Less than a year ago, if I had heard the expression "Mindmap" I would have thought perhaps you were talking about a Map of a Coal Mine or of a Gold Mine or maybe a Anatomical chart of some sort. I had not yet learned the power of the connection between the left and the right brain on both learning and creativity that is possible using a technique called Mind Mapping.

The term "Mindmapping" was coined by Tony Buzan, author of Using Both Sides of Your Brain, in the 1970's. Michael Gelb explains in "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci" that early forms of Mindmapping were found in da Vinci's journals and diaries. The fifteenth century Artist/Scientist gracefully used both sides of his brains equally, becoming a genius at levels people have aspired to for centuries.

The left side of your brain is the analytical, reasonable, logical side of your brain. The right side is the creative, melodic, artistic side. To explain mindmapping to my eight year old daughter, here is what I said:

"Some people usually think like this:" and I held up a bulleted outline in one hand.

"Other people usually think like this" and I held up a photograph of a hamburger (we were eating lunch at a local restaurant.) In my other hand. I placed them on the table in front of her.

"But the best way to use both sides of your brain is by using strengths of each side. You can exercise your brain like this" and I held up a mindmap of a project she has heard me talk about for months. It was simple for her to grasp as she saw my combination of words, symbols and pictures. Immediately she started giving me some new ideas, and she started her own mindmap to further explore her role in my project.

To get started with mindmapping is simple. For the sake of example, we will use a marketing campaign to build a mindmap. In the center of your page, either create a symbol for your campaign and add the name of the campaign to the symbol or write the name of the campaign and circle it.

Our marketing campaign will be called "Fall Festival" with the symbol being an acorn. Quickly think of components of the campaign and name them, and write them as if they were spokes on a wheel surrounding the acorn or circle. For our example, we will write "Marketing Reps", "Media","Publicity" and "Bonuses". Connect the four components with branches from the acorn. In my mind, the acorn of the "Fall Festival" is already becoming a "Tree" of a successful marketing campaign.

I did not have to think about it. I simply thought of the Fall and the acorns that rain on the ground in the Fall reminded me of that. The acorn brought forth a "tree" theme, which brought forth "harvest" and "branches" and a "colorful abundance of colors" which will all bring forth other sub-ideas from the four first themes which came to mind. My brain worked with the associations I made from the keywords. In no time at all, an orchestra of ideas will be washed upon my page. It is like brainstorming on steroids.

Another way to play with this technique for those who are firmly intrenched in the left brained outline, listing method of operation is to take the key points from your outline and simply write them on your page. Center your main point in the middle, and in each quadrant on your page (Or how ever many supporting points, make a section) write one of your supporting keywords.

Then just relax. Allow yourself to free associate words and write them in their quadrants. Thats it. Just play! Enjoy! Watch what creativity you bring forth!

There are literally hundreds of websites you can visit to see examples of mindmaps and learn more about how mindmapping works. Here are several for you to visit, to see mindmapping in action:

http://www.advanced.org/tqnew/web/tqguide2/mindmapping.html

http://www.holocene.net/mindmapping.htm

http://home.snafu.de/h.nauheimer/cp_03.htmhttp://www.bio.com/hr/search/f-mindmapping.html

One of my dearest friends lamented to me, "I just can't do mindmapping. I am too linear". I challenged her as I challenge you, just try it. Don't be connected to your "performance" as a "mindmap artist". This is more like taking the first steps towards your learning or creating marathon.

As you will see on the websites I have provided, there are many methods to mindmapping. No rights or wrongs either. The only wrong method possible is in not trying it at all.

If it was good for Leonardo DaVinci, imagine what it could do for you!

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(c) 2000 Julie Jordan Scott

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