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Mind Maps®: – A Powerful Approach to Note-Taking
By the Mind Tools Content Team By the Mind Tools Content Team
6-8 minutes
(Also known as Mind Mapping, Concept Mapping, Spray Diagrams, and Spider Diagrams)
Have you ever studied a subject or brainstormed an idea, only to find yourself with pages of information, but no clear view of how it fits together?
This is where Mind Mapping can help.
Mind Mapping is a useful technique that supports learning, improves information recording, shows how different facts and ideas are related, and enhances creative problem solving. Read on to find out more.
Click here to view a transcript of this video.
About Mind Maps
Mind Maps were popularized by author and consultant, Tony Buzan. They use a two-dimensional structure, instead of the list format conventionally used to take notes. This makes information easier to remember, as it's held in a format that our minds find easy to recall and quick to review.
A good Mind Map shows the "shape" of the subject, the relative importance of individual points, and the ways in which facts relate to one another. Research shows that this is of particular benefit when dealing with complex information, such as during business planning and strategy development.
Mind Maps are more compact than conventional notes, and often take up just one side of paper. This helps you to make associations and to generate new ideas. You can also add new information easily, even to a Mind Map that you've already drawn.
Mind Mapping can also help you to break down large projects or topics into manageable chunks, so that you can plan effectively without getting overwhelmed and without forgetting something important.
What Can I Use Mind Maps For?
Mind Maps are useful for:
Brainstorming – individually, and as a group.
Summarizing information.
Taking notes.
Consolidating information from different sources.
Thinking through complex problems.
Presenting information clearly.
Studying and memorizing information.
Mind Maps are also good for refreshing information in your mind. When you commit the shape and structure of a Mind Map to memory, you can often get the cues you need to remember the information it contains just by glancing quickly at the Map. Studies have shown that this makes them highly valuable when you're learning a language, for example.
You can really get inventive with Mind Maps, so they are great for boosting creativity, too. When you include colors, images or drawings, they can even resemble a work of art!
How to Draw a Basic Mind Map
To draw a Mind Map, follow these five steps:
Step 1. Write the title of the subject or project that you're exploring in the center of a page and draw a circle around it, as shown in figure 1, below.
(Our simple example shows a Mind Map of the actions needed to deliver a successful presentation.)
Figure 1.
Example Mind Map: Step 1
Step 2. Draw lines out from this circle as you think of subheadings of the topic or important facts or tasks that relate to your subject. Label these lines with your subheadings. (See figure 2, below.)
Figure 2.
Example Mind Map: Step 2
Step 3. Dive deeper into the subject to uncover the next level of information (related sub-topics, tasks or facts, for example). Then, link these to the relevant subheadings. (See figure 3, below.)
Figure 3.
Example Mind Map: Step 3
Step 4. Repeat the process for the next level of facts, tasks and ideas. Draw lines out from the appropriate headings and label them, as shown in figure 4, below.
Figure 4.
Example Mind Map: Step 4
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Step 5. As you discover new information or think of additional tasks, add them to your Mind Map in the appropriate places.
A complete Mind Map may have main topic lines radiating in all directions from the center, with sub-topics forking off these like branches and twigs from the trunk
Mind Maps®: – A Powerful Approach to Note-Taking
By the Mind Tools Content Team By the Mind Tools Content Team
6-8 minutes
(Also known as Mind Mapping, Concept Mapping, Spray Diagrams, and Spider Diagrams)
Have you ever studied a subject or brainstormed an idea, only to find yourself with pages of information, but no clear view of how it fits together?
This is where Mind Mapping can help.
Mind Mapping is a useful technique that supports learning, improves information recording, shows how different facts and ideas are related, and enhances creative problem solving. Read on to find out more.
Click here to view a transcript of this video.
About Mind Maps
Mind Maps were popularized by author and consultant, Tony Buzan. They use a two-dimensional structure, instead of the list format conventionally used to take notes. This makes information easier to remember, as it's held in a format that our minds find easy to recall and quick to review.
A good Mind Map shows the "shape" of the subject, the relative importance of individual points, and the ways in which facts relate to one another. Research shows that this is of particular benefit when dealing with complex information, such as during business planning and strategy development.
Mind Maps are more compact than conventional notes, and often take up just one side of paper. This helps you to make associations and to generate new ideas. You can also add new information easily, even to a Mind Map that you've already drawn.
Mind Mapping can also help you to break down large projects or topics into manageable chunks, so that you can plan effectively without getting overwhelmed and without forgetting something important.
What Can I Use Mind Maps For?
Mind Maps are useful for:
Brainstorming – individually, and as a group.
Summarizing information.
Taking notes.
Consolidating information from different sources.
Thinking through complex problems.
Presenting information clearly.
Studying and memorizing information.
Mind Maps are also good for refreshing information in your mind. When you commit the shape and structure of a Mind Map to memory, you can often get the cues you need to remember the information it contains just by glancing quickly at the Map. Studies have shown that this makes them highly valuable when you're learning a language, for example.
You can really get inventive with Mind Maps, so they are great for boosting creativity, too. When you include colors, images or drawings, they can even resemble a work of art!
How to Draw a Basic Mind Map
To draw a Mind Map, follow these five steps:
Step 1. Write the title of the subject or project that you're exploring in the center of a page and draw a circle around it, as shown in figure 1, below.
(Our simple example shows a Mind Map of the actions needed to deliver a successful presentation.)
Figure 1.
Example Mind Map: Step 1
Step 2. Draw lines out from this circle as you think of subheadings of the topic or important facts or tasks that relate to your subject. Label these lines with your subheadings. (See figure 2, below.)
Figure 2.
Example Mind Map: Step 2
Step 3. Dive deeper into the subject to uncover the next level of information (related sub-topics, tasks or facts, for example). Then, link these to the relevant subheadings. (See figure 3, below.)
Figure 3.
Example Mind Map: Step 3
Step 4. Repeat the process for the next level of facts, tasks and ideas. Draw lines out from the appropriate headings and label them, as shown in figure 4, below.
Figure 4.
Example Mind Map: Step 4
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Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Receive new career skills every week, plus get our latest offers and a free downloadable Personal Development Plan workbook.
Read our Privacy Policy
Step 5. As you discover new information or think of additional tasks, add them to your Mind Map in the appropriate places.
A complete Mind Map may have main topic lines radiating in all directions from the center, with sub-topics forking off these like branches and twigs from the trunk
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