Mind Map

[Lulu]

I am debating whether to purchase this book or not.

Some people have raved about it, other reviews I've read have declared it vast bogeys.

I guess I'm wondering a) how it has improved effectiveness and b) does it claim to be some kind of NLP book?

Cheers,
Lulu


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[Ian Rowland]

Just my 2 cents.

In the 20th century, lots of people developed various theories of the mind and, correspondingly, theories of how one could enhance one's own mental productivity. In the 70s, Edward de Bono scored some popularity with the term 'lateral thinking' and a slew of books mining that particular seam. The term 'lateral thinking' wasn't original with him (I don't think) and nor was much of what he wrote about. However, this isn't necessarily intended as a criticism or a fault. Very often, the useful guy is the one who can distil a lot of what has gone before, sift for the good stuff and serve it up in an appealing and palatable form.

Tony Buzan came along in the wake of de Bono and peddled much of the same material, with 'mind mapping' being one of his most prized children. I've met Tony a few times, including once in a TV studio and once when he was a judge at the Mind Olympics (I was just a spectator, not a competitor!). He seems a very pleasant, likeable chap, and smart. I have to say, however, that I'm not a fan of mind mapping. I've studied it and tried it, and it seems to me more complex, and less useful, than simpler and more traditional forms of taking notes and summarising content. A major drawback of the technique, in this day and age, is that it is inherently analogue and incompatible with any digital medium.

Let me explain what I mean. Suppose I listen to a talk and I prepare some notes in a traditional form - a few headings, sub-headngs, highlighted words of note, memory joggers and so on. I can quickly store these as a text document. I can send this to anyone via email, using any suitable text document format. I can also search for this document, or search through it, using something as basic as 'Windows Explorer'.

A mind map is a hand-drawn map of a talk, using bubbles, lines, perimeters and links to indicate relationships or hierarchy. Once I've made it, I can only save it by scanning it and saving it as a graphics file. I can only send this to someone else as a graphics file. Graphics files tend to be larger and more cumbersome than text files, and there tend to be more hurdles in terms of making sure that what it looks like at my end matches what it looks like at your end. Also, I can't search for it, or through it, using Explorer or similar.

Mind-mapping may look rather cool, useful and productive at first, but I think it's significant that I've never come across many people who actually use it in their every day working life. Good ideas tend to catch on and get used, and others don't.

For people who vastly prefer a visual way of summarising information and depicting conceptual relationships, it is of course the ideal solution. For everyone else, you're probably better off just learning good methods for taking notes and preparing summaries in rather more traditional 'text' form.

[Lulu]

One could not possibly ask for a fuller, more informed, or more erudite response. Many thanks Ian!

[Barbara]

Just my 2 cents.

In the 20th century, lots of people developed various theories of the mind and, correspondingly, theories of how one could enhance one's own mental productivity. In the 70s, Edward de Bono scored some popularity with the term 'lateral thinking' and a slew of books mining that particular seam. The term 'lateral thinking' wasn't original with him (I don't think) and nor was much of what he wrote about. However, this isn't necessarily intended as a criticism or a fault. Very often, the useful guy is the one who can distil a lot of what has gone before, sift for the good stuff and serve it up in an appealing and palatable form.

Tony Buzan came along in the wake of de Bono and peddled much of the same material, with 'mind mapping' being one of his most prized children. I've met Tony a few times, including once in a TV studio and once when he was a judge at the Mind Olympics (I was just a spectator, not a competitor!). He seems a very pleasant, likeable chap, and smart. I have to say, however, that I'm not a fan of mind mapping. I've studied it and tried it, and it seems to me more complex, and less useful, than simpler and more traditional forms of taking notes and summarising content. A major drawback of the technique, in this day and age, is that it is inherently analogue and incompatible with any digital medium.

Let me explain what I mean. Suppose I listen to a talk and I prepare some notes in a traditional form - a few headings, sub-headngs, highlighted words of note, memory joggers and so on. I can quickly store these as a text document. I can send this to anyone via email, using any suitable text document format. I can also search for this document, or search through it, using something as basic as 'Windows Explorer'.

A mind map is a hand-drawn map of a talk, using bubbles, lines, perimeters and links to indicate relationships or hierarchy. Once I've made it, I can only save it by scanning it and saving it as a graphics file. I can only send this to someone else as a graphics file. Graphics files tend to be larger and more cumbersome than text files, and there tend to be more hurdles in terms of making sure that what it looks like at my end matches what it looks like at your end. Also, I can't search for it, or through it, using Explorer or similar.

Mind-mapping may look rather cool, useful and productive at first, but I think it's significant that I've never come across many people who actually use it in their every day working life. Good ideas tend to catch on and get used, and others don't.

For people who vastly prefer a visual way of summarising information and depicting conceptual relationships, it is of course the ideal solution. For everyone else, you're probably better off just learning good methods for taking notes and preparing summaries in rather more traditional 'text' form.


How right you are - I have never been able to use the ideas when taking notes or trying to remember ideas. I always seem to start in the wrong place and run out of paper, so you have to celloptape more paper on. Having said that the latest winner of the Turner Prize (sorry can't remember his name) has a huge mind map on the wall all to do with miners. I think it can make nice pictures!

[Sue]

I use mind mapping - and I do it on the computer. I have a very simple mind mapping programme which I downloaded free a couple or more years or so ago. I find it very useful if I am planning something. You can get (and pay for) more elaborate programmes but they need time invested in learning them and I have never felt the need.
I have never been much of a note taker - it just isn't the way I work. Any other mind mappers out there?

[Barbara]

I use mind mapping - and I do it on the computer. I have a very simple mind mapping programme which I downloaded free a couple or more years or so ago. I find it very useful if I am planning something. You can get (and pay for) more elaborate programmes but they need time invested in learning them and I have never felt the need.
I have never been much of a note taker - it just isn't the way I work. Any other mind mappers out there?

Well, you learn something every day. It never occured to me you could do it on computer. Can you recommend a programme or do I just search?

[Sue]

You can look on the http://www.mindjet.com/uk/ website, but they don't seem to be offering free simple downloads any more.

[Barbara]

You can look on the http://www.mindjet.com/uk/ website, but they don't seem to be offering free simple downloads any more.

thanks I've gone for 1 free 21day trial. I'll see how I get on.