Yesterday I had a training day with a group of people who wanted to learn more on how to manage their information. It as a very interesting day.
During the mind mapping part of the day, I told the group that mind mapping is a wonderful tool to take your ‘normal’ or linear information and create a different perspective on that information. When you take your normal notes and transform these into a mindmap, you see things differently.
One reason is that your use a visual and brain friendly approach.
Another reason is that all your information is presented on only one sheet of paper.
‘Cor’, a participant, called one of the ways you can do this a Mindmap Calzone. That’s why you will learn today what the Mindmap Calzone is.
A mindmap with notes is usually something which doesn’t have to change much after you created it. The mindmap can be archived or used. People who study and use mindmapped notes like to have ONE static overview. If the mindmap changes many times, the image may not be remembered by your brain (or you remember an old version…).
In other circumstances, you do want to have different perspectives on your information. For instance when:
- brainstorming
- organizing your project
- exploring new angles to your problem
- getting your creative juices flowing
Perhaps you want or need to change your perspective when you already have all the key/relevant topics in your map. Here are 4 techniques you can apply right now for doing that.
The easies way to use these techniques is on your computer (because of the map dynamics).
Disconnect all the words and reconnect again
- Take the map you have.
- Add all the pieces of information to a list. You may want to mix the list so you don’t have all the words in the ‘original’ order.
- Only keep your main topic in a new map
- Add all the pieces listed in the map to a new mindmap.
The aim is to create a new overview (not the old one). Don’t add all the words in the same order to your map. Be creative, see what fits where.
If you started out with a nice big mindmap, your new map is likely to be different.
Add color and images and you have a new perspective on the same information.
Mindmap Calzone: turn your mindmap inside out
For me, the centre of the mindmap is normally the least important part of the map. Yes, I know that in a standard mindmap the centre should be an image with many colors. However, what should stand out in my mindmap is not the centre. I know the map is focusing on that topic. I need the information to be ‘talking’ to me.
That is why many years ago I moved the main topic of the map (abstract) to the outside and the peripheries of a normal map (the details) moved to the centre.
Do this with your own map. It will completely change the way you look at the information.
Change The Font Size Of Important Information
I know that words in a mindmaps, by ‘law’, have a bigger font-size near the centre compared to the periphery of the map.
Understand that you want to see things in a different perspective. You want to get new thoughts and insights from you current mindmap.
A powerful way to do this is by changing the font-size of the words you use. You can think of the size of the words as the importance/relevance you give to the word. It’s just like the tag clouds used on blogs. Some words are bigger than others just because there is more information on that word available.
Shift The Centre Of The Map
This one is so easy, it is probably a technique you used before yourself. Still, I want to mention it.
Change the focus of the map. Right now, your mindmap has a centre with a number of branches from it.
Have a look at the first level in your map. This is the one ‘below’ the centre. Focus on a branch with a lot of information and many sub branches.
That selected first level image and/or word becomes the centre of your new map. Your ‘old’ centre becomes a first level branch in your new map. Adjust the map (font-size, layout, etc.).
By default, the map should still be well organized. After all, you didn’t change the content, you merely changed the starting point or main topic. This is likely changing your perspective.
If it doesn’t, you adjust the branches in the map a little more. Can you move your branches to a more appropriate location? If so, do that.
Conclusion
Use the four techniques today and the next couple of days to find out which one suits you best.
Changing your perspective is difficult for many people. It seems as though this creates resistance by default.
One small piece of advice: Make sure you try the techniques above at least 10 times… each. By then, you know which one is best for you. DON’T ASSUME WITHOUT TRYING… DO AND EXPERIENCE!
Tell me what you experienced and we move forward together.
Arjen
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I love these suggestions on how to change your perspective of the mind map.
One thing that needs to be said is how easy this can be with certain mind mapping applications.
MindManager does allow you to change the style of your mind map which gives you that different perspective, but not sure about other mind mapping solutions out there.
Of course with a paper mind map, it shouldn’t take too long to quickly sketch a different perspective of the original mind map. This would give you complete control over how you want to visualize your mind map content.
So true! Mindmap software tools will make this really easy. Most tools allow you to change the map direction with the click of a button. You can outline from radial to the right, etc.
Again, the mindmap normally presents the same information in a different format. By only changing the format, our perspective is most likely to change.