Mind Mapping

Boost your memory

At the heart of Mind Mapping is the striking combination of imagery, colour and visual-spatial arrangement, which is proven to significantly improve information recall, compared to conventional methods of note taking and learning.

A study by Toi (2009)1 shows that Mind Mapping can help children recall words more effectively than using lists, with improvements in memory of up to 32%.

And according to a study conducted by Farrand, Hussain and Hennessey (2002)2, Mind Mapping improved the long-term memory of factual information in their participants by 10%.

Improve your writing

Mind Mapping is a powerful tool for assisting any form of writing. In a study by Wai Ling (2004)13 10 out of the 12 involved attributed their improvement in writing to the use of Mind Maps. Findings from an investigation by Al-Jarf (2009)14 revealed that the written work produced by using Mind Mapping included:

• More relevant detail and better organised and connected ideas

• Mind Mapping raised the performance of students at all levels of ability as they became more efficient in generating and organising ideas for their writing

• Those studied also displayed a positive attitude towards using Mind Mapping as a pre-writing activity.

Mind Maps - Definition

Mind mapping is a way of linking key concepts using images, lines and links. A central concept is linked via lines to other concepts which in turn are linked with other associated ideas. It is similar as a technique to concept mapping and spider diagrams, the difference being that true mind mapping involves constructing a hierarchy of ideas instead of pure random association.

Mind mapping uses the concept of "radiant thinking" – that is, thoughts radiate out from a single idea, often expressed as an image. Branches flow backwards and forwards from and to the central idea.

How to mind map

There are four key characteristics of a mind map:

1. There is one key concept, often expressed graphically as an image.

2. From the key concept/image radiate out branches each of which contains another key concept which is a subset of the main concept.

3. Attached to these main branches are other branches which represent less important concepts.

4. Together, the branches and central image form a nodal structure.

The steps involved in creating a mind map may be summarized as follows:

Step 1 – Determine your central image or concept.

Step 2 – Create the basic structure for organizing your ideas: these are the main branches and are known as the Basic Organizing Ideas (BOIs), and are represented by branches radiating outwards from the main concept.

Step 3 – Put down keywords associated with the BOIs, which should sit on smaller branches connected to the main branch.

Step 4 – Revisit your mind map, putting things in order, and numbering the branches. If necessary, revise it on another piece of paper.

Techniques

The following points should be borne in mind when creating a mind map:

• Use radiant thinking – start from the centre and radiate outwards.
• Use hierarchy and association – your main BOIs are embodied in thick lines radiating from the centre; the ideas radiating from the individual BOIs have thinner lines. (If you think there are likely to be more BOIs and ideas than you can think of, leave blank lines for future reference.)
• Use as images and colour – they will stimulate your brain's visual and creative capacity and help you have fun along the way!
• Use keywords, rather than phrases – easier to remember.
• Use symbols (e.g. x for not) and codes. You can also annotate your mind map, for example you could write references to other sources in a different colour pen.
• Be clear: have words the same length as lines (a better use of space), and use capitals, which are easier to read and which emphasize keywords.
• Use arrows to denote links between ideas.
• Draw quickly and uncritically on a sheet of A4 or larger paper (perhaps two A4 sheets put together, which also has the advantage that it will be readily distinguishable from other single folios on your desk!), placed landscape.
• Review your mind map after you have completed your first attempt, not immediately, but once your thoughts have had time to "settle".

Users are recommended to adopt a personal style and to have fun creating their mind maps, and deliberately attempt to make them as beautiful as possible. In fact, mind maps can often become mini works of art as in the following example: