts the free flow of ideas and information, go back to the hand drawn method.

Less rigidity is better…

You can find some free tools to use here:

http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/articles/tag/mind-map/

Another sample of a mind mapping software tool (looking cool huh?)...

OK you have a picture now and a source to do some further due diligence on the free software available, now lets consider some other things when using the mind map process to maximize effectiveness...

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Think about these points as you go through the mind mapping process and as you are creating your masterpiece! Use each as may be appropriate, and be sure to let your creative juices flow!

USE SHAPES

A completed mind map will provide an overall picture of the subject. It does this through visually demonstrating the relationships between the various points and sub-points to each other . If the mind map is effective, the viewer will be able to remember, relate to and understand these relationships.

USE PICTURES

Sometimes pictures say a lot more than words, I think you would agree...Use them as possible.

USE BRAINSTORMING

This can be included at any point in the mind map creation process. These two concepts blend together very well..like sugar and spice!

USE KEYWORDS

Use short keywords or phrases...This works, much like pictures do, because the few words trigger your brain to conjure up more thoughts relating to the keywords.Try to distill the overall thoughts into keywords...

TOPIC IN THE CENTER OF THE PAGE

Starting in the middle of the page with the topic is useful, because you can add related points 360 degrees around it as the process goes on...As I did in my sample, you see how I was able to use the space all around as I felt the need to...

Use the keyword tip - make it 1-2 words long and use uppercase letters...Next draw a heavy circle to emphasize that this is the beginning. Add some color to the word and circle.

Any viewer will be easily able to see then that this circle and keyword represents the main event, so to speak.

USE AT LEAST THREE COLORS

I regulalrly use at least three to four different colors, sometimes as many as six. I can easily separate the entries by main point, sub-points, and then third and possibly fourth or more level points. It also helps me if having to memorize points if I need to as well.

USE BLANK PAPER

Use a blank sheet of paper if doing the mind mapping by hand. DO NOT USE lined paper - it does not lend itself to the free-flow of ideas and thoughts you are looking for with this exercise...Obviously if that is all you have, use it....

CREATE SUBPOINTS

As you saw in my example above, I added subcategories around my beach theme that I am concerned about. After these were added, I went through each of these sub-points and added in concerns...This is how you proceed until you have a complete picture laid out in front of you...

BRANCH OUT

Adding in your sub-points related to the points and connecting them is the branching out process you go through. Connect them to the points they fall under...

You continue in this manner as long as is needed until you have completed your mind map. You can make the subcategories hierarchical if you like.

Note how I was running out of room in my completed mind map demo, so I added these on the left side of the mind map...Whatever works is the right thing to do...

PREPARE A FINAL VERSION

OK your mind map is complete and it is looking like mine above. The next step is to rewrite it in a clean version, omtting all the scratch outs and etc. that are distracting.

This serves several important purposes.

• It makes the mind map easier to read and understand for you.
• It makes it easier for others to understand the mind map.
• It reinforces the points in your own mind that you came up with during the exercise.
• It gives you one last opportunity to add anything in that you may have missed.
• When you do this, you can ask yourself what you have learned or what you will do...Maybe you have discovered some other pattern from the exercise that otherwise would not have been apparent?

OK, we are almost done for the day! Here are some last minute tips as you prepare to get started making your own mind maps...

• Let your mind free flow for this....
• Your drawing skills are NOT being tested...
• You may want to record the session using audio for later reference as you talk it through, especially if this is being done in a group setting..
• Use the colors to differentiate between points or branches or steps....
• If you do get stuck, ask yourself why. This pushes your brain to come up with an answer and that may break "being stuck."
• A mind mapping exercise does not have to be done in one sitting...Often I have left a mind map I am working on to take care of other things, and come back later. No matter...
• Don't forget to transfer the draft to a final version - this will help definitely provide additional valuable information. Again I personally think it is a very important part of the mind mapping process.
• Remember that a mind map can be simple or complex based on what you are using the process for, and how deep you want to drill...
• Think more on the process and less on the looks, because if you do worry too much about looks, the free-flowing nature of this exercise will be hampered...

One final set of thoughts before we conclude...

Why did I do the mind map exercise for beach life?

Here's Why:

My final destination(s) as I gravitate from full time work to more of a focus on doing NGO activities and continuing the online/affiliate marketing is a beach, preferably more than one...

Did You Notice:

The areas you see annotated on my demo mind map are all places I either have been or will be, and as long as they have all of the things I need at these places, I will do my business from those beaches!

Why?

Have a look below and tell me it wouldn't be nice to do a blog post with that view!

My Recommendation:

Realize your dreams, use mind mapping to see what they may be and how you will achieve them...; )

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So you now have the short version of my post on my money site that will go live tomorrow. That post is much longer and provides more drill down...

I do hope that you now understand what mind mapping is, and how it can be used for your online marketing business.

Whether for product creation, website design planning on how to sell a product, preparing an article or a blog post, or working on your personal and professional development, like my first mind mapping exercise was so many years ago, mind mapping can help...

The possibilities are endless.

I urge you to grab a piece of paper right now, also some colored pens or pencils, and get started on your first mind map! Have fun with this, there is no right or wrong result, no letter grade at the end of the exercise...

Oh yes, please share your experiences with mind maps in your business or personal lives, and maybe add how they have helped you, we can all learn from one another!

Cheers!