His work at www.informationtamers.com is fantastic; being IMO, the most extensive “FREE” wiki containing a database of information and knowledge of all things relating to the tools, methods and Mindset of Mind-Visual and Knowledge mapping/management.  Roy is the go to guy of Visual mapping.

It is my pleasure to make Roy’s guest post available to you here at Hypershifters and also at Visualmapper.

Wallace Tait: Visualmapper

This is a guest post from Roy Grubb.

Visual thinking is slowly gaining recognition and traction. Slooowly. Much too slowly. Those of us who have used visual methods for decades, know the scope, depth and sheer fun of the many techniques and we know the advantages missed by the many people who aren’t using them yet.

One of the reasons? The words we use: Mind maps, visual maps, information maps, mindscapes, concept maps, idea maps, visual thinking – there isn’t one that really fits all needs, though I’ve seen a few collaborative attempts to run one down.

Want another reason for slow adoption? The mapping fundamentalists who boldly assert that theirs is the only form that’s worth considering.

There’s a broad landscape of visual methods and mapping styles — and I believe nearly all have value in the right circumstances.

Click the above image to see the map in Mindjet’s Player (Flash). Other versions available: Full-size PNG image – Mindjet’s Player (PDF – Acrobat only) – MindManager .mmap file.

So I decided to map out that landscape, challenge some of the myth-makers and set up some pointers of where to go for more information. There’s a lot more to visual thinking than you’ll find here, but this post is just about maps, because they are powerful tools.

For details you’ll have to go to WikIT , the wiki dedicated to all forms of information mapping with a visual slant. This is accessible to all, no subscription needed, no long sales page, not even a request for your email address. That’s because the purpose of WikIT is to make knowledge of mapping techniques available to as many people as possible, without reservation.

In this post, I’ve added links to specific pieces there so that you can explore for more detail, but to see its full scope you can peek at the contents list.

Mind mapping
Mind mapping seems like good place to start, because it’s one of the better known. Tony Buzan claims to have named them first. He has published rules that he says a map should follow before it can be called a mind map.

But maps that don’t fit the Buzan formula are now often called “mind maps”. Maybe they have straight lines, use boxes or bubbles for nodes, have a lot of text in each box, or do not use color or images. Spider diagrams, idea maps, bubble charts and others are widely referred to as mind maps. Buzan-qualified instructors are often jump in with tweets or comments on blogs to say that these are not mind maps. Too late: The term is out in the wild (btw although ‘Mind Maps’ is indeed a registered trademark, it applies only to training courses).

It is useful to be able to distinguish the types of mind maps. WikIT, the mapping wiki, makes the distinction by referring to “Buzan mind maps” and “common mind maps”.

What identifies all of these is that they start with a main topic and everything hangs off that in a hierarchy. Usually, the main topic is in the center.

Mind maps are good, amongst other uses, for breaking a topic into its parts – those parts into smaller ones and so on. Say you have an idea for a new business. You put a working name for the business in the center of a large sheet and you can quickly sketch in the services to be offered, radiating out around that. Against each service you can add items for needs, sources, differentiation from competitors, market research and niches to target, funding ideas, and costs.

The radial form makes it keep an overview and the focus on the center. It also makes it easy to make insertions at the right point. These are very appealing in comparison with a written list. Lists work well when planning is complete and the plan is being executed, but at the open-ended, thinking stage, an open diagram can help to bring out new thoughts. This is true for many people – it’s not guaranteed, but unless you have tried seriously, you may not know you’re missing an opportunity.
Mind maps are good for arranging information for learning. Again the hierarchical breakdown appears, this time for organizing notes and grouping related topics together. The mental process of organizing helps with understanding and remembering.

In a Buzan mind map, each node will comprise just one or two words. Many Buzan advocates say “only one”, but the examples that come with his own software (iMindMap) include examples with as many as five words.

The reason given for this rule is that writing a phrase can finish the thought while breaking the phrase into keywords and then looking for intermediate junctions can suggest other lines of thought and open up your thinking. In my experience it works very well in some cases. My argument with it is that it is presented by some of the gurus as the only way to make mind maps.

Here is an example of the benefits of bypassing the guideline in very different circumstances taken from a mind map summarizing the basic commands for editing Wikipedia. At the third level and beyond, substantial editing guidelines are given. Breaking these into single words would get in the way for readers trying to use this is a quick reference source.

For more about mind maps: WikIT has What is a mind map? / Buzan mind maps / Buzan’s mind map guidelines in practical use / Common mind maps / Large mind maps and more.

I use mind maps of all types and find them stimulating to use. I had a great time making the mind map “Mapping: So many options” that was the starting point for this article.

