Another way to use mindmapping

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I’ve long recommended mindmapping for writers but other people in the business suite might find it useful, too…

I’ve been promoting mindmapping for years so I found it encouraging to find out, as I did yesterday, that the Harvard Business Review also endorses the practice.

In their Management Tip of the Day, July 9, 2015, they told readers that mindmapping can help teams come up with more ideas faster. “[Mindmapping] lets people think associatively and visually to develop a constellation of interconnected ideas,” their recommendation said. “Your team can generate more connections between ideas using mind mapping than by brainstorming or simply listing ideas”

In terms of the “how to do it,” they suggested:

Start by writing a keyword or concept relevant to the situation at hand in the center of a blank page or whiteboard. Have your team free associate by adding words that relate to the original concept. Don’t evaluate or judge any ideas — even the most outlandish words or phrases can generate fresh thinking. 

My advice? Put a question at the centre of the page. Our brains love questions and find them more interesting and challenging than other types of words or phrases. A mindmap is not only great for writing but it can also be used for team or product planning.

(Thanks to productivity consultant Ann Gomez of Clear Concept for passing the Harvard email along to me.)

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