Idea Map #109 - Live Map Creation

Michael Panebianco is a captain with Southwest Airlines and has contributed several idea maps to this blog. This particular map was created "in the moment", so I call that a real-time idea map. I'll let Michael explain in his own words.

This real-time map was created during a phone conversation with a colleague who is interested in developing a stand alone self-defense class, and our guided discussion ended up looking like this. It is not a complete course, but did cover a large amount of relevant material. It starts with Maslows pyramid and works clockwise. It becomes apparent it was done real-time as I left some gaps, and overlapped a few times. I will be refining a final curriculum map that will include the vast majority of the info in this map!

Search for Michael Panebianco to see more of his maps within this blog.

Idea Map #108 - 8 Request Elements

I met Pete Wilkins in May of 2005 when I taught a Buzan Licensed Instructor Certification Course in Vancouver. Pete is the founder of the Kosmos Group a consulting company focused on leadership development and team performance. He works with leaders and teams to achieve their goals by bringing awareness to 3 domains of the human observer -- Language, Body, and Moods/Emotions. This awareness is important because "You can't change what you don't see".

Pete explains that a "Request" is in the domain of Language. There are 5 main acts in this domain. These speech acts are important because we are linguistic beings. From the time we learn how to talk until we die we live in language. Just as a fish lives in water, we are always living in language. So why is this important according to Pete? Too often we think of language as a passive or descriptive tool. But another more powerful view is language as a generative and creative tool. Too often we aren't making proper requests of others. Being more conscious of how you are making requests allows a greater possibility of you to influence your future.

Pete's map depicts the 8 request elements. Thanks for sharing Pete. If you want to see the idea map that Pete contributed to my Idea Mapping book go to Book Maps and click on Figure 6.8. It's a flip chart-sized idea map of Vanda North's book titled "Get Ahead".

Visiting San Francisco

Susi Watson developed this unique map for people who wanted want to visit the various tourist attractions in San Francisco. Unfortunately, non-Mindjet users can’t open the branches to see the details. Above are two versions of her map. One is the collapsed overview and the second map is expanded in a few places to show some of the map’s many details.

I suspect many of you would like to know how she created this map, so let me give you some background. I was introduced to Susi in the fall of 2007 through Gaelen O’Connell at Mindjet. We ended up co-facilitating two sessions at the VizThink Conference held in San Francisco in January 2008. I was immediately attracted to her mapping style and thought you would be intrigued as well.

To get the map of San Francisco dropped into the MindManager file, she inserted a picture of it into the background. To do this, open up a new file and right click anywhere on the background. Then select Background, Backgroud Properties, and then Select Image. Under Tile Options, Susi recommends Center or Stretch to Fit. You may need to play around with it a bit by:

1. Increasing the font size of the central image/words while shrinking the size of the map. I found this helpful when choosing Stretch to Fit under Tile Options.
2. Right click on the central topic and select Format Topic. Click on the Size and Margins tab. You may need to adjust the Left Margin.

The central image in this map was the circle labeled “Sample San Francisco Family Day.” The rest of the circles (or main topics) are floating text placed strategically on the map on top of the location being described. Each floating topic has sub branches that go into more detail about the attraction. Adding photos, hyperlinks, attachments for maps and travel documents, linking to sections of your travel budget, and how to link new contacts to Outlook are all demonstrated in this map. For instructions on all of these items, look for the text box within each topic called “How To.”

Flags were used to customize attractions into 7 categories: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Indoor Activity, Outdoor Activity, Evening Events, and Touristy. The idea was that you could filter this map based on your own travel plans and build a customized version of your own. This map isn’t 100% complete. As you could imagine, it could grow into infinity. But it does give you a nice picture of possibilities.