Concept mapping
Then there are concept maps. These describe relationships between things – ideas, abstract concepts, places, substances or names of a material object.

If you want to be sure you understand a subject, or have a student prove to you that she has a grasp of a topic, they do a great job. And they have been widely accepted in the field of knowledge management, where groups work together to create knowledge on concept maps.

Defining characteristics:

• Concept maps sometimes start with a “focus question” which tells you what the concept map is about – the question it was made to answer;
• The main subject is usually at the top;
• Nodes are boxes containing an idea, object name or concept;
• Associated nodes are connected by a line with a “linking phrase” between;
• Any node may be connected to any other node (it is a graph), so a concept map need not be limited to a tree topology.

If you want to organize files, notes and web shortcuts, allowing “any node may be connected to any other node” is particularly useful because you are not limited to placing a link under one parent. Multiple paths may lead to the same item and this reflects a basic reality of documents: They often relate to two or more topics.

The value of concept maps in demonstrating knowledge is that they are made up of propositions that may be verified. Each triplet of concept – linking phrase – concept can be extracted and discussed. So if a tutor found this on part of a student’s concept map: A node “Sydney”, connected to a node “Australia” by a linking phrase “is the capital of” she would know that the student had not mastered this aspect of the topic. The proposition can be read as “Sydney is the capital of Australia” and this mistake would show that a student had not grasped the difference between a financial center and a capital.

Concept maps are used in business to collect and record knowledge where subject experts discuss much more subtle propositions than the example just given.

For more about concept maps, WikIT has Concept maps, and Concept maps or mind maps? the choice, which are good starting points.

Skimming through more map types

Tree diagrams and organigrams (organization charts) are used in business to represent business functions and units and show the hierarchy of reporting. These are one of the most familiar visual forms. Tree diagrams on WikIT.

Mindscapes are unlike mind maps in several ways, but they share attributes like color, images, visual expression of ideas and organic or natural feel, all aimed at inspiring creative thinking. WikIT has an extensive and stimulating article by Nancy Marguilies, the noted proponent of Mindscapes.

Cluster maps are one of the early forms of graphic organizer used in schools and still work well for beginners. Using clusters of Post-It tags on the desk or wall allows for continuous change as the map develops, and can be drawn up as a mind map when the beginning mapper feels confident. Clustering on WikIT.

Visual thinking aids are used in teaching thinking in schools. A superb collection of these aids is at Exploratree, a website with 23 mind-jogger diagrams. Many of them will be useful to creatives and critical thinkers of all ages. More about visual thinking guides on WikIT.

Flowcharts, swimlane charts, control flow diagrams and other step-by-step diagrams are used to document and envision behavior, decisions and processes. These are often prepared in black and white, but purposeful use of color, shading and shadows can enliven them and improve their ability to communicate. Flowcharts on WikIT.

Southbeach notation is a visualization and extension of TRIZ in map form. It’s for problem solving, innovation and product improvement. The visual components of Southbeach notation help in analyzing details of a problem: What might be changed, the negative and positive aspects of the present situation and of the proposed changes, and the causes and effects of elements on one another. This is another whole post, though. The example is from Jangan Dabla and here is Southbeach notation on WikIT.

Annular maps maintain a strong focus on the central subject. In concentric rings around that, subsidiary thoughts or goals are arranged. Annular maps on WikIT.

Isomaps If you have time, patience and the skill, you may want to try these technically-advanced isometric projection maps developed by Arnaud Velten. As far as I know there is no application developed to make these, you’d have to use image manipulation software.

Why map?

Thinking, learning, organizing, problem solving, presenting, analyzing. planning, managing, creating, innovating, … there’s no end to ways of using these maps. WikIT has an article on this – “Uses of information maps”.

and Paul Forman (Mindmapinspiration) has an entertaining list (yes, a list) of 100 reasons to mind map. He uses “mind map” in the Buzan sense. The tragedy is that few appreciate just how many uses there are.

How should you make the map?
The options are hand-drawn maps, computer-based maps and maps made on smart-phones. Oh, and Post-It tags (see Cluster maps above).

I started back in the 1970s when making maps by hand was the only way – there was no software for mind maps then. My experience has been that hand-drawn maps are better for personal creativity, reinforcing memory, and if you have some artistic talent, for inspiring others. They are limited when the map is expanding rapidly, or has changed a lot over time, but the flexibility of layout is enviable when compared with most mind mapping software.

Map changes and expansion are not always a problem, because re-drawing a map that has become too big for its paper, or too messy, can bring out new ideas.

