Have you ever struggled to put down ideas about a topic on paper in an organised way? Have you ever had a hard time getting them classified in a coherent and orderly fashion that makes sense to you and to the people you would like to communicate your ideas to?

Brainstorming ideas about a topic can be a great way to getting one’s creative juices flowing. On the other hand, it can also create an overwhelming explosion of words and concepts leaving you at a loss as to how these are connected and how they can be communicated effectively.

What is a Mind Map?

Mind-mapping is a brainstorming technique which transforms your ideas into a visual, colourful categorised map. Tony Buzan launched his concept of mind-mapping to an audience via the BBC TV show Use Your Head in 1974. In 2003 Tony Buzan published Mind Maps for Kids – An Introduction to help enhance the creative process of the learner at a young age, before it is curbed by the linear way of thinking that most schools propagate. When following courses, students find it a very useful tool for studying and revising, and teachers for explaining a process, a concept or a complex idea. In 2009, Mind Maps for Business written exclusively for the corporate world, was published. It is a highly efficient process for organising seemingly random ideas into categories, all related to a main topic or idea, or inversely breaking down a particular idea or topic into sub-topics or categories.

Either way it is a very effective, visual tool to organise ideas about a topic, whether you want to communicate them to an audience or whether you want to utilise them for your own personal use as in, for example, your own decision-making process. Whether it is a major life-style choice in your own personal life or whether it is a corporate decision being made. When the pros and cons need to be considered, together with the what ifs and what if nots, a mind map would build a more complete and comprehensive picture of all the advantages and disadvantages covering every aspect that the decision would have an impact on.

Where do you Start?

It all starts in the middle of a blank piece of paper.

The sheet could be any size, but the bigger the better, as the mind map can spread out into as many sub-categories as needs be. In the centre of the page the main word, topic, concept or idea is prominently placed. The page could be set up in portrait or landscape format and the word denoting the main topic or idea enclosed in some kind of bubble or cloud. The conscious use of colour for each separate offshoot (sub-category), helps to separate ideas when the page starts filling up and makes it a very effective visual tool for putting your own thoughts into words, creating a comprehensive picture.

Through the creation of a mind map all the information available to you would be on one and the same sheet of paper. There you have it, not in black and white – but, even better in vibrant colour, categorised – making the comparing and contrasting of the different aspects of your options much easier to follow.

Apart from aiding in personal or even corporate decision making, mind-maps have a myriad of other uses. You could be planning a story for your next high-profile novel or organising complex ideas to present at an office meeting, at a conference and at most other settings. Presenting your case becomes simple, straightforward, comprehensive and concise. As long as you have a main topic which can be divided and sub-divided into sub-topics or categories, the sky’s the limit. Mind maps are colourful and fun to make. Arm yourself with a good set of colouring pencils, colouring pens or whiteboard markers and get cracking!

Applications in the Business Context

If you are expressing your sales for the month to staff members of varying levels, you might want to consider presenting the findings in mind map form alongside an excel sheet for your more visual, non-linear thinking colleagues. One stem could denote an increase or decrease in sales; another possible reasons why; another what alternatives are available to boost sales. This means that the figures are given meaning and context and a problem is presented alongside a solution.

A second application of mind maps in the business context could be presenting an overview to your team of a new product you would like to launch. This may not only be better understood by all, but may also win you the pitch with the higher-ups, partially due to its ability to save you (and more importantly, them) time while explaining. You could have supply on one stem and demand on another; target market and average projected revenue could be included as well as strategies for your marketing and advertising campaign. You could make it as simple or as complex as needs be, but at just a glance your picture would speak a thousand words.

Benefits of Mind-Mapping

Apart from making complex ideas easier, mind-mapping is proven to increase and enhance efficiency when:

• Brainstorming and Planning – mind-mapping requires one to think of the different categories a particular topic, idea, concept, experience or situation can be divided into. It takes a bit of thinking outside the box to come up with the different aspects that pertain to the main topic. The earlier in life that this process is taught, the more it becomes second nature, as this tool is harnessed to bring about the most effective expression and visual manifestation of what one is thinking and trying to express and communicate.
• Recalling and Understanding – mind-mapping is an ideal aid for visual learners who need to recall information whether it’s for a presentation, a test or exam or any other end. The colourful pictorial image can be much easier recalled than a simple list in black and white. The stems and branches with different colours for each aspect of the topic is a great memory aid too, as it triggers the brain’s associative functions.
• Communication – mind-mapping is a great tool for communicating ideas, proposals and projects whether it’s for a presentation or a business proposal. More complex ideas are broken down and made easier to follow and the colour-coding makes communication clearer and simpler.
• Collaboration – even working in t a team becomes easier through mind-mapping as the flexibility of the tool allows various individuals to come together and jot all their ideas down in one space. Anyone can add a sub-category and further topics or thoughts related to it.

A Simple Rule for Mind Maps: Keep It Simple

Although many different, related ideas will come to mind when you start your process, make sure that you group your thoughts as best as possible. Your mind map can get quite messy if several of your initial sub-categories could have been grouped into one category, so ensure that you start from large concepts close to the centre and then narrow these down to smaller thoughts related to their overarching topic.

Conclusion

The next time you need some clarity in order to express a complex idea, theory, concept or proposal to yourself or to others, try using a mind map to see if you can experience the benefits of this creative, critical-thinking process first-hand. You may be surprised at how something so simple can be so effective in planning, expressing and communicating clearly and effectively what you have in mind. You may also appreciate how it boosts your memory, critical-thinking and creativity too.