Susi Watson is and artist, consultant and facilitator. She helps conceptualize and create valuable customer experiences for both public and private sector clients. This map is featured in today’s Mindjet Monthly Newsletter. If you want to have the entire map in MindManager format, email me at info@ideamappingsuccess.com and I’ll send you the original file. To see this in a larger pdf format go to “Additional Maps” on my website. They are in alphabetical order by the title of the map.

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Idea Map #106 - Franklin Templeton Library Mid-Year Results

Larisa Brigevich is the Director of the Global Research Library at Franklin Templeton. In April 2008 she completed the 5-day Idea Mapping Certification workshop. Her first contribution to this blog was January 7, 2008. I'll let her explain this idea map in her own words. I know her map is quite large, so if you would like the original MindManager map, email me and I will send it to you. For those that don't have MindManager, the pdf version is available on my website. Thanks Larisa!

"This map is a visual summary of the library team's mid-year accomplishments. In the pre-idea mapping past, I'd put this summary in an Excel spreadsheet, ranging between 3 and 5 pages, with information organized by corporate objectives. This time, I've created an idea map instead. I enjoyed working on it more than working on a spreadsheet. Using images to substantiate key concepts such as "raising the bar" made the process more fun.

From the business view point, presenting our numerous accomplishments in a visual format on a single page makes it easier for both, the team and senior management to review (and admire our success :-)). In fact, when I showed the map to the team, the first reaction was "we had no idea how much we'd done during this period". Of course, with a map it is easier to draw connections b/w various activities and add supporting documentations as attachments.

At the top of the map I included corporate priorities, marking them with numbers from one to four. I wanted to attach these numbers or their combinations as images next to various activities/initiatives to link them to corporate priorities."

Idea Map #105 - Transportation in Singapore

Thum sent this example to many of us mappers and I was intrigued because it was a joint effort between father and son. Thum worked together with his 12-year old son for his Social Studies assignment using iMindMap and incorporating a graph. It may help you if you are trying to find your way around Singapore! Thanks Thum!

Idea Map #104 - $55 Million USD Investment Opportunity

Ben Clarke is the exploration manager for a small oil and gas exploration company in Norway called Excel Expro. It's a start-up company, just over a year old, and they’ve had to build their strategy from scratch. I met Ben as a result of his desire to receive a copy of Bill Miller's idea map titled "Productivity Central" featured April 16, 2008.This is Ben's first contribution to the blog and I'll let him tell his story in his own words.

"MindManager has been really useful, to first brainstorm, and then easily rearrange ideas into a coherent strategy. The main benefits of using MindManager in this example are the clarity of presentation (compared to a long Word document), the ease of updating status of each action, and the option to quickly rearrange ideas to refocus. I use mind maps for everything from planning a $12m annual budget, to recruiting staff, to planning detailed work flows, arranging a possible trade sale of part of the company (which is the map shown above) and arranging my holiday. I find it very easy to communicate ideas to my team using the tool – it’s far clearer and more logical than making yet another PowerPoint presentation."

Thanks for sharing Ben! Watch for more idea maps from Ben. I already have another one of his in the cue. If anyone wants to have his original MindManager file, I'm happy to send it to you if you email me your request.

Idea Map #101 - Productivity Central Featured in Today's Mindjet Monthly Newsletter

I was introduced to Bill Miller in the fall of 2007 by Denny Sikkila – Mindjet’s Central Regional Manager. Bill is the Associate Vice President & Controller for Nationwide Services Company at Nationwide Insurance. He is a visionary and champion for personal productivity and process automation. Bill is leading the way in introducing MindManager throughout his organization.

I invited him to be a guest for one of my 2-day workshops and had the opportunity to learn firsthand that he is one of the most brilliant and humble learners I have ever met. During those two days Bill made a significant contribution to the workshop. I thought that MindManager users everywhere should have the same opportunity to peek into this great mind.

The map included in this posting is his version of Mindjet’s “My Personal Organizer" template, which he has dubbed "Productivity Central." Mind Manager created this template as an example of how to integrate numerous functions of the software into a single map. He adopted the general template and began to put it to use. I’ll let him describe the rest in his own words.