If you are an artist of limited ability your strained drawings and messy writing may be inhibiting if you’re working in front of others. Working with a projected computer mind map may then be quicker and more comfortable.

Making maps on a computer is good when the map will expand and change continuously. It is better for readability, and allows something that is impossible with hand-drawn maps: Organizing attachments, notes, computer files and website links. Images are easy to find and add as well.
Organizing your thoughts on the computer gives you more freedom to move sections round as the thinking develops.

Computer based maps may limit your ability to express yourself when creativity is what you aim for. WikIT has a list with screenshots of free mapping software of many types.

Making maps on smart-phones has become popular because of the convenience of mapping anywhere – even standing up. The screen size makes it a limited, but most software allows exporting maps for later work on your computer. WikIT covers mobile mind mapping applications as well. So keep your options loose – a hand-drawn mind map, computer made one, smartphone, iPad, … your needs and resources will change from tasks to task and suit different purposes.

Some people even add hand-drawn map sections to computer made maps and find it useful.

Do read the comments here for a variety of opinions on hand-drawn maps.

Who is the map for? Who will make it?
Unless it’s just for you alone, the audience for your map will affect the tools you use, the style and type of map.

If it is for a scattered group, then one of the collaborative tools like bubbl.us or Mindmeister may be helpful. If it is for a group gathered together, your options will be wide open and you can consider the next section.

How long have you got to make it?
In a meeting, a flipchart or whiteboard may be quickest and it will certainly be best if you are able to own the room, work the meeting, and inspire the group with your brilliant sketches and color.

If you can type quickly and are familiar with the operation of specific software, then a laptop and projector will beat handwriting for speed and may be more suitable in a conservative business setting.

How will you make it exciting?
For memory, inspiration and creativity, color, pictures, sketches and icons make a real contribution. Just take a glance at Nancy Margulies Mindscapes to see that. Even if you are involved in a business planning or knowledge management project, icons and colors can make finding what you want on the map quicker, but do pre-arrange a coherent color plan and make sure everyone involved knows what the colors represent.

The One Map Guys
Some will try to persuade you that only one type of map works, and that type works best in all circumstances.

Sometimes this is because only the type of map they promote can be produced by something they have to sell.

Sometimes it’s because they have only ever used one type of map and never seriously explored others.

Often it’s because their background means that they view maps through a particular lens: They are in knowledge management and believe that only concept maps work. They give seminars on creativity and value colors and pictures highly without regard to other uses. They only use maps for business analysis and think colors and pictures are frivolous. They are project managers and believe that only maps made with software with added task information are useful. They are teachers and believe that only hand-drawn maps work.

Be skeptical of claims that “there’s only one way”!

Know the options, know what is best for which circumstances and be willing to try new methods. And happy mapping!
___________________________________________________________________________

Roy Grubb FBCS CITP MCMI is a management consultant specializing in the visual organization of information, knowledge, ideas, information systems and business projects. He founded G&A Management Consultants Ltd. http://www.gandanet.com.hk/ in Hong Kong in 1981 and has undertaken assignments in USA, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, France, Scandanavia, Ireland and Hong Kong. His company was responsible for the development of 3D Topicscape and Roy was project manager for this mapping-based information organizer.

He has used mind mapping and similar techniques since the 1970s in his business and his private life and is the principal editor of WikIT.

A social media and Mind-Visual mapping professional practitioner and consultant; Pascal is a fellow Visual mapping colleague and is integral to the furtherance of this arena. Wallace Tait: Visualmapper

I was really delighted when Wallace Tait invided me to write a guest post for both Visualmapper and Hypershifters. Accepting to write a post is one thing, coming up with an idea is another one. As I had difficulties in this respect, I I decided to ask my Twitter network if anyone could suggest a good theme. One of my tweeple, @marionchapsal, a very keen mindmapper herself, suggested that, as an historian, I perhaps ought to write something about the history of visual mapping. I immediately thought this was a superb idea. On thinking about it further, I however very quickly realised that this was perhaps more tricky than I initially thought. As this was outside my real area of expertise, it would certainly take a considerable amount of background research.

In quite a typical way of how Twitter can contribute to help with the generation of ideas, I however just as quickly came up with a way to go round this problem. Firstly, I remembered reading a tweet by @pgsimoes who was drawing attention to a new web 2.0 site, Timetoast, which makes it easy to create and share timelines online. I was already familiar with the SIMILE software, which allows for the creation of web widgets for visualising temporal data, but had been hoping for a while, that such a software hosted in the cloud would become available, as I could see a real potential for it and it would be very useful for me in connection with my history teaching at the university. Secondly, in another tweet, Wallace Tait, the Visualmapper himself, had also recently pointed towards a post on Philippe Boukozba’s blog about “A visual map created by Walt Disney 53 years ago“. From those two tweets came the idea of preparing this timeline in a very collaborative way by conducting a little experiment in crowdsourcing.

