Effective Mind Maps. Analyses of business mind maps by Chuck Frey, author of the Mind Mapping Software Blog

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Effective Mind Maps Analyses of business mind maps by Chuck Frey, author of the Mind Mapping Software Blog Type of map: Successful meetings mind map Software used to create: MindManager Source:

com/mindmaps/y989712/5-steps-to-a-successful-meeting Overview The best mind maps combine a clean design with a logical flow and thought-provoking content to create a great experience for the person

1 Effective Mind Maps Analyses of business mind maps by Chuck Frey, author of the Mind Mapping Software Blog Type of map: Successful meetings mind map Software used to create: MindManager Source: Biggerplate.com URL: Overview The best mind maps combine a clean design with a logical flow and thought-provoking content to create a great experience for the person viewing it. Such is the case with this mind map, 5 Steps to a Successful Meeting by Steve Rothwell. It communicates a wealth of useful information in a practical, process-oriented format that anyone can use to immediately improve the quality and outcomes of their business meetings. That s a tall order, but this mind map accomplishes it quite well. In this report, I will share what makes it stand out, and the lessons you can learn from it.

Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 2 Excellent example of a process map The author of this welldesigned mind map utilizes a downward-facing map style otherwise known as an organizational

I want to call your attention to the arrows that join the steps of this meeting planning process, because they deserve special attention.

2 Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 2 Excellent example of a process map The author of this welldesigned mind map utilizes a downward-facing map style otherwise known as an organizational chart to depict a 5-step planning process, which proceeds from left to right. Arrows between the steps lead your eye from one step to the next, in a logical sequence. I want to call your attention to the arrows that join the steps of this meeting planning process, because they deserve special attention. When I saw them, I immediately said to myself, How did Steve do that? I would have assumed it was a line drawn there and styled to look like a fat arrow. But when I right-clicked on it, I discovered that it was simply a relationship line. I m used to seeing the bezier-curved, dotted relationship lines in mind maps, which are used to connct related topics. But MindManager can actually create a number of different line styles, colors, thicknesses and arrow types. By simply selecting a straight relationship line and applying some styling to it, Steve created this attractive arrow that does the job of leading your eye from one step to the next, but doesn t call too much attention to itself, thanks to its muted color. I love it when a map author reveals a capability of mind mapping software I ve never seen before, especially one like this that will be quite useful when I want to create a business process mind map. As I thought about it more over the weekend, I realized that if you combine floating topics with this style of relationship line, you may even be able to many types of flow charts. I ll be exploring the possibilities and will let you know what I figure out. Thanks for the inspiration, Steve! - 2 -

Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 3. Excellent content Even the most beautiful mind map ever envisioned is no substitute for quality content.

I am a fan of open-ended questions, because they have the power to lead the brain to think in new directions and consider new possibilities.

3 Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 3. Excellent content Even the most beautiful mind map ever envisioned is no substitute for quality content. Author Steve Rothwell has populated his mind map with a wealth of thought-provoking questions that can help you to plan more focused and productive meetings. I am a fan of open-ended questions, because they have the power to lead the brain to think in new directions and consider new possibilities. Steve uses them very effectively throughout this excellent mind map. Effective use of relationship lines This mind map uses relationship lines sparingly and in a contrasting color to the rest of its content to do an effective job of connecting related ideas. For example, steps 2, 3 and 4 all contain ideas, beginning with some thoughts in step 2 on how to formulate those that will drive your meeting, to a list of the major ideas that ought to be included in it in step 3, and then finally translating them into agenda items in step 4. All three topics are joined together to show you how to convert ideas into action. Nicely done! I also like the fact that author Steve Rothwell has rendered these relationship lines in a contrasting color to the map s content. The orange dotted lines appear to float above the map s branches and topic text, but don t interfere with it. Note how Steve has carefully formatted these lines so they don t cross over the top of topic text. There s only one exception in step 4, where a relationship line crossed behind the corner of a callout. Keep this in mind as you employ relationship lines in your maps the people with whom you re sharing them will thank you! - 3 -

Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 4 Use of boundaries: Too many, but it s OK This map uses boundaries extensively, apparently breaking a cardinal rule of mine.

Too often, map authors format the background colors of boundaries so they attract too much attention, and distract from the overall design of the mind map here. That isn t the case here.