“I had two primary objectives when I starting using the template. The first objective was to begin to integrate the discipline of using the map on a daily basis. I remain convinced that the only way to squeeze every ounce of productivity from mapping is to integrate it into my daily routine. If you are very busy, as most of us are, the only way to make that kind of change in your behavior is to make it easier to do the new behavior then the old one. To accomplish this, I put a short cut on my desktop so all I have to do to launch this map is to click the short cut once I boot up. Instantly I am in my map, working from it, and building the discipline.

The second objective was to learn how to leverage the map to be more productive. I promised myself at the beginning I would not expect it to be perfect before I started using it. I can't remember exactly when I started using Productivity Central, but it has been at least six months now. If you look at the map you can still see branches from the original template that I have not modified or deleted. Since I was customizing this map to fit my work style, I didn't know exactly what components I should keep and which I should delete. Further, as I have found over the months, I am still getting value out of the few branches I have modified. It doesn't bother me that there are sections and functions of the map I have yet to explore. It gives me something to look forward to when I feel fully in control of the branches I have modified so far.

The overall appeal of this template comes from the notion of air traffic control of my life. I am drawn to the idea that I can have a central point from which I start my work. It saves me time by significantly reducing the amount of time and effort I have to invest to find important documents, notes, or internet links. It organizes and makes me more productive by keeping a significant amount of data arranged in the context that makes it relevant versus file folders that mean nothing. It allows me to link data to multiple threads and keep only one version of the documents.
So let me give you a brief tour of my map and explain how I use the sections to save time and improve my productivity. All the major sections I am certain are straight out-of-the-box, so that gives you a clue as to how simple it is to actually start this.

Section 1 is My Goals. Three levels of goals are listed, professional, individual, and learning. I have expanded each level to include key areas of focus I have right now. For those of you that know me, I am really, really, into having goals. This section makes me more productive because it gives me a chance, at anytime, to remind myself and reflect on what I believe to be important. This helps focus my attention and time on tasks at hand that help accomplish these goals.

Section 2 is My Projects. Again, three levels are listed, Work, Personal, Home. I added accomplishments. The Work branch has been built out the most. I think this is mainly out of proximity since I am primarily on this computer at work. But you can see two items outside the work category. In the work category expansion there are lots of linked maps. I learned a cool shortcut helps me leverage Productivity Central as a time saver. I add a branch with a description of project or effort I am going to expand on. By right-clicking on that topic and selecting “send to new linked map”, I instantly open a new map. The new map’s central topic is the same as the one I wrote on the branch in Productivity Central and both maps are instantly linked together. If you didn't catch the multiple benefits here, let me point them out:

1. I don't have to manually link two maps later in the process - multiple clicks saved

2. It doesn't matter where I save the new map on my hard drive because I won't have to try to find the file if I need it later. All I do is open Productivity Central and click the needed link. The single biggest time waster any of us faces is trying to find lost file folders.
   

Section 3 is My Tasks. I am still figuring out exactly how this section might help me. So far, I use the In-box branch as a place to stick notes that I don't know exactly what I am going to do with until I figure out what I am going to do with them. These notes were from a couple of phone calls. I have just left them there as a reminder of how I thought about using this section even though I haven't had a recent need. The Recurring branch is where I am storing meeting minutes for regularly scheduled meetings I attend. Again, the meetings have been something less than regular of late, so I don't know exactly how much I am gaining from this process yet. Again, most of the productivity value is having these kinds of meeting minutes easily accessible. Linking from Productivity Central keeps all the loose ends tied to a center post.

Section 4 is My Plan. The only thing I have here is a link that launches Lotus Notes email for me. If and when there is better integration between notes and MindManager I can see many possibilities for a section like this one. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Section 5 is My Desktop. I can imagine great possibilities here. I have yet to unlock the secrets of how to make this section work the way I want it to. It has cool map parts features that scan and update the files from your hard drive into a map branch. I think there is magic here, I just haven't figured it out yet. At this point, it is an unwieldy as the windows dialogue box. So, more to come on that if I can figure out how to make it work.

Section 6 is My Explorer. Wow, wow, wow. Here is an ace in terms of time savings and productivity. The section labeled Business News has map parts that update on command the lead articles from these publication web sites. I don't know how you browse for news and information that is relevant to you, but this is awesome, both in convenience and time savings. First, you get the article title. Second, you can mouse over the notes icon and get the first few sentences of the article, then you can click the link to the article if you think there is value in reading it. But that's not all! If you find an article that is cool, important, really interesting, related to something you are working on, you simply drag the topic off to another branch of Productivity Central and the link is yours to keep forever. In case you missed this one - no more messing around with favorites on IE. You can literally have the content in the context you need it, and it’s instantaneous and simple!

The Reference Sites branch becomes another way to manage your favorite or frequented web sites. I haven't explored the other branches on this section in any great detail so I don't yet know if there is value there.

Section 7 & 8 I have spent virtually no time in. I am not certain what additional value I would get from them at this point, but, again, I am taking my time in developing and modifying this template to suite my personal work style and needs.

I see the advantage of a map like Productivity Central in two key ways. First, the functionality of the Mind Manager software ensures that I have seamless and significant integration with the files, work products, and web sites that I use to get work done. Second, it acts as a guide post, keeping numerous elements of my life tied together so I can better see the big picture of what I am trying to accomplish. And it does it with minimal overhead and effort on my part.

One of the cool things about productivity central is that it is a living map. It evolves and grows and matures each day I use it. That living quality allows this map to be uniquely powerful to the user. I am really excited about the potential of this kind of mapping. It fascinates me to tap unexplored potential.”

Thank you Bill. This map is featured in today’s Mindjet Monthly Newsletter. Above is a collapsed version of Productivity Central. To see this in a larger pdf format go to “Additional Maps” on my website. They are listed alphabetically by map title. Click on "Productivity Central – 2 Levels" and for a more expanded version of this map click on "Productivity Central – 3 Levels". If you want to see the entire map in MindManager format, email me at info@ideamappingsuccess.com and I’ll send you the original file.

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Journal of the Self - Idea Map #100

Welcome to the posting that celebrates the 100th idea mapping contribution. This is Luciano Passuello's 5th book summary that he has shared with us. (Search on "Luciano" in this blog to see his other 4 summaries.) As usual his maps can get very large so this is the folded version. This version as well as the FULL version can be found on my website in pdf format. They are in alphabetical order by map title. In this case look for "Journal to the Self."

Journal to the Self is written by Kathleen Adams.

Idea Maps #98 & #99 - Comparing the Hand-Drawn to the Electronic Version of the "Maverick" Book Summary Map

In 1997 Billy Waters, founder of Waters Consulting, read a book titled Maverick by Ricardo Semler. The top map shows his original hand-drawn book summary map. He has revisited this map and tweaked it over the years. In 1999, he moved it to MindManager, and here you see his most recent 2008 update using the software. It's fascinating to see how what is important to remember changes over the years. This is not only a comparison of drawn vs software, but an evolution of knowledge that spans time.

The pdf versions of these maps are available here. They are sorted alphabetically by the title Maverick.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind - Idea Map #97

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind is a book written by T. Harv Aker. This idea map was created by Debbie Edwards Miller after she attended the 2-day workshop "Idea Mapping: A Learning Workshop" that was held at ACH (Automotive Components Holding, LLC). It summarizes the content of the book. The photo I took of her map is a little dark. The pdf version is available on my website. Go to Client Maps and then scroll down to "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind". The maps are listed in alphabetical order. Although a few of the edges are cropped, it is clearer to read. Thanks Debbie!

de Bono's 6 Thinking Hats - Idea Map #96

One of my clients from a large automotive company in southeastern Michigan gave me these idea maps she created around de Bono's Six Thinking Hats.