It is necessary to start this mindmap somewhere and a couple of blog posts provide us with a starting point, namely Michael Tipper’s Tony Buzan did not invent Mind Mapping! and Origins of Mindmapping software. I shall limit my own contribution to only one date, which would be Joseph Novak’s Concept Map (1972).

What I would therefore like to do is to ask the readers of both the Visualmapper and the Hypershifters to tell us, what they consider as the most significant dates in the history of visual mapping broadly defined and to provide pertinent links to accompanying illustrations and documents on the web. It would have been nice to create such a timeline on Timetoast, but it will unfortunately not be possible, as it is currently necessary to have a precise date to enter, which includes not only a year, but also a day and a month, and such data will probably not be available for some of the entries. It will therefore probably be best to present the timeline in question in the form of a mind map. A first iteration would work like this.

What would you suggest adding? It is possible to directly make changes to the map, using Mindmeister’s wikimap function, if you already have an account or create one for this purpose. An other option is to suggest additions in the comments of this blog post.

The Luxor Theater was the location for TEDxRotterdam on last June 4, 2010. Speakers from all over the world gathered to present ideas which are worthy enough to be distributed. Or: Ideas Worth Spreading. The theme of the day was: ‘Somethink Completely Different. The program consisted of several special performances and Talks. Our partner World of Minds facilitated this event via livemindmapping on a livestream on the web. It was possible to follow mindmaps grow which were made by the team of World of Minds. (Photo © Marc Nolte)

Wat is TED?

TED is a nonprofit organization that spread ideas which are worth it. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It started 25 years ago as a four-day conference in California. The annual TED conference invites world ’s greatest thinkers and doers to speak for up to 18 minutes. After that, the presentations are made available on TED.com.

TEDx is a program of local, independently organized events that bring people together to share the TED experience. On a TEDx conference, video and live speakers will be combined so that great discussions are elicit. Also a great degree of involvement will be developed in the exclusive group of attendees. These local, self-organized events called TEDx, where x stands for “Independently Organized TED event”. Although TEDx is a self-organized event, the big line in the program is according to the TED principle.

Program

(photo © Thomas Dral) TEDxRotterdam consisted of a very diverse program. It distinguished itself from other events because all the speakers differed from each other. Each speaker had his or her own style and subjects. This ensured that the audience got inspired again and again. Also the  many performances between the speakers were very enjoyable. Quite something else between the speakers, like a piece of music, singing or dancing, ensured that the audience remained fresh and sharp. This made it attractive for the audience to listen attentively to the innovative ideas of the speakers and receive these ideas. Also people were able to redistribute these ideas and create new ideas by themselves.

The program consisted of four parts:

1. Our World,
2. How We See The World,
3. How We Experience The World and
4.How We Explore The World.

Our World

The host of TEDxRotterdam, Max Westerman, welcomed everyone and explained what the day would bring and what the rules were to the speakers. Each speaker had only eighteen minutes available during his or her presentation.  Also he explained how people inside and outside the theater could participate directly in the event. People exchanged ideas with others by using Twitter through the hashtag # TEDxRdam.

To get started right away, none other than the mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, was the next speaker. He had a few important issues about poverty. Aboutaleb grew up in a poor Moroccan village so he had experience with this subject and knew so much about it. Remarkably, he began his presentation with an impressive Moroccan poem.

The remainder of Part 1 of TEDxRotterdam brought forward some great quotes. After the impressive performance of Besim Hoti and Marielle Rijkaart, Bas Haring said during his presentation: “Sometimes you need to be an island, so you’re blocking other people’s ideas and begin to think for yourself. ” A distinct quote because TED stands for sharing ideas. This quote made a lot of people think.
Arjan el Fassed, located in the top 500 of Twitter users,  presented on the great impact of social media. In example, there is a street named after his Twitter-account: the ‘@arjanelfassed tweetstreet’.

How We See The World

AAlso during the second part a number of renowned speakers presented. Olympic swimming champion Maarten van der Weijden discussed a very direct and honest presentation about overcoming cancer. Like in Part 1, this part consisted of a few performers such as Harry Merry and Ntjam Rosie. Igor Nikolic gave one of the best presentations, according to many specators. This was because his speech filled with nice one-liners like: “Evolution is about trial and error, not trial and success.”