4 Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 4 Use of boundaries: Too many, but it s OK This map uses boundaries extensively, apparently breaking a cardinal rule of mine. But it's OK, because they visually delineate each step of the meeting planning process in an attractive, understated way. Too often, map authors format the background colors of boundaries so they attract too much attention, and distract from the overall design of the mind map here. That isn t the case here. Author Steve Rothwell has selected a very light shade of blue that doesn t interfere with the rich content of this map. Keep this in mind as you create your mind maps. I still recommend that you use boundaries sparingly, but there are exceptions when they can help to visually organize a map s content. This is one of those cases, in my opinion. Capitalization of the word IDEAS This may seem like a minor thing at first, but author Steve Rothwell s decision to capitalize the word IDEAS is actually very savvy. By this simple use of typography, he is letting us know that he believes ideas are the driving force of effective meetings. He has also done an excellent job of thinking through how to help the people like us who will be viewing his map. Specifically, I m talking about the map branches where he demonstrates the difference between an idea and a topic. He could have simply defined the two terms, but by providing examples of them, he has taught us so much more! - 4 -

Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 5 Also, the fact that he included this type of content in his map tells me that he believes this is a common problem that many people simply don t recognize

5 Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 5 Also, the fact that he included this type of content in his map tells me that he believes this is a common problem that many people simply don t recognize the difference between topics and ideas, and that meetings may suffer as a result. With his comment We could talk for hours on a topic, he s telling us that he believes unfocused topics are the source of much wasted time in meetings. By focusing on the right ideas to help shape people s thinking, and presenting them in right sequence and quantity, we can have better meeting outcomes and get more done in less time. What is your point of view? Is it reflected in the mind maps you produce and share? As you can see, Steve Rothwell s POV is clearly communicated in this mind map. And that s a very good thing! Using callouts to provide relevant examples In mind maps, callouts are excellent tools to highlight information or action steps you want to emphasize to its readers. But Steve Rothwell takes a different approach, instead using them to provide examples of meeting objectives, context and major ideas. In my opinion, this is a subtle but brilliant use of this type of map content. Think about it for a moment: Business people waste countless hours in unfocused, unproductive meetings. They may not even want to come to your meeting (unless it s mandatory!) unless they know that something of value will come out of it. Seen in this context, it becomes clear that the ability to write clear and compelling meeting objectives and explain to others what you re trying to accomplish with brevity and clarity is a critically important meeting management skill. If you are able to communicate this clearly to your meeting attendees, it s more likely they will arrive at your meeting prepared with the right background information and mindset to work together productively. By providing us with examples of clear objectives and compelling ideas, Steve does an excellent job of showing us what success ought to look like. As he did before with IDEAS, Steve isn t just telling, he s teaching. How can you use examples in your mind maps to help your bosses and colleagues work more effectively with you? - 5 -

Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 6 I want to call your attention to one more thing: For most meetings, I would have considered objectives and ideas to be enough.

6 Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 6 I want to call your attention to one more thing: For most meetings, I would have considered objectives and ideas to be enough. But Steve adds a separate topic entitled context. As I got to thinking about this topic, I realized that objectives can often be general and a bit too nebulous for people to clearly understand them. By providing some added context, you re helping your meeting attendees to better understand what the focus of the meeting will be, why these ideas need to be discussed and what decisions need to be made. That s a valuable approach, in my opinion anticipate what your audience can be expected to know, and then arm them with enough knowledge to enable them to take action. Clever use of callouts as agenda items Step 4 uses topics and callouts like a meeting form. Further down this form, under the topic of schedule, a single callout is used to display a meeting schedule, with text appropriately spaced to approximate the look of columns,. This must have taken some trial and error to get the text to align correctly, but the effect is quite nice. It clearly communicates your expectations for the meeting, including estimated time that should be devoted to each idea. Another way to accomplish this type of formatting in MindManager is to insert spreadsheet range (a table) into this topic, which enables you to arrange the meeting agenda into neat columns and rows much faster. The downside is that this approach adds a bit more visual clutter to your mind map, because the row and column borders are visible

7 Successful Meetings Mind Map Analysis Page 7 Conclusion There is much to like about this well-designed and well thought-out mind map. It s a shining example of what you can accomplish if you put more thought into the needs of the people with whom you will be sharing your mind maps anticipating what information they need to know, and providing them with examples of what you expect. Questions? Please contact Chuck Frey at chuck@chuckfrey.com Please visit the Mind Mapping Software Blog for all of the latest news, trends and resources related to visual mapping. You can also follow Chuck Frey on Twitter for even more insights and ideas. Published 9/30/13-7 -

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File # for photo File #6883458 for photo -------- I got interested in Neuroscience and its applications to learning when I read Norman Doidge s book The Brain that Changes itself. I was reading the book on our family vacation