The top map is a description of the Six Thinking Hats and what each hat represents in terms of its focus as well as the benefits to using this method. The second map (featured in today's Mindjet Newsletter) was used to run a meeting. This map was used to analyze a plan and focus the team on one hat at a time -- for example, Black Hat - "let's all think of the negatives with this plan", Yellow Hat - "let's all think of the positives associated with this plan".

For a larger view of this map see the pdf versions by clicking here then scrolling alphabetically to the map titles “DeBono's Six Thinking Hats” and “Using DeBono's Six Thinking Hats for a Meeting Agenda.”

Announcement: Two new Idea Mapping Workshops have been added to Jamie’s 2008 schedule. See the Course Schedule for upcoming Vancouver, B.C. and UK classses. More info to come in later postings.

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Team Idea Mapping Method - Idea Map #95

In my previous posting Philippe Boukobza shared an idea map summarizing the contents of my Idea Mapping book. Today's map is also from Philippe and details chapter 9 of my book which covers the "Team Idea Mapping Method". I have used this process successfully with many clients. It helps to gather a multitude of ideas from every participant, keeps a dominant person from taking over the direction of the meeting, fosters shared understanding, give the group a "picture" of their ideas, is more effective than standard brain storming, and no idea gets left behind.

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Idea Mapping Book Summary - Idea Map #94

Philippe Boukobza from Spain previously contributed his book summary of Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. His blogs are in English, French, and Spanish. His contribution today is a map he created of my book, Idea Mapping! This idea map was created using Inspiration 8. Thanks Philippe.

What is the Benefit of Colored Branches? Idea Map #92 and Hint #20

On Wednesday, March 5, 2008 I introduced you to Jay Dugger -- long-time mind mapper. The purpose of this posting is two-fold. First, the full version jpg of Jay's map titled "Mapping" is now available above and in pdf format at my website under "Additional Maps". If you click on any column it will sort alphabetically by author or title of the map. Secondly, I promised to address the issue of line color. That will be today's Hint #20.

Keep in mind these are not rules that need to be followed, just helpful hint that can be applied depending on your purpose.

1. The branches surrounding the central image are sometimes thicker to show that they are a main thought.
2. Let's say you have one branch that is red along with all sub branches that attach to it in any way. The ideas are now connected in two ways -- both physically and visually.
3. If each main branch (and associated sub branches) is a different it makes the branches stand out from each other.

These three hints all blend together for one purpose -- improved memory and interest. Take a look at any map that uses all black branches and words. They are rather boring, but again it's the purpose of the map that will drive these decisions.

A Map Titled "Mapping" - Idea Map #91

A while back Jay Dugger was asking about the significance of the various line colors in some of the maps on this blog. I'll address the theory and benefits to this in the next posting. Meantime, Jay has contributed an idea map he calls, "Mapping." I'll let Jay explain this map (created using FreeMind) in his own words:

"I use "Mapping" to collect my ideas about mind mapping techniques. I use mind maps to manage projects, tasks, and actions. This works well, but I was spending a great deal of time replicating similar and recurring events and tasks. So I wrote a boilerplate to give my map a recurring visual structure for the branches that described similar events and tasks. "Mapping" began as a map that stored boilerplate branches. I accumulated other conventions (symbols, colors, clouds, typography) in my maps over time. I recorded what they signified on "Mapping." Eventually I compared my mind map use with that of other people. When I wanted to adopt or test a method or an idea, I recorded it in "Mapping. The use of line thickness and color from "It's Not About the Coffee" (the February 9, 2008 posting in this blog) "Mapping" so I have a place to remind myself to test using line color and thickness, and so I have a place to record its results. I will probably try replacing the colored clouds I use to show past, present, and future with line colors. I expect this will reduce a map's visual clutter by using fewer pixels to signify the same ideas."

