What is Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is a visualization technique that organizes ideas and thoughts on a piece of paper in a way that is natural to the human brain and that stimulates the use of both hemispheres.
TECHNIQUE 3: Using metaphores
Instead of using a definition of a mind map, you can also use a metaphore to explain to someone what mind mapping is about. Here are two metaphores about mind mapping:
Mind mapping is like painting. You put what you see in your mind on a piece of paper.
A mind map is like spaghetti with meat balls. Ideas are organized as the meat balls on you plate and they are connected by lines of spaghetti.
TECHNIQUE 4: Using an Elevator Pitch
Instead of a definition, you can also use a short elevator pitch to tell what mind mapping is about:
Mind mapping is a way of writing your thoughts and ideas on a piece of paper. It tries to mimic the way we think by showing how things are related to each other. It is a more natural way of putting ideas onto paper then writing out complete sentences. It also tries to stimulate both parts of the brain by using colors and images instead of plain black text.
TECHNIQUE 5: Using Story Telling
You can use a story to tell someone about mind maps:
Once upon a time, in a city far away, there was a little boy called Tony. He was born deaf but went to a normal school like all the other children from his town. But Tony had problems keeping up with the other students because sometimes he couldn't see what the teachers were saying when he couldn't see their lips. He really liked the school and the teachers and he tried hard to understand everything that the teachers explained. But still, without being able to see all the words from the lips of the teachers, he couldn't understand everything as well as the other students. One day, his father called him to come over to the living room table to talk. Once seated, the father said to Tony that he wanted to show him something that helped him alot with studying when he was a young boy. The father explained to Tony a technique that he once read about in an old book that he found on his grandfather's attick titled 'The life of Leonardo Da Vinci'. It told about an ancient technique that Leonardo used to put all his ideas onto paper. It was a technique that felt natural to him and that he used to keep track of all his experiments and theories about his inventions and works of art. He believed that the technique increased his ability to memorize things and to be more creative. It seemed as if he was writing directly into his mind. When the father explained the technique to Tony, he immediatly wanted to try it out. The next day he went to school and he started to use this new technique that his father thought him. At first it seemed a bit akward because it was a completely different way of taking notes during the class. Tony did not write anymore in sentences but only wrote down keywords and lines between those keywords. After a while to get used to it, Tony found that he now had more time to look at the teacher's face instead of writing every words down. Tony's grades went up that semester to the level of the other students, and in some classes, he even started to outsmart the other ones. Later on, Tony grew up and started writing about the technique that he discovered and called it mind mapping.
TECHNIQUE 6: Using an Interview
A conversation or interview can be a very effective way of learning something. All the information is presented in the form of questions and answers which keeps the reader interested and motivated during the interview.
What is mind mapping? Simply put, mind mapping is a technique for visualizing ideas.
How does this visualizing work? When mind mapping, ideas in the form of words are put on a piece of paper and grouped according to their relevance and then connected by lines.
I've done that, putting words on a paper and connecting them with lines! Is that all there is to it? No. There are some rules on how to arrange the words and how to connect them. For example, one rule is that everything has to be connected to each other. There can be no words hanging loose on the page somewhere.
Where do these rules come from? Did someone invent them? Most of the rules of mind mapping are based on scientific research about the brain and how it works. The rules are there to make it easier for the brain to understand and obsorb the information on the paper.
What kind of ideas can you visualize with a mind map? Well, actually anything that you can think of you can put in a mind map. If it's an idea, you can put it in a mind map.
Where did the name mind mapping come from? The name was created by Tony Buzan who put existing techniques and research from the brain together to create mind mapping. Its name was chosen to show the resemblance of creating a map or drawing of the way that ideas are stored in our mind. A mind map therefore resembles a mental image of how we think about certain things.
Is it a complex technique? No, the rules for mind mapping are very simple and feel natural to the creator of mind maps. Since mind mapping is based on the inner workings of our brain, it should be the most natural way of presenting information on a sheet of paper. The rules are so simple that even children can use it.
What is it good for? Since it is a natural way of writing ideas down, it increases understanding and in turn memorization of ideas and concepts. It also increases the speed of information processing, such as in taking notes in a meeting or seminar, because only keywords are written down. And because colors and images are used extensively, it allows for increased creativity because it stimules both sides of the brain.
TECHNIQUE 7: Saying what it is Not.
A definition or explanation can have holes that allow for interpretation. Explaining what a mind map is, enlarges the boundary of understanding. By saying what it is not, certain holes in that boundary can be closed. The borders thus become more clearly marked.
Mind mapping is ...
- NOT the solution to a problem: it is only a tool or technique to help to solve a problem.
- NOT better than normal writing: mind maps only contain keywords and do not give complete explanations of ideas.
- NOT a substitute for normal writing: a romance novel wouldn't be nice to read as a mind map.
- NOT the ultimate technique: it is based on our current understanding of the brain. Should the understanding change, than mind mapping could change too.
- NOT for everybody: some love it, others hate it.
- NOT universal: a mind map is personal because the ideas and relationships between the ideas are yours. Not everybody will be able to read your mind maps.
- NOT complicated: it is a very simple technique with simple rules that even children can understand.
TECHNIQUE 8: Using User Experiences
Listening to how someone else uses it and how they experienced it, can be of great value to increase understanding. My story of mind mapping:
I first heared about mind mapping three years ago when I subscribed for a course on it. We were with approximately 15 people and 2 teachers in the upper room of a restaurant for one whole day. I had never heared of the technique before, but the e-flyer captured my attention. During that day, we learned how to read and write mind maps, what it is good for and when to use it in our daily lives.
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TECHNIQUE 9: Using other Points of View
Hearing from people from different walks of life on how they use mind mapping gives a broader perspective to the understanding of mind mapping.
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TECHNIQUE 10: Using Other Resources
One of the strongest points of the internet is its tight network of websites. Other websites give other explanations of mind mapping. Links to other resources:
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TECHNIQUE 11: Using Multimedia Resources
Technology is all around and available and can aid in the understanding of any subject: video material, presentations, podcasts, animation, dvd, cd, games, etc.
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TECHNIQUE 12: Using Games
Explaining a concept with a game can be both educational and fun.
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TECHNIQUE 13: Using Debating
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posted by Roel Vermeulen at 2:14 PM
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