Conference waylay::askenet_v5

    Re .0: What on Earth is mindmapping?
    		Denis.

>    Re .0: What on Earth is mindmapping?

Let me make a guess. On web pages, there's a feature called 'image maps'.
You see a graphic displayed in Netscape, and click on a portion of it,
and Netscape sends you off to some other page.  That's 'imagemapping'.

Mindmapping would involve the Netscape neural tap extensions to HTML.
Rather than the graphic being on the PC, it's in your mind.  You mentally
click on part of the image in your head, and the next page, whether it's
part of your own memory or out on the internet somewhere, is loaded into your
brain.

People talk about Netscape and Microsoft competing for the Enterprise, the
business networks. Then what do they do? Mindmapping allows these companies to
colonize the next frontier. 

-Steve

Up all night, Steve?

I took a half-day mindmapping seminar at ZKO several years ago, and found the
general idea to be pretty interesting, although I can't say that I've applied
it all that much since then. :-)  For a while I was using mindmapping to create
my "to do" lists for projects, which was easier than trying to do them in a 
linear style.  But then I kind of got out of the habit.

I did get the following book, which is pretty good, as I recall (I just 
remembered I lent it to one of my sisters some time ago and haven't gotten it 
back!). 

Mindmapping : Your Personal Guide to Exploring Creativity and Problem-Solving 

by Joyce Wycoff

Reissue Edition 
Paperback, 173 pages
List: $12.00 -- Amazon.com Price: $10.80 -- You Save: $1.20(10%) 
Published by Berkley Pub Group
Publication date: June 1,1991
Dimensions (in inches): 9.01 x 6 x .58
ISBN: 042512780X

Synopsis:
Readers can finally break down the blocks that hinder free thinking and 
discover their vast stores of innovative ideas involving whole-brain thinking 
techniques presented here. "A no-nonsense, practical guide to help put creative
powers to work!"--Michael LeBoeuf, author of Imagineering. 

[The above info came from www.amazon.com]

I also have a shareware program called Windows Mind Mapper, created by someone
in New Zealand.  (I haven't used it much.)  I have no idea where I got it from,
but maybe you'll find it by rummaging around on the Web.  I have version 1.0b
from 1994; maybe there's something more recent out there.

The following description of mindmapping comes from the Mind Mapper help file.
Hope this is of some use.

-- Nina

------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is a Mind Map? A brief introduction

How do you create a mind map?
A mind map consists of a central word or concept, around the central word you 
draw the 5 to 10 main ideas that relate to that word.  You then take each of 
those child words and again draw the 5 to 10 main ideas that relate to each of 
those words.  

In this way an exponential number of related ideas can quickly be produced with 
virtually no mental effort.  The concept of writers block is hard to understand 
once you have grasped the use of this simple technique!

How it was invented
Mind Mapping was invented by Tony Buzan following his research into note taking
techniques.

Note taking
Tony studied the three common techniques for taking notes during a lecture:

+   Writing a complete transcript.
+   Writing a summary.
+   Writing key words only.

He then tested each of these and found the following results when testing how 
much was learned or remembered:
	Least learned = 1

1   Complete transcript given to student
2   Student writes complete transcript
3   Summary given to student
4   Student writes summary
5   Key words given to student
6   Student writes own key words

Most learned = 6

Visual Memory
Another seemingly unrelated study on memory was also used in the formation of 
mind maps.  In this study by Ralph Haber 2560 photos were shown to subjects. 
Then subjects were shown 2560 pairs of photos and asked in each case to say 
which photo had been in the original group of 2560 and which had not.  The 
success rate at this test averaged between 85% and 95% showing that humans have 
an almost photographic visual memory.  In another study where 10,000 vivid 
pictures were used a success rate of 99% was recorded.

Originality
If two people all draw mini mind maps around the idea shoe.  (A mini mind map is
a mind map which only goes one level deep, i.e. it only has words which are 
directly related to the central idea).  If each person comes up with seven 
related words, how many do you think would be duplicates between the two people?

Studies have shown that the average is one word in common, and anything above 
two is very very unusual. Try this yourself, get a friend to write down the 
first seven things related to the word shoe, and do the same yourself, then 
compare the lists.  


Result, Mind Maps
With these results and other research Tony Buzan came up with a new method for 
taking notes.  His new system was based on the idea of making the notes as brief
as possible and also as interesting to the eye as possible.  The surprizing 
result was that mind maps can be used in many different ways other than just
simple note taking.

How can a mind map be used?
Mind maps can be applied to many different situations:

Note taking

As a means of note taking mindmaps have several advantages over other systems:
+  You can place each new idea in the right place, regardless of the order of 
presentation.
+  It encourages the reduction of each concept to a single word.
+  The resultant mind map can be seen by the eye and memorized by your visual 
memory which has been shown to be almost perfect.

Creative Writing & Report Writing

A mind map lets you rapidly produce an almost infinite number of ideas, and at 
the same time organize them by placing each idea next to what it is related to.
This makes a very powerful tool for creative writing or report writing, where it
is very important to get down all your ideas first.  