How We Experience The World

In Part 3, it was Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaer who presented vividly on library 2.0. Eppo is a librarian by profession and talked about the impact of the internet and other media for libraries. Eppo said tactfully about libraries: “It’s about meeting people, not the books.” After other speakers in this third part, including the pastor Abeltje Hoogenkamp and APOPO founder Bart Weetjens, had spread their ideas, it was concluded with the brilliant performance of Celine Cairo. (Photo © Marc Nolte)

How We Explore The World

Part 4 of TEDxRotterdam brought the last but certainly not the least speakers. Professor Dick Tibboel gave an interesting presentation about pain. He explained that over 4 million people in the Netherlands are 65 years or older. Many of them suffer daily pain and therefore “a new instrument” is developed so that pain in humans can be easily identified.
Host Westerman shut off and looked back on a day where many new ideas arise and spread.

(Photo © Bram Muller)

Livestream livemindmapping

Besides the live videostream provided by TEDx there was a livestream with the mindmaps: livemindmapping. All day long there was a team of mindmappers in cooperation with the experts from our partners aHa!Coaching and Hypershifters who were actively mindmapping the presentations. The mindmapping team consisted of Alexis van Dam and Mathieu van der Wal, assisted by Denise de Wolf and Edita Artemis. The mindmaps was accessible for everyone via a livestream on the website of our partner MindMeister. MindMeister is an online service for easy online mindmapping. MindMeister focuses on online collaboration through mindmapping. In addition, this service allows mindmaps to share with others and for example connect to a website. It is possible to start a mindmap and share this via a so-called Wikimap with others so people are all contributing in the same mindmap.

Talks are set out in the mindmaps via live stream.

Anyone can read and review the presentations online. This made TEDxRotterdam globally accessible. People gained insight in the large amount of presentations due to Livemindmapping. All the information could be retrieved easily. The visualization of a presentation leads to more associations and stimulated thinking. In addition, a mindmap offers a visual structure of the talk. The livestream is also perfect for people who missed a part of the presentations or even all the presentations. They could retrieve these presentations at a later time. So these people were still aware of all the ideas that were spread on that day. See all mindmaps via the special TEDxRotterdam mindmapstream.

Satelitelocations

People who could not be present at the Luxor Theater, TEDxRotterdam could be followed from the living room via the livestream of the mindmaps and the video’s. However, TED is about sharing ideas, so many people had the need to follow the event in the company of other TED-fans. A few locations in the Netherlands where hosting the event on a big screen. One of these locations was de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, a livestream of the mindmaps was available at this location.

Twitter, tweets & retweets

The #TedxRdam hashtag on Twitter was and is still widely used. Through these hashtag (#), very positive noises were spread about the event and also about the livestream containing the mindmaps of the speakers. Not only during the event, but also after the event people are tweeting about TEDxRotterdam. This was of great value, the tweets offer insight into important issues and opinions, and are accessible to everyone. In this way, the TEDx ideas were also spread through Twitter.

What’s Next?

After the successful facilitation of TEDxAmsterdam 2009, also the Rotterdam edition is more than successful too. TEDxRotterdam spoke the words: “Somethink Completely Different” and they absolutely lived up to this.

Hypershifters thanked the organization of TEDxRotterdam for this inspiring day filled with new insights and ideas.

Have you missed the special TED event? You can watch the videos again. On the livestream you can look back the talks in the form of mindmaps in a visually way.

Would you like to receive the latest developments of World of Minds’ livemindmapping on events? . Follow partner World of Minds on Twitter @worldofminds and LinkedIn! Also register for our Research Report and follow us on Twitter @hypershifters. More information about livemindmapping can be found on the livemindmapping website!

“DON’T BELIEVE ALL YOU READ”

I was recently reading an article by Jim Giles, in the New Scientist [May 2010] called “Giving Life to a Lie”. In it he quotes a story written by an Australian Journalist, Piers Akerman for the Daily Telegraph (2006) where Akerman claimed that global warming was exaggerated. Now it was not that fact that caught my attention but rather the reference he attributed to John Houghton, a former chair to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was “unless we announce disasters no one will listen”.

This reference was picked up by a journalist in Canada followed later by an academic in Michigan. Giles goes on the say that today there at least three books, 100 blogs and 24,000 web pages that in some way cite Houghton’s original book published in 1994. The really interesting thing is that Houghton seems never to have uttered those words in his life and they certainly do not appear in that book!!

Perhaps Akerman made a genuine mistake, perhaps he intentionally manufactured the quote … I do not know and do not really care. However, my point is based on the thought that I wonder just how common is changing a lie or a misrepresentation into a “known fact”? How many of the statements which are taken for granted and quoted as “proof”, really have a firm basis?

