Cool Tool: Let Ideas Loose With Online Mind Mapping

Do you remember how you were taught to begin writing a book report in the third grade? Yes, of course!  The first step is always to write your OUTLINE, right?  Roman numeral I and then A, B, and C… maybe with little 1. 2. and 3 or even a., b., c. if needed. The tricky part always seemed to be an uncanny ability to think in such a logical sequence.

No wonder I had so much trouble – our capacity for cognitive creativity doesn’t really happen that way at all…

In reality it is a seemingly chaotic and haphazard process with ideas sparking and catching fire all over the map.

Mind-mapping, popularized in the 1960’s by Tony Buzan, is a simple way to quickly and graphically get brainstorming ideas out on paper.  Once ideas are laid out on the map, it is an easy task to then select the most important, put them in the right sequence, or turn them into a report or plan.

There are now an array of choices of software on the market to do individual or collaborative mindmapping such as MindManager by Mindjet, ConceptDraw MINDMAP by ConceptDraw, and Mindmapper by The Bosley Group to name just a few.   Although I  cannot attest to how it stacks up with the other products, I’ve been using Mindjet software myself and with teams for the past decade.

For more information on creative mindmapping, see these resources:

• Buzan, Tony. The Mind Map Book. Plume Books, 1996

• Gleb, Michael. How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci. Dell, 2000.

• Mattimpore, Bryan. 99% Inspiration: Tips Tales and Techniques for Liberating Your Business Creativity. ACAMOM Publisher, 1993.

• www.mindjet.com

Also In This Issue

• What Box is YOUR Team Stuck In…And Why Should You Care?

• Meet a colleague who ventures “Beyond the Box”: Heidi Wormser of MagicBox Studio