Making Your Gray Matter

February 2009

Contents This Month – The Idea Mapping Edition

· Why Should I Idea Map?

· Idea Mapping Basics (CCBT)

· Practice, Practice, Practice

· Quotations

· Update Your Email Address

· Refer Madness

Why Should I Idea Map?

How often have you been unable to recall some notes you took at a meeting only a couple days earlier? How often do you find your notes “jumping” around from topic to topic? If you’ve had this happen to you, Idea Mapping can help.

When I teach a workshop that includes Idea Mapping, I do an activity that illustrates the technique’s powerful effect on memory. I lead a short (7-10 minutes) brainstorming activity and I am the scribe. I record everything in an Idea Map. I use multiple colors and quickly drawn symbols/images and commit to making it “messy.”

When we finish the brainstorming session, I ask the participants to spend about 30 seconds just looking at the map to “make sure they understand what has been recorded” (I don’t even ask them to “study” it). I then hide the Idea Map and ask them specific questions about branches, colors, images, and general content. Invariably, they are able to rebuild the map! What amazes me is that they were very passive in the building of the map! Think how much more memorable the technique can be when you are actively drawing, coloring, and organizing it yourself.

Idea Mapping is also much more conducive to brain-centered organization. Because of its unique structuring, you are able to place new ideas in their appropriate place. I’m sure you’ve had the experience of taking notes in a meeting and all of a sudden a topic is raised that was discussed much earlier. In normal linear notes, that new topic is placed in your notes out of place. In an Idea Map, you simply insert that idea on its appropriate branch. Idea Mapping also allows you the flexibility to come back to it hours or days later to add to it.

The big benefits to Idea Mapping are simple: memory and organization. So let’s go over the basics of how to do it (for many of you, this is a wonderful time to review).

Idea Mapping Basics (CCBT)

While there are many guidelines to Idea Mapping for maximum benefit, I’ll make the basics easy to remember – C.C.B.T.

· Center. Start your Idea Map at the middle of a page that is set up landscape. Start with a picture or symbol for your “title.” Since most of us don’t trust our drawing ability, add some words into your symbol for clarity.

· Colors. Use colors liberally in your Idea Mapping. Colors can help you group together ideas (keeping the same color throughout a branch) or make an idea stand out (by changing its color within a branch. You can also develop color codes for ideas. Hot topics might be red, favored ideas may be in your favorite colors, etc. If you do have to Idea Map for speed, consider limiting the number of colors. I sometimes use only one color initially and then colorize it later. The colorization process also serves as a review.

· Branches. Draw your own branches by connecting them at the ends of previous branches. This creates stronger associations and more organic appearance. The branches should be proportional to the ideas they contain. Be certain to connect the branches to each other rather than having space in between them.

· Triggers. Write trigger words rather than full sentences. Your ultimate goal is to put only one word on each branch. This means you have to capture only the words or images that effectively trigger your memory.

Next month, I’ll get into some techniques to advance your Idea Mapping. In the meantime, you’ll need to … practice.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It takes 21-30 days to make a habit. It takes only a nanosecond to create a neural connection. So how long does it take to get “good” with Idea Mapping? I don’t really know. I do know that if you do one Idea Map a day for three weeks, you’ll be more comfortable than you are today and that your style and your skill will evolve. It’s not really that much, but you may want some tips on how to do one a day.

· Morning map. When you first get up in the morning, plan your day by doing an Idea Map. The main branches may include “Personal,” “Family,” Projects,” “Administrative,” etc.

· Evening map. Review your day. If you keep a journal, you may want to include a small Idea Map for each day in addition to your usual writing.

· Phone call preparation. If you have an important phone call to make (an interview, a sales call, speaking with a client), prepare an Idea Map before you pick up the phone. In the map, include what information you already know about the person with whom you’ll speak as well as what you want to discuss.

· Phone call notes. When you finish a phone call, do a review of the call in an Idea Map. This may precede your formal linear notes, or they may be your final notes. I recommend you take these notes after the call so that you can stay completely present during the phone call.

· Person. You can map yourself in preparation for a Performance Review, map a client or potential client, a family member you want to pay tribute to, or a personal “hero.”

· Meeting notes. Similar to the notes from a phone call. However, you may want to take the notes during the meeting. This can be made easier by pre-drawing the central image (title) and some main branches that denote the topics to be covered.

Quotations

“There is no such thing as a correct decision. Life is far too complicated for that.” – Tom Peters (American author and business consultant)

“Set me a task in which I can put something of my very self, and it is a task no longer; it is joy, it is art.” – Bliss Carman (Canadian poet)

Update Your Email Address

Don’t miss an issue of Making Your Gray Matter. If your email address is going to change, let me know about it.

Refer Madness

If you had a good experience in my workshop/seminar, share it with someone you know. If you provide me with a lead that generates new business for me, I’ll pay you (or your favorite charity) $250 (less if it is less than a full-fee engagement).

If you belong to a professional organization that needs a speaker or If you know any business or non-profit organization (including your own), that could benefit from my workshops, presentations, coaching, or needs a facilitator:

1. Tell your contact about me.

2. Tell me about your contact. Call me at 972-378-0937 or write me at dgunby@mindimensions.com

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