August 21, 2024
The Advent of Computer Mind Maps
There’s no doubt that the advent of bespoke computer software has caused a revolution in how we Mind Map, particularly in the business world. While there are still times when a hand-drawn map is the most practical option (such as when you’re in a meeting without a computer to hand or you want to create your own unique work of art), Computer Mind Maps offer several attractive features that take them far beyond being a simple visual representation of ideas. For instance, excellent facilities in software tools bring powerful benefits for rapidly generating, reorganising, structuring and presenting ideas and information. Some of the key advantages of Computer Mind Maps are:
1) Effortless ‘flexing’ and editing
You can easily ‘flex’ and restructure your Mind Map, moving branches around in seconds. This gives you the ability to manipulate ideas and information with an amazing level of freedom and flexibility. You can quickly accommodate new insights and ideas and adjust your information so it’s more meaningful, without having to redo the whole Mind Map! This makes it a powerful tool for managing your projects and tracking their progress on an ongoing basis. As an added bonus, you’re not limited to the boundaries of a sheet of paper so you can go into as much detail as you need and present your ideas just how you like them.
2) Auto-enhancement
You can enrich your Mind Map automatically with images, colours, highlights and relationship arrows using a selection of features available to you. You’re not just limited to pictures that you can draw but can take advantage of an array of clipart, 3-D animations, photos and video files that you can access through software or find on the web. You can highlight different features of a complex mind map using tools such as ‘boundaries’ for emphasis. All of these ‘extras’ will make your Mind Map more memorable and interesting and can be added almost instantly.
3) Adding notes and files
Although using single key words is essential to a good Mind Map, sometimes it’s helpful to write sentences of explanation for yourself or others, or to refer to more detailed information sources on your computer, an intranet or the internet. With a computer Mind Map, you can do this but keep the extra information hidden until it’s needed – your Mind Map acts like a visual front-end for your information sources. For instance, you can add notes or comments to branches to elaborate on issues discussed or agreed during employee coaching sessions or appraisals. You can also link to external files such as documents, websites or other Mind Maps to collate any relevant HR information such as job descriptions, procedures, terms and so on. All you have to do is click on your links for fast access to all your supporting information!
4) Lots of sharing options
A computer generated Mind Map has an attractive, top quality appearance which can be used to share vital knowledge with others. Software programs offer all kinds of options for making your Mind Maps quickly available to other people, including exporting them as images or PDF files.
In the workplace, a lot of decisions are based on reports, proposals, presentations and project plans. As such, it might not go down well if you were to present your colleagues or manager with a coloured paper drawing of your plans and updates! A computer generated Mind Map gets past this problem as it can be transformed into a range of professional formats at the click of a button. For instance, you can export your Mind Maps as fully structured Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and Microsoft Project plans.
Mind Mapping software also opens up opportunities for collaboration that don’t exist with hand-drawn maps. Computer maps can be uploaded to shared workspaces allowing team members to contribute ideas and give their feedback.
Chris Griffiths
Chris Griffiths, is a bestselling author with decades of experience in the areas of creativity, metacognition and innovation. His books have been published in over 20 languages and his previous title ‘The Creative Thinking Handbook’ was selected by Forbes as one of the best books to “get your creative juices flowing” and named the #1 business book for inspiring innovation by CEO Today. He is an advocate of using technology to improve thinking, and his latest app, Ayoa.com, is used by millions worldwide.