Now I thought Chris Griffiths (CEO of Buzan Online) was a decent sort of bloke.
Ok so I did insult him a little bit about iMindMap Version 4 (which still amazes me how good it is).
I mean you would be smug too if you had done such a great job with your new Mind Mapping Software.
So now he sends me another e mail taunting me about his new iPhone Application.
“Hi Michael
Are you an iPhone user?
Just wondered if you wanted to be on the beta for iMindMap for iPhone.
Very best
Chris”
Now he knows I don’t have an iphone yet so this is just blatant mental cruelty or just revenge for my insult.
So not only do I NOT have one of the coolest phones on the planet, but it also looks like I am NOT going to be able to access one of the coolest Mind Mapping software applications on the planet using it.
Is this man just plain cruel or is it the start of a shrewd marketing plan?
Does he have shares in Apple because he pretty well knows that once his new application is on the App Store I will HAVE to go get myself an iPhone!
And then later he goes and tells me about some more cool stuff that is happening in the world of Buzan Online….BUT WON’T LET ME TELL YOU!
Arrhhhhggh!
This man is driving me nuts….
Filed under Mind Map Software by .
Let’s briefly look at the history of Mind Mapping Software.
Years ago there was none….
And today there are literally hundreds of versions of Software that do Mind Mapping.
Ok history lesson over.
But what of Tony Buzan and his involvement in the development of a computer based version of his amazing thinking tool?
Well that is a bit of a chequered story in itself and depending on who you talk to and what rumours you believe the fact remains that for over 30 years there hasn’t been a software aligned to the man himself and his Mind Map invention.
And then along comes Chris Griffiths and the development of Buzan Online – a company set up to develop a Mind Mapping Software in Tony’s name.
I am not sure whether there was ever a version 1 of iMindMap but last year I got hold of version 2 and boy was it diabolical.
You see what they tried to do with iMindMap was bring together the power of a computer based tool with the fundamentals of what is good Mind Mapping.
And to be quite honest, it looked like an impossible task, not least because in the Mind Mapping community there are basically two camps – those who are wedded to the hand drawn approach and those who were introduced via software and can’t see the point of all that drawing stuff and single keyword.
Trying to unite them in one peice of software would certainly prove a challenge to the hand drawn purists who may not even know how to switch a computer on (that’s a joke…….!) and the software mappers might not see the point especially if they were users of “That Other Software” that currently dominates the marketplace.
I don’t know why I didn’t immediately claim a refund because I was very disappointed with it.
However Chris and the team rolled their sleeves up and quite quickly (to their credit) released version 3.
Mind Maps Software Doubts
At the time I was not sure whether the new version of the Mind Maps Software was going to be any different (see my post “Mind Mapping Software – A Viable Alternative to Mind Manager?” and I was a little disparaging about it during their beta testing phase.
However when it was released it was much better and started to look quite good.
Yet it still wasn’t enough to tempt me away from using “That Other Software”.
So fast forward to this year and the launch of version 4.
Mind Maps Software Expertise
I was involved with the beta testing of the product but to be quite honest, I had a look, gave a few thoughts and suggestions, but didn’t really get too involved because of time and I wasn’t convinced that it would be much different from version 3 (which I had but was not using).
Boy was I wrong.
Version 4 was launched with a flurry at the end of April, nearly 4 weeks ago now and I can honestly say it literally took my breath away.
Now I am not going to bore you with all the features of the software, check those out for yourself at the Official iMindMap Website. – You can get a free trial – it really is worth just taking a look.
I will be sharing more about what it does in future posts but what I wanted to do was tell you just how good it is.
Here were the words going through my mind when I started to play with version 4:
Smooth….fluid….sophisticated….powerful…..intuitive….really nice….
As someone who has been a hand drawn Mind Mapper for 15 years I have an obvious bent towards the kinesthetic side to using Mind Mapping and have only been harnessing (other) Mind Mapping Software tools over the last 12 months.
Great Contribution to Mind Maps
So to find a software that gives me the same physical experience of creating a map on screen is a real joy to behold.
But it is much, much more than just a graphics tool that allows you to create Mind Maps on screen.
I said I wouldn’t go into the features, but I just have to tell you that it has a presentation mode to die for (ok maybe a bit of an exaggeration there but it is bloody good).
Its project management capability in my mind sets it apart from any other similar tool on the market and for the first time (that I have seen anyway) you can display your map AND Gannt information on the same screen – a true meeting of the right and left brain in the same place.
