The Mind Map Chronicles

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So you want to learn to make a mind map. You’ve undoubtedly heard the general description of the technique: place a word or concept in the center of a page, and then brainstorm with all the ideas you can think of that relate to it. Write them on the page as well, and when you’re finished, you will find patterns and categories that suggest themselves, and organize the concepts into those categories. This is a type of visual thinking that helps you find new relationships among these ideas, and even possible new solutions to problems.

When you search for ways to learn how to mind map, there is no shortage of resources. Whether you want to study from a book or do some kind of online course, the options are all open. Just browsing through Amazon gives you a long list of books that might be a starting point for you. You’ll find books such as “Mind Maps at Work: How to Be the Best at Your Job and Still Have Time to Play,” by Tony Buzan, the person most responsible for popularizing these techniques. But he is joined by many other authors like Nancy Margulies and Christine Valenza, who wrote “Visual Thinking: Tools for Mapping Your Ideas.”

If you prefer ebooks or online training to learn visual mapping techniques, then there are several websites that offer this as well. For example, Blackbelt Mindmap Training sends PDFs to subscribers over a period of five days, at the end of which they receive their “black belt” in the technique. There is also software available, both as freeware or purchased programs. These, however, are primarily applications used by already experienced mind mappers. Most will likely have tutorials, but you might want to learn by other means, so you can evaluate which program you’d prefer. The www.mind-mapping.org website can be a great help in sorting through this wealth of resources.

And there are in-person classes as well. The Tony Buzan mind mapping courses are probably the best known, and can be discovered at his website (www.buzanworld.com). But his organization doesn’t just teach people how to mind map, but also trains people to go out and conduct their own courses. So whether you just want to stay home with a book, practice on a computer program, or go and learn in a class where you can ask questions on the spot and learn with other people, there is a multitude of options available to help you to become an expert.