Workshop via mind map
I've been using the mind mapping tool MindManager for a little under a year, and in that time I have used it to help me design a class at Northwestern, take notes at a variety of events, and set up notes for a talk at BlawgThink with Jim McGee last month.
I ran a small workshop at Northwestern last weekend, and it seemed a perfect fit to test using mind mapping as the primary engine for flowing the discussion of the workshop. In developing the workshop, I worked with a colleague who doesn't have the software. However, she was able to use the free viewer to review the map, and I used the export-to-Word feature to give her a text version of the map. (She was happy with the viewer option.)
The workshop went smoothly enough, particularly as we were hoping for the workshop to be a discussion and the map was used as starting points and reminders for topics I wanted to touch upon. When there were specific graphics, those could be part of the mind map as well. In presentation mode, Mind Manager will center graphics on the screen with a simple click. Very nice. And when we decided to redirect the workshop midway through the day, it was a matter of simply selecting branches of the mind map in a slightly different order. (We could have even rearranged the branches, if needed.)
There is clearly more to learn, but I like mind mapping for exposing thinking patterns.
2 Comment(s)
Clearly, mind mapping software like MindManager have moved well beyond serving as just a visual canvas for recording your ideas. They’re quickly evolving into executive productivity tools for organizing project information, collaborating with others and much more.
I have two suggestions for mind mapping software resources: I operate the InnovationTools website, and it contains an extensive Mind Mapping Resource Center that contains many reviews of popular programs, links to the sites of software vendors and more. I have also written an e-book that helps businesspeople to get the most out of mind mapping software.
When I\'ve used MindManager it has been a great replacement for flip charts. (Full disclosure, I\'m a certified MM trainer.) I\'ve found that it takes \"two\" to be effective. One to manage the map & LCD projection (a recorder). The second person can be the facilitator of the meeting.
I also use it to take notes on conference calls. Then the export to Word, and the \"print\" to a pdf file, lets me send the meeting notes in multiple formats, if they don\'t want to use the viewer.