It is then a trivial matter to read the mind map and write a sentence or 
paragraph on each key word.


Studying the easy way

Instead of simply reading a book on some topic, next time try using a mind map 
while you read.  Just draw your central word and then begin reading, everytime 
you read some idea that strikes you as important or interesting, just add it
onto your mind map in the appropriate place.

When you have finished reading the book you will have a one page mindmap which
summarizes everything of interest in that book.  You will probably also have 
added several things which you thought up yourself during your reading.

The act of creating the mind map will have greatly increased how much you 
absorbed from the book, and if you ever want to review the topic all you need to
do is to look at the mind map.  If you want to learn the information very 
solidly then try to redraw the mindmap from memory a few times.  You will find 
it very easy.

Studying as a group (or family)

A group of people can work together to produce a single mind map by following 
these steps:

1   Individually draw mind maps on what you already know about the subject.
2   Draw a group mind map combining what you already know.
3   Decide what you need to learn based on this group mindmap.
4   Individually study the material, all covering the same areas for depth of 
knowledge or all covering different areas for speed as appropriate.  Each person
completing the mind map by his/her self.
5   Again combine as a group and create a final master group mind map.

Families who have started regular weekend study days as a hobby have benefited 
tremendously.  Children typically go from average or below average to second or 
third from the top in all subjects and the parents also find themselves 
excelling at work.  One Swedish family was besieged by neighbourhood children 
asking if they could join in the fun!

Meetings & Think Tanks

As soon as you write something up on a white board you have immediately lost the
creativity which everyone has.  So any creative meeting should always start by 
people spending a couple of minutes individually mind mapping.

Then as a way of running a meeting a master mind map on a white board allows 
every idea or statement to be recorded and placed in an appropriate place so 
that it can then be discussed at a sensible time.  Also no one feels ignored as 
all ideas are placed on the mind map.

I'm no authority on Mindmapping, this is just what I remember 
from a brief introduction I once had, and from what my daughter
is doing in school. 

I see Mindmapping as a visually-oriented outlining method.
Remember outlining? 

	Subject
	I. first topic
	   A. first subtopic
	      i. first detail
	      ii. second detail
	   B. second subtopic
	II. second topie
	.
	.
	.

In Mindmapping, you start in the center with the main subject, 
branching out to finer levels of detail.  This diagram should 
give an idea of what it looks like.

	   subtopic  subtopic	    .
		  \    /	    .
		   topic	 topic
			\	/
			subject
			/	\
		   topic	 topic
		  /    \	    .
	   subtopic  subtopic	    .
	    /    \	.	    .
	detail  detail	.	    .

I sometimes use Mindmapping to take notes or to organize my
thoughts before writing.  I find it easier to add items in a
mindmap, since you just graft it wherever it happens to fit. 
Otherwise, I don't see a lot of difference from outlining. 

Wes

    
    	To me, that looks like the mind of a disturbed individual.
    
    	8^)
    

"Mindmapping" program for download:

	ftp://hippo.shef.ac.uk/pub/uni/projects/gpp/mindmap.zip

Found through Alta Vista via:

	http://www.devry-phx.edu/academx/faculty/stegall/ctps/links.htm

    Re the previous few, especially Nina (.4) and Wes (.5): Thanks for the
    explanations.
    
    	I think I've already seen it in action and received a few bits of
    explanation in Digital in the past, ~12 years ago, but, as it was in
    French, the word mindmapping didn't figure in it. I don't even know the
    French word for it, if there's one.
    
    	It strikes me as a valuable way to take notes, but I've yet to see
    it as being productive creativewise in any kind of meeting. Maybe I
    don't go to the right meetings, but any where I've seen this method
    used for idea gathering has been a waste of time (not that these
    specific meetings had any chance from the start to produce anything
    usefull anyway...). I must, however, let it benefit from doubt in that
    area since I can't say that my (very limited, if bad) experience is
    conclusive there.
    
    	As for reading, I'm a very slow reader, but generally remember most
    of what I read. Any attempt I've made at faster reading, using
    keywords, etc... has usually resulted in my being unable to remember
    what I read or, with keywords, in very incorrect, imprecise or
    distorted memories. Mindmapping strikes me as a managerial reading
    method ;^)... I'll stay with my present method with all its drawbacks,
    thank you.
    			Denis.

I purchased a book by Tony Buzan (invented mindmapping) titled "Use
Both Sides of Your Brain" and now I get it. Like many other ways of
doing things, it requires a paradigm shift (I'm tired of that term but
it's the only one that is really appropriate) away from the typical
serial approach we use.

If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. If we use lists to
record thoughts, etc., then the only relationship between an item and
its successor is that the first came before the second and/or the
second came after the first. Mindmapping, when given a chance, seems
to have a lot of promise. My first mindmap is far superior (especially
mechanically) to any list or outline I could have created.

I wonder why Visio's first tier is limited to three branches?

Pete