I know I have jokingly said, when watching a somewhat dubious documentary on TV: “Well it must be true because it is in colour”. A silly statement certainly, but it is really based on the premise that many of us have a tendance to believe a fact if it is printed and from an apparently reputable source. A good example is Wikipedia, which many people use as a first source of reference these days. However, you should remember that this excellent online resource can be edited by just about any Tom, Dick or Harry. Certainly, I do know there are editorial controls, but Wikipedia contents cannot, in reality, be guaranteed as accurate.

The theme of the whole New Scientist issue was “Denial” in various forms. Only thing is clear that often people will simply deny an inconvenient fact (or truth) as a way of refuting a particular point of view rather that offering persuasive counter argument. A perfect example of this was Copernicus’s trial by the Catholic Church when he offered evidence that the earth revolved around the sun. The Church’s response was an absolute denial that this could be possible as it went against current teachings.

The point is that we should be careful when reading or writing blogs for two reasons:
1. Question if an assertion we read or make is founded in fact or just “parroted” because it has become “conventional wisdom”?
2. To avoid or be very wary of flat, unsupported denials as they can be a smokescreen for either a subtext or even pure ignorance

Perhaps an additional guideline would be to reserve comment for times when such comments makes a positive contribution to the discussion.

Some food for thought

As both Visualmapper and Hypershifters are concerned with visual thinking, information handling and associated topics, here are some points worth considering:

1. Do diagrams aid understanding?
2. Is a picture worth a thousand words?
3. How important is colour and curved lines in left & right cortex linking?
4. Are mind maps the best way to represent the majority of business information?
5. Is Cloud computing the way of the future?
6. You cannot beat face-to-face communication
Can you think of some statements or “facts” which we take for granted?

John England: MindSystems

Dan Prager CEO at Austhink jumped at the chance to present a good case for the use of bCisive.

Dan does software strategy, agile team leadership, design, architecture, and programming. Past experience includes research and development, commercial consulting on optimization and simulation, and teaching. Dan holds a PhD in mathematics, and practices and teaches martial arts. He also blogs, and his favorite t-shirt reads “No-one cares about your blog”.

bCisive Online is a web-based visual mapping tool from Austhink Software, aimed primarily at complex decision-making, individual and team problem-solving, presentation and facilitation.

If you are a mind-mapping afficionado, but have had trouble getting the rest of your team to work with mind-maps, bCisive Online offers an alternative path to visual thinking.  Our users have found that facilitating a meeting or problem-solving session is a great way to get buy-in from the group.

The modes of visual thinking supported in bCisive Online overlap with mind-mapping, but the visual and manipulatory conventions are a bit different. Here’s a short video illustrating the basic mechanics of map-building and editing.

Notably, bCisive Online allows multiple maps on a workspace, and makes playing with ideas in a bottom-up or top-down fashion (or any combination thereof) both practical and enjouyable.

For the more experienced user, advanced features include:

• Real-time collaboration over the internet, including one-click integrated Skype, remote virtual laser pointers for all participants, and disciplined passing around of “control” (the power to edit)
• A private portal for your team or organization: E.g. http://myorganization.bcisiveonline.com
• Easy export to PowerPoint

Best viewed in full screen, try zooming in and out, and hiding and showing branches and sub-branches.  Clicking on a non-map area of the workspace to pan around at high zoom levels.

bCisive Online is free to try, and available at reasonable rates on a subscription basis.

I’ve been developing, writing about and generally evangelizing about Crystal Mapping for a few years now. I’ve focused mainly on how it can be used in business to communicate organizational level vision and team objectives and how it can be used in education to help revision and learning. But one thing that consistently comes up in conversation, and one I’ve had in depth with Wallace Tait at visualmapper.org, is that people see crystal maps as a natural way of setting personal goals and creating their own life maps. With this in mind here’s my take on ‘life maps’ and ’self development maps’ using crystal mapping.

Below is an example of a Personal Dashboard created in crystal mapping

WANT TO VIEW AN INTERACTIVE EXAMPLE? CLICK HERE
Keep your eye on the left hand pane of the interactive map; this is where you’re offered a linear list of the contents of the interactive map!!!!

Among the many theories, teachings and techniques in the area of personal development there are two features which are common to all and critical to success:
• You have to know where you are going
• You have to know how you’re going to get there

The first point is pretty much a given in that it is vital that you know what you’re trying to achieve and where you want to get to. Otherwise how would you know if / when you’d arrived?

The second is a bit less clear cut because there are usually a number of ways you could get to the same point. However, the fact that you need a plan or a route to follow is not in doubt. All journeys need to be planned.

