Idea Mapping Certifications - A Week to Remember

Last night concluded the Idea Mapping Certification Workshop that began on Sunday evening April 20. We met in Palm Beach, FL for a great time of fun and learning. The top photo features those who completed the 5-day course (a few missed the photo to catch flights). We were priviledged to have Vanda North with us for a few days. The last photo is our final celebration toast!

I'd like to thank everyone who was not in attendance but who contributed their gifts and words of wisdom for out final celebration. Thanks to Scott Hagwood, Debbie Showler, Angelo Lam, Catherine Ho, Kirsty Hayes, Denny Sikkila, Gan Foon Tong, and Dario Biondo. Thank you Kaizad for sending the 7 Habits and World Trade Center maps to start their collections. Thanks to Richard Israel for suppling the "Learning with Lana" videos. Finally, thanks to Mindjet for providing a copy of Pro 7 for the two people who did not yet have it.

The next 2-day workshop will be held in Ft. Collins, Colorado on June 4-5, 2008 and the next certification workshop will be in Palm Beach, FL December 8-12, 2008.

Idea Mapping Workshop - Palm Beach, Florida

It's that time again! Join Jamie Nast on April 21-22, 2008 for a fun-filled two days of learning at The Palm Beach Hotel which is conveniently located 2 blocks from the beach and surrounded by restaurants.

This Spring's class is part of a larger 5-day instructor certification course. There are veteran instructors returning for review, and new candidates (who have already taken this 2-day workshop) coming from companies like Franklin Templeton and as far away as Macedonia. This means that 2-day Idea Mapping participants will have the advantage of being surround by a wealth of knowledge. It's not confirmed yet, but Vanda North may be joining us as well!)

Advanced registration is required and is limited to 20 people. Payment must be received by March 21, 2008 in order to get materials ordered and shipped to the hotel in time for the course. For a course abstract and registration information click here. Looking forward to seeing you in the Florida sunshine!

Idea Map #70 - Client Training Needs

This Idea Map was created by Glenn Stennes during a brainstorming session to identify 2007 training needs of companies supported by an international donor funded assistance program. The initial map was created in real-time while projected on a screen for all participants to see. Imagery was added during pauses which helped stimulate the flow of ideas. Following the meeting, some additional formatting was done. The map was then exported to a pdf and sent to all participants. The information recorded on the map formed the basis for developing the project training plan. You can see a clearer pdf version of this map on my website. If you click on any column it will sort the maps alphabetically and you can then search by author or title, etc.

Glenn Stennes is a Business Consultant presently living and working in South East Europe and a MindManager user since 2004. Last April he attended the 2-day Idea Mapping workshop in the UK taught by Vanda North. Glenn shared that applying the fundamentals taught during the workshop while using MindManager has helped make a good tool a great tool!

Vanda's next workshop in the UK will be held February 20-21, 2008. See course info and abstract for more details.

Idea Map #28 by Vanda North - Creative Organizations

During the summer of 2005, Vanda North's map was featured on the cover of a publication called Royal Mail out of London, UK. Her idea map highlights the essence of a creative organization. The "Cre8" branch considers the basic aspects involved in the creative process. The "Individual" branch says the company is only as creative as those it employs! The "Methods" branch addresses the ways you go about taking action, both in terms of thought processes and tools to perform the task. The "Results" branch focuses on the ROI and what it means in the workplace? Finally the "Corporate" branch talks about how to let innovation take-off. The right corporate ambience needs to be in place. Without it, the other branches of innovation cannot grow. Businesses must offer rewards for risks. There must be real commitment with the right environment, culture and support to reap the rewards.

See the July 17, 2007 blog posting for a special offer for Fortune 500 and Michigan companies.

Idea Maps #26 & #27 - Drawing and Designing with Confidence Series: Part Three

See the posting on July 6th for the background and Part One of this story. Part two was posted on July 9th. Above you will see two more of the teams' Idea Maps summarizing this conference. Part four and the final posting from this conference will be up later this week. Visit this blog again tomorrow when we celebrate the 150th posting with an update from Vanda North!