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by Maya Talisman Frost
I don't take notes anymore. Instead, I create one wildly
colorful, creative and inspiring page whenever I
need to make a
decision, prepare a presentation, or plan an event. That whole
two-column plus and minus approach? Gone. Bring on the Mind Maps!
I read Tony Buzan's first book on Mind Mapping back in the early
eighties, but I was too caught up in the old-school world to see how
it could be of use to me. I recently rediscovered Mind Mapping and
it has become an integral part of the work I do with clients.
Tony Buzan created the Mind Map concept in the early seventies.
Based on his brilliant observation that our brains do not process
information in a linear way, Mind Mapping allows us to use words,
images, and color in an effort to engage the right side of our
brains in what is normally considered a left-brain task: organizing
information.
We've already learned that one of the keys to maximizing our
potential as humans is to forget that whole right-brain/left-brain
divide. Instead of seeing ourselves as a logical person OR a
creative person, we're both. We've simply chosen to put more energy
into developing skills associated with the analytical left or the
daydreaming right. We must recognize that there's a fine line
separating analysis from daydreams and that in order to have a fully
integrated brain, we need to do both.
We speak in a linear pattern. We can say only one word at a time,
and we can hear only one word at a time. Similarly, we read in a
linear pattern-words flow in lines across the page.
So when it came time to organize notes and teach the proper form
for creating outlines, it's easy to see why we turned to the tried
and true linear approach. You know the format: Roman numeral one (I)
followed by A, B and C, followed by 1, 2 and 3. We look for things
to slot into each line in order to make it fit properly.
In school, we spent hours preparing these outlines for book
reports, speeches, and term papers. In our work as adults, we do the
same thing with agendas, meeting minutes, and project plans. Orderly
lines of information. Black ink on white pages. Empty spaces.
Boring, boring, boring--and not the best way to use our brains.
Along comes Buzan, who says that we would be much better off if
we allowed our right brains to get in on the game. So, instead of
creating typical linear outlines, Buzan insisted on becoming
radiant. He developed the concept of putting your central idea right
in the center of the page. Your main points then radiate outward
from the center. Each one of these points sprouts its own branches
and twigs. He referred to this star-like pattern of ideas as Radiant
Thinking.
The beauty of this is that you can see everything on one page. No
time wasted sorting through pages. No need to flip through your
notes to see your next point or find your conclusion--it's all right
there in front of you. No need for extra notes. No energy spent on
rewrites.
He didn't stop there. Buzan understood that color is a strong
factor in helping us remember, so he encourages us to use different
colors for each of the radiant thoughts and sub-thoughts. Instead of
using only words, incorporate little line drawings and images to
make connections between thoughts.
This is the way our brains work naturally. We don't picture the
word B-O-X when we picture a box. Instead, our brains conjure the
image. We don't always go from thought A to thought B to thought C.
We're just as likely to start with A, then head over to E, skip back
to A and then saunter over to R. Our neural pathways look like webs,
not straight lines. In fact, the more criss- crossed our
connections, the more we're able to synthesize complex ideas and
come up with new ways to use old information.
Mind Maps give us an excuse to play. They give us a reason to
keep a whole set of colored pens right on our desk for everyone to
see. Mind maps allow our thuggish left brains to make friends with
our timid rights. For once, there's harmony on the playground!
Use a Mind Map for your next planning session, and watch the
reaction. Raised eyebrows give way to smirks, which dissolve into
delighted grins. Linear notes become circular masterpieces. Black
and white becomes a rainbow. Words become pictures. Workers become
creative. Work becomes the joyful collaborative experience it is
meant to be.
Grab your markers and become radiant. Your brain is waiting to
play!
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