Power mapping: an expression of radiant thinking
By Clive Lewis (July 2005 Issue)
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We all live with pressure at work but what would you give for a tool that could improve your project management, that could bring your presentations to life, that could help you with information overload? Sounds unlikely? Well then you need to find out about Mind Mapping which promises all this and more.
What are Mind Maps?
Mind Maps have been defined as an expression of ‘radiant thinking’ – the natural way in which the human mind works. In essence they are a way of organising and presenting information in a way which correlates with the way we think. And we don’t think in lists or sentences - we think in images and key themes, shapes and patterns, all connected one to another.
Let me start with a simple example (see Figure 1 on page 38). Consider for a moment the word ‘holiday’ and as you do so become aware that a number of associated thoughts will instantly spring to mind.
These first thoughts are what are called Basic Ordering Ideas (BOIs) and each of these will stimulate more ideas. For example if we take the ‘sea’ limb you might also think of surf, dive, play, swim or beach – see above. And these words will also have further associations. And this is why this approach is called ‘radiant’ thinking. It all radiates from one central idea. This approach provides us with our foundations for Mind Mapping. You simply start with a core idea and then you draw thick lines representing the BOIs radiating out from your central word or image. Have a look at a more complete Mind Map (see Figure 2 ) on how to organise a business trip. It’s a classic map which depicts the issue at the centre, includes the BOIs branching out and then outlines a variety of other ideas that are associated with each of these branches.
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