Just as you wouldn’t set out to climb Everest without knowing which route you were going to take, you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t at least) set out to achieve your life or career goals without a map.

Crystal Mapping helps you map your goals so you can see where you are going and how you’re going to get there.

We work on a simple process: Think it, Map it, See it, Do it

For most of us life is busy. We live at speed, grabbing coffee on the go, having a sandwich at our desk, making calls as we drive (hand’s free obviously). When we have ideas for things we’d like to do or changes we’d like to make we don’t write them down so we forget about them – sometimes for good. It’s important to think about what you want. So, go on think about it!

One of the problems people often find with all the different methods and techniques of self improvement and the vast library of literature that exists is how to remember the stuff which is relevant and how to bring it all together in a way that is personal to you. Well – the best way is to map it – so it’s crystal clear what you are trying to achieve!

Visualization is the key to success for most successful people and it takes place on two levels. On one level it is important to visualize our goals in our minds and to start to allow our subconscious mind to go to work on finding strategies to achieve them. Secondly you need see how you’re progressing. Your own crystal map personal dashboard lets you see it ; how you’re performing in achieving your life goals!

When you took a few moments to think about your goals you were doing nothing new. You probably didn’t need to think that hard before a few ideas at least popped into your head. That’s because these dreams have rattled around between your ears for quite a while. But now is the time to do something different. Just do it!

Greg Liberto has been in the training and development industry for 15 years. His core skills are in the areas of creativity, mind mapping, goal achievement and personal motivation. He is the founder and President of Mind Mapping Works www.mindmappingworks.com and the creator of the Success InSight workshop.

In this workshop, he illustrates how to activate your power of the subconscious mind through visualization.

As an active member of Toastmasters and the New York State Speakers Association, he prides himself as a professional speaker and has delivered thousands of presentations throughout his career. To contact Greg via email – greg@mindmappingworks.com or via Skype at gregliberto

Focused Motivation with Mind Mapping

Do you have days where you are not as motivated as others? Do you feel there are times when you are not as focused or creative as you should be? If so, you are not alone.

It is true that the coexistence of motivation and focus does not reside in all of us, even those who use mind mapping on a regular basis. I have been training on and implementing mind mapping over five years, and while creating simple mind maps inspires me to take action, I still lacked focus and the creativity to excel in certain areas of my life. This all changed when I created the Success InSight workshop.

The Success InSight workshop gives you insight into what success means to you while ensuring that you are using your power of visualization to achieve success. It is a unique blend of mind mapping, creative change, motivation, personal accountability and more, rolled into one elegant package.

It has been described by participants as “getting you out of park and into first gear” and “showing you how to take action in your life immediately”. It is uniquely entertaining, engaging and highly interactive.

The driving force behind the success of the program is the simplicity to change. While most professional development programs use sophisticated tools and means to motivate the participant, this workshop gets you motivated prior to leaving the event and keeps you going indefinitely through the implementation of your own personal success road map.

In this workshop you will learn how your Automatic Negative ThoughtS (ANTS) limit you and impede performance. You will set a specific goal in one area of your life that will generate success in a multitude of other areas. By gaining focused motivation, you will increase creativity and idea generation to a level unmatched previously.

Greg Liberto is the author of this article and the visionary behind Mind Mapping Works www.mindmappingworks.com. He has been in training and development since 1995 and provides a practical approach to visual motivation. To enable your company, school or athletic team the ability to perform at a higher level immediately, contact Greg at greg@mindmappingworks.com

Do you have best practises with iMindMap and work processes please inform us via the comment field, or contact us.

Read the full testreport about ThinkBuzan iMindMap 4.1 Ultimate

Hypershifters focuses on the use of visual mapping software. It addresses open source, freeware as well as commercial solutions.

The added value Hypershifters provides is in research, advice and consultancy for experienced and inexperienced users.

Many users have concerns about the possibilities of visual mapping in their work environment. This was reason for Hypershifters to create a test team that, co-advised by international experts in the field of visual mapping, critically reviews current products.   Not so much viewed from the intricacies of the software, but rather from its scope of applicability. Thereby think for example of doing some brainstorming, meeting management, project management and knowledge management.

The reviews are based on a matrix drafted by us to serve as a yardstick for the aforementioned scope of applicability. Besides the reviews you will also find the results in a comparison table.

iMindMap 4.1

Tony Buzan, who has been advocating mind mapping  since the late sixties, was and is not pleased with most software packages that claim to create mind maps. They do not conform to his image of a mind map – rich, organic shapes, full of color and graphics. Besides, the term “mind map” is registered to the Buzan organization, and thus protected.