The above map has the other branches "shrunk". Jay's original map can be found on Flickr, and current versions on Mappio and FreeMindShare. If I can get a pdf of the entire map from Jay, I'll put it on my website so that you can see the entire map.

CIS Staff Meeting - Idea Map #90 & Hint #19

Matt McKibben shares one of his hand-drawn idea maps this time around. Matt is the Program Services Director for an organization in Tallahassee, FL called Communities in Schools of Florida (CISFL) and was featured in the February 25 and March 1, 2008 postings.

This map is from one of his CIS staff meetings. Notice how different this map is from his previous maps. I think it is fascinating to see both styles from people. Also notice how he highlights who is responsible for the various team tasks. I don't have a jpeg file to load on this blog, so I need to send you to my website to see the pdf version of this map. If you click on any column within "Client Maps" it will sort alphabetically and you can then search by author (Matt McKibbin) or title (CIS Staff Meeting) of the map. While you are there you can see nearly 150 other idea maps!

Hint: When learning to create "real-time" idea maps, one of the safest and easiest applications is to create a map of a meeting. Generally the information comes at you slow enough, and usually you are familiar with most of the content. Give it a try!

Idea Map #89 - TQS

On Monday of this week I introduced you to Matt McKibben who is the Program Services Director for an organization in Tallahassee, FL called Communities in Schools of Florida (CISFL). This is Matt's second idea map around TQS. This map is an entire day's worth of lecturing on a new system being implemented over the CIS network. TQS will utilize research-based practices to ensure that the best possible services are being provided to students and families served through CIS.

You can see a clearer pdf version of this map on my website under "Client Maps". If you click on any column it will sort alphabetically and you can then search by author or title (TQS) of the map.

Idea Map #88 and Hint #18 - Converting a Linear Document to an Idea Map

In December of 2007 I had the privilege of teaching a 1-day workshop for an organization in Tallahassee, FL called Communities in Schools of Florida (CISFL). Matt McKibben is the Program Services Director, and was a participant in that event. This idea map is the first of three that Matt will be sharing in this blog.

Hint #18 is to starting practicing your mapping skills by converting a linear document into a map. There are several advantages to this. One - you don't have to think about content, two - you get get a 1-page visual of a multi-page document, and three - this may lead you either re-organize the document or see connections that were not apparent previously.

Matt took their State Director's Report that is given to the CIS State Board Members and converted it to a map. This condensed 2-page report reflects the work that the State Office has done over the last quarter. However Matt's map includes much more information than the 2-page report. I look forward to sharing more of Matt's work over the next few weeks.

You can see a clearer pdf version of this map on my website under "Client Maps". If you click on any column it will sort alphabetically and you can then search by author or title (State Director's Report) of the map.

It's Not About the Coffee - Podcast 1 of 4

I met Jim Canterucci (author of Personal Brilliance) back in July of 2007. See my August 22, 2007 posting for Jim's idea map and more info on him. Each Sunday he puts up a podcast. For this month he's doing a series of 4 interviews with Howard Behar, the former President of Starbucks. This idea map is one that I created as a summary of the February 3, 2008 interview.
Listen to this podcast or others by clicking here or you can check out Jim's blog.

You can see a clearer pdf version of this map on my website under "Additional Maps". If you click on any column it will sort alphabetically and you can then search by author or title of the map.

Idea Map #77 - Getting to Yes

Luciano Passuello has created an idea map of the book Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton. This is Luciano's 4th contribution to this blog. You can see a clearer pdf version of this map on my website. If you click on any column it will sort alphabetically and you can then search by author or title.

To see his idea map of the book The Now Habit see the December 21, 2007 posting. For One Small Step Can Change Your Life see the December 11, 2007 posting, and for the book Never Eat Alone see the November 19, 2007 posting.