There is so much more I could tell you and don’t have the time to right now but I was so impressed with what I see in iMindMap Version 4 that I emailed Chris Griffiths the Buzan Online and called him a Smug B*****d.
Here is what I said to him in my e mail:
Well at least I got your attention LOL
I have finally got my copy of iMInd Map online and I just wanted to send you my initial personal thoughts.
First of all, if you are not sitting in your office feeling extremely SMUG then you should be because having just installed V4 and played around with it, I am stunned at how different this is from the previous versions and just how good it is.
I would imagine the combination of recovering from the early clunckiness of V2, managing the pressures of the hand drawn Mind Map purists in your camp, planning how to fight you way out from under the shadow of and constant comparison to “that other Mind mapping Software”, together with managing the design, implementation and testing of a complex and no doubt technically challenging project – you have had quite a job on your hands….and I think you have done a magnificant job.
So you have every right to be smug about it LOL
Fortunately Chris has a sense of humour and he e mailed me back from his Blackberry from Disney in the US whilst taking a well earned break with his family after what must have been a very busy and no doubt stressful time for him and his team.
It seems there are more exciting things in the pipeline but he wouldn’t tell me what but I am sure it doesn’t take a genius to work out that there is likely to be some collaborative version and maybe even a mobile version of iMindMap.
I will see if I can get more out of him on his return but no doubt I will be sworn to secrecy.
So hopefully by now you will have sensed that this software is good and that I am now a fan.
If I was to summarise my thoughts of it in one short paragraph here is what it would be:
“Buzan Online has done what we in the Mind Mapping community previously thought was impossible - they have combined the tremendous thinking benefits of hand drawn mind maps with the processing, storage and manipulation power of a sophisticated software tool. Previously Mind Mappers defined themselves as either “by hand” or “with software” – now there need only be one definition – by iMindMap”
I have been a long time user of “That Other Software” for about 10 years now and for the first time I have found another Mind Mapping Software that I will use as well….and who knows I might even switch over completely.
So I think you owe it to yourself to try out iMindMap version 4 if you are a long time hand mapper and have not made the jump into computer based mind mapping, if you completely new to using Mind Maps and even if you are an established and long time user of any other Mind Mapping Software.
At the very least it will compliment what you are currently using and once you start reaping the rewards of the features it offers, you might even switch over completely.
So head over to the Buzan Online Website, download your free copy of iMindMap4 and find out what all the fuss is about.
Filed under Mind Maps by .
I have been in New York this week filming for a new website aimed at helping small businesses grow and develop.
I can’t tell you much about it because I am sworn to secrecy until the site goes live at the end of the month.
What I can tell you though is that the owners of this new site recognise the power of Mind Mapping in helping entrepreneurs across a wide variety of functions and activities and most of all dealing with information overload.
So alongside some really amazing business gurus, I have been positioned as a leading exponent in the application of Mind Mapping in the business environment which in itself is extremely flattering.
It was only a 5 day trip but we managed to pack in seeing the sites, shooting my own on the road videos (here is a picture of me in Times Square sharing some thoughts on how to use Mind Mapping in Business) and of course the filming for this new web site.
So if you run a small business and want to know how you can:
- Be far more productive (one third of Mind Mapping users polled recently claimed an increase in productivity of over 30%)
- Manage your business much more effectively
- Take control of the vast amount of information and data you have to deal with
…then watch this space for an exciting new resource that will help you do all of that.
Filed under Mind Mapping for Business by .
For the majority of my time as a user, an advocate and now teacher of how to use Mind Mapping in Business, I have been primarily someone who has concentrated on using hand drawn maps.
I have dabbled in using Mind Mapping Software, primarily to help deliver training programmes and seminars, but until the end of last year, I really wasn’t using it to its fullest potential.
Over the last 6 months I have really been getting into benefitting from the power of using Mind Mapping software to help be run my business more effective.
This isn’t just about me having to use it because it is within my sphere of interest and specialism.
No this is about finding practical ways to benefit from the combination of up to date technology with an amazing thinking process.
Here is an example of how it is benefitting me right now.
I am working on a very complext project with a client that involves these activities:
- Keeping track of multiple and parallel lines of communication between as many as 20 different people in at least 4 different time zones
- Monitoring and collating an ever increasing library of inter-related documents in at least 3 different forms
- Designing a programme of facilitation against the ever changing requirements of a demanding client
- Collating and arranging the assembly of a resource list to support a complex and involved facilitation
- Understanding the structural and organisational complexities of an international company
- Researching and learning about new areas of knowledge outside of my own professional and academic training
- Meeting, networking with and keeping track of my notes about the personnel involved in the project
- and much, much more….
In the past I would have found it extremely difficult to not only keep track of all this but also retain sufficient mental capacity to contribute creatively to the solution we are developing for this particular client.
However through the creative application of Mind Mapping Software (Mind Manager in particular) all of this is being managed from one single map.
In just a few seconds I can review the entire project and with just a couple of clicks can access any document I want from the many that have been collated for this project.
It is incredible just how empowering it is to feel in so much control over something with so much complexity and it is all down to using Mind Mapping Software.
I am just surprised it has taken me so long to buy into the benefits of using the software.
So the moral of the story is this – if you are a dyed in the wool hand Mind Mapper who has resisted using Mind Mapping Software, then I think it is time you investigated it because you are not only missing out by not using it, you are probably being left behind.
Filed under Mind Mapping Software, Mind Mapping for Business by .
Most of my professional time is spent standing on a stage speaking to audiences about how to use tools like Mind Mapping to help them become more effective, efficient and productive.
So I am used to delivering content to a room full of professional people.
So on the rare occasion I get to sit as part of the audience, it is always a great opportunity to walk the talk and use Mind Mapping to take my notes.
One of the beauties of this amazing tool is that it allows you to capture the essence of what is being said rather than trying to capture everything you hear.
Mind Mapping has been recommended for years as a great note taking strategy but many, even those who teach the topic, rarely understand how to use it properly as a tool for that purpose and why it is so effective.
How to Take Mind Mapping Notes
First of all lets look at how you use it to take good notes.
Simply whipping out a blank piece of paper, turning it landscape, putting a central image down that represents the topic and then adding main branches and sub-branches using colour, key words and images is one way of describing it.
Yes of course you would choose the main branches to represent the main sub-topic areas of the speaker’s delivery and then use smaller sub-branches to add the detail.
All of this is done in real time and in the end you have a capture of what YOU thought was important.
That pretty much describes the mechanics of what you in creating your map of the speech but the most important aspect is the process rather than the outcome.
The Problem With Traditional Note Taking
Traditional note taking strategies have focused on copying the content.
We were taught to write in this way by copying letters of the alphabet, then short words, then small sentences and finally paragraphs.
We were used to capturing the CONTENT in this way and over the years we might have got a little more sophisticated by focusing on key words and sentences instead of copying everything but in essence we still copy if we take traditional notes.
And then enter stage left the wonderful Mind Mapping tool invented by Tony Buzan.
Now we have a tool that requires us to shift our thinking into a higher gear if we want to use it effectively.
No longer do we have the luxury (and security) of capturing everything by copying the CONTENT.
The Benefits of Taking Notes Using Mind Mapping
No, now we have to think a little harder because we have to analyse the content, synthesis what it means, summarise that meaning and then organise those thoughts in a format that stimulates more of our brain.
By simply applying Mind Mapping and following its guidelines when we take notes (from either the written or spoken format) then we elevate our thinking to a much higher level because now we are seeking out, quantifying and capturing the MEANING.
At the end of a session of doing that you will have had to be far more engaged and absorbed in the process (thuse increasing your concentration levels), you will have undersood it better because of your analysis and you will have a better recall of what you have covered because you have thought about it rather than just capture it.
If you want to retain this new found knowledge for the long term then just having the Map you have created is not enough, even though you will have a good short term memory of it immediately after.
No, what you need to do now is to keep refreshing and testing your recall of it by trying to recreate it on a regular basis until you can always re-create the map (perhaps more of exactly how we do that in a future article).
Most people miss this step and combined with not understanding that the process is also important (rather than just having the map)is the reason why many think the tool does not work.
There is Mis-Information About Mind Mapping
I was on a blog yesterday that repeated a story about a school in the Far East (I think it might have been Singapore) that got very excited by Mind Mapping but when it came to preparing for exams reverted to their old way of taking notes because they found Buzan’s approach ineffective.
I have heard this story quoted a number of times before and it is often wheeled out as some sort of justification that Mind Mapping is no good.
In my opinion what probably happened here is that the tool was not properly explained nor was it properly used because the process I have described above is far superior in terms of processing, understanding, absorbing and recalling knowledge.
Applying Mind Mapping requires you to THINK more than conventional note taking and it is probably this that many students shy away from because they prefer the security of capturing everything thinking they are making progress.
Anyway in my experience the quality of my notes is far superior when I use Mind Mapping but more important is the my increased level of engagement and understanding.
Here is an Example of One of My Maps
At the seminar I attended recently I used Mind Mapping for my notes and I shared those with the contacts I made at the event and they were blown away by the accuracy, relevancy, conciseness and of couse the beauty of the format.
Here is just one of the maps I created from a 45 minute presentation from the seminar:
This was created in real time during the presentation on a piece of A3 sized paper and was just one of ten created that day (it was a long day with some great content).
How To Do This For Yourself
1. First of all have the right tools – blank paper turned landscape format, the bigger the better and ideally a four-coloured pen.
2. Start each map with a central image that represents what it is about. In my example it was about video production and was by Carlos so I made an image (of sorts) out of those two words.
3. I will assume you understand the basics of this tool but if not you can get a free guide on the Tony Buzan Mind Map.
4. Once the speaker gets going start listening out for main themes and each time you spot one, it goes down on the map as a main branch.
5. As the speaker expands on each main theme, add detail using sub-branches onto the relevant main branch.
6. Use pictures wherever you can (a picture speaks a thousand words)
7. Separate theme areas by using different colours.
Don’t expect to be able to do this straight away in your first seminar because it takes a bit of practice but the rewards are really worth it.
If ever you find yourself feeling like you are missing something, revert back to your conventional method and then come back to use Mind Mapping on that later.
Over time you will do that less and less until you are able to comfortably use Mind Mapping in any seminar situation.
Try that out and let me know how you get on with that.
Filed under Create a Mind Map, Examples of Mind Mapping, Mind Mapping Tips by .
Are you a Mind Manager user?
If you don’t know what Mind Manager is, it is the world’s leading Mind Mapping Software package (well over a million downloads and increasing every day).
You can get it from www.mindjet.com – there is a free 30 day download of the latest version which is at version 8.
You Have The Mind Mapping Software- How Do You Use It?
If you do use this leading Mind Map software then are you getting the most out of it?
Now I don’t mean are you using all of its features because some of what it can do might be quite neat but may be more of a distraction rather than a purposeful tool to help you do what you do better, faster, cheaper.
I have been using Mind Manager for years now and have only really dabbled with it but just recently I have come across a couple of people who are really using this amazing software really well indeed and are light years ahead of their peers in terms of their effectiveness and productivity because of it.
What they are doing is not rocket science – just very clever yet easy to implement.
I have been learning what they are doing with it and have been adding a few twists of my own from the years I have been using it and realise that if you have a PC and you deal with information then there are some things you just HAVE to know about this software and how to use it.
So I am quietly putting together a coaching programme on how to get some great results from Mind Manager.
It is not a full on “How To” course for the software but a straightforward guidance on how to be more effective using this software.
It will be the perfect programme for seasoned users and beginners alike.
But I want it to be a REALLY good course that will blow you away and so I have a favour to ask.
If you are a Mind Manager user and you have some nifty little trick you do with it that saves you time or makes your daily tasks so much easier, then I would love to hear about.
All you have to do is tell me about it in the comments section below.
I look forward to hearing about just how good you are with this great software, and how it improved your Mind Maps.
By the way the best response will get free access to this programme.
Go on let me know how you use it and give yourself a chance of becoming even better with Mind Manager.
Filed under Mind Map Software, Mind Mapping Tips by .
Probably the first question I get asked when I am sharing with people how to use Mind Maps is “Where do I start?”.
There are two ways of looking at this question.
The first way is to focus on the actual process of Mind Mapping.
In that instance the answer is very simple because we always, always start in the centre of our page (which for reason I won’t go into here, should be blank and in landscape format)
The reason for this is we are then free to take our thoughts in absolutely any direction we choose and so are not constrained by the limits of starting at the top of a page and working down which is the convention we have adopted from the school model of organising our thoughts on paper.
The second way of looking at this question is to focus on what we are using the Mind Maps for.
So for example if we are taking notes from either someone speaking or from a piece of written work, the starting point (the central image for Mind Mapping) would be the topic about which they are talking (or writing).
If we are planning a holiday then the starting point of our mind map might be either the word holiday, a picture representing a holiday or some other image/word that encapsulates what the thinking is to be focused on.
Ideally we would use images (regardless of how bad we think we are at drawing) for the central image, but keywords are also fine.
The important point is that the central image should be unique and different from any other central image we might draw (which is one of the reasons we avoid putting it in a frame).
The mind maps can then grow and expand outwards as we develop it according to whatever thought process we are applying it to.
Filed under Create a Mind Map, Mind Mapping Tips by .