After Chris Griffiths in 2003 decided to invest all his energy into developing a “true” Buzan software solution, the Buzan organization made a decision in 2006 to launch the mind map software developed by Chris. iMindMap 2 was released in 2007.

Indeed, with organic shapes, colors and keywords on the lines – a true mind map (however, it is the only form the branches can take). Meanwhile a vast online library of images has become available!

It was a bit of getting used to compared to the existing packages, but now you get Tony Buzan mind maps which also appeal to the right brain hemisphere.

Read the full testreport about ThinkBuzan iMindMap 4.1 Ultimate

Just completed reading Mark Wogan’s excellent publication named Crystal mapping; The BIGGER Picture. The book gave me quite a few “AHA” moments, but I want to focus on one that’s impacted me.

IT’S THE POWER OF 3

A really good case was made for limiting the foundation of how we may best initially create our Visual maps. The power of three refers to being confined to the core, first level and second information levels. And looking further at the structure of Crystal mapping, I agree with mark’s finding; here’s why.

Mark states; “the number three wasn’t selected based on any magic number theory, urban myth or mystical quality but on its practical real world ability to present information in a simple context”.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel the 19th-century philosopher put forward a three tiered evolution of thought from thesis to synthesis via antithesis in aid of the pursuit of logic. And in language and grammar; three elements are needed to form a simple proposition; a subject, a predicate and a copula.

Three keeps on popping up as if it is some kind of mystical adage of getting your point across. I even find myself using the three elements stated above to get my point across most of the time. I state the Visual mapping arena is made up of three arenas; personal, academic and business. I could also state the personal has 3 sub arenas of productivity, motivation and communication, and that academia has 3 sub arenas of school, college and university, and further define business to have 3 sub arenas of service, industry and corporate. OK, I’ve just blabbed on about 3, three, III; but it does feel so comfortable to restrict to three elements, and from that point onwards to express sub associations.

So, it does appear three seems to offer something, at least anecdotally, in support of qualities as a communication method.

7 (+ or – 2) is also thought of as being a magic number relating to communication based on George Miller’s work in his 1956 paper The Magical Number seven, plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information.

There has however been a great deal of misunderstanding of what was meant regarding the use of seven in communication. Many have taken 7 as the standard number of units for communicating anything.

7 points on a slide, 7 words to a line, 7 paragraphs on a page; using 7 in such a format seems to be taking things too far and doesn’t seem to be what Miller meant.

George Miller states 7 (+ or – 2) was a limit “for the discrimination of uni dimensional stimuli (pitches, loudness, brightness, etc.) and also a limit for immediate recall, none of which has anything to do with the capacity to comprehend printed text”. According to Edward Tufte a deeper meaning of Miller’s work is “to suggest strategies, such as placing information within a context that extend the reach of memory beyond tiny clumps of data” http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0000U6&topic_id=1

Using three is a convenient and practical strategy to assist simple context. Putting information in context answers the following questions
• What is the point being made?
• Why is it important?
• How does it relate to me?

Delivering information in such a way enables authors and recipients to create, manage and exchange information processes quickly and easily. By adopting such an approach; the creative processes enable a bigger picture.

Another unit of three in context asks who where, and when?
• Who is responsible for it?
• Where is it to be found?
• When will it be done?

Setting organizational targets we have another contextual threesome, where objectives are communicated relating to responsibilities such as:
• What is my target?
• How does this fit in with my immediate superior’s target?
• How does this fit in with my immediate subordinate’s target?

By managing information within a simple power of 3 contexts; instant understanding is captured.

The power of 3 is experienced in and through using Crystal Mapping. It works by limiting information display to three levels within the visual workspace, presenting information initially within the simplest of contexts. Understanding is further built upon, by continuing to add more levels, while retaining the graphical display of information within units of three.

It is essential to make sure that wherever you are in the organization structure, you and your team are aware of the organizational objectives. To grasp the bigger picture context you need to see how objectives fit into the overall organizational structure.

Crystal Mapping always starts with the purpose at the core or centre of the map it is easy to always see how your ‘piece of the pie’ fits in with overall information objectives.

Mark Wogan believes the best way to achieve success is to make sure everyone understands the overriding mission or plan and then to let them get on with it. The Crystal mapping power of three structures enables clarity, concept in an unambiguous visual format.

So; I encourage you to grab your copy of Mark Wogan’s publication and experience your very own AHA moments. The product is developing at an agile rate, and it’s certainly going to evolve into a very formidable information management app for the forward thinking Information manager.

Here’s a youtube video of getting started with Crystal Mapping:

Wallace Tait: Visualmapper
www.visualmapper.org