Idea Mapping is a powerful whole-brained visual thinking tool that enhances memory, note-taking skills, thought organization, planning, creativity, and communication. It uses color, keywords, lines and images to connect thoughts associatively. Idea Maps are the natural expression of the way the brain processes information associatively. (See examples by scrolling down or more examples.)
Idea Mapping is a simple and profound tool that helps individuals and organizations improve productivity, clarify thinking, save time, and enhance learning, while simultaneously producing incredible results. An Idea Map is a colorful, single-page diagram that visually captures ideas in a non-linear format and engages both hemispheres of the brain. This technique gives people the increased ability to more competently plan, organize, communicate, remember, innovate, and learn -- and accomplish these faster than ever before! This approach frees you to think, see, and understand the whole picture far more efficiently than when using a multi-page, linear document outlining the same information. The associative process that Idea Mapping uses is easy to learn. Ready to get started? Watch an Idea Mapping Video Clip of Jamie creating an Idea Map during a TV interview.
How Can You Learn to Idea Map Successfully?
Take an Idea Mapping Workshop taught by author Jamie Nast. For more information about
Idea Mapping Courses, see
the Idea Mapping Workshop Course Abstract. Not only will you learn how to create idea maps, but you will experience learning other skills that most adults believe to be impossible -- including "learning how to learn!"
"Being adaptable in a flat world, knowing how to "learn how to Learn," will be one of the most important assets any worker can have..."
Thomas Friedman -- Author of The World is Flat, page 239
Idea Mapping Workshops can be followed by an Idea Mapping Certification that will give you the necessary skills to teach Idea Mapping as part of your business or give you a much deeper understanding of the workshop content and creating Idea Maps.
Read the Idea Mapping book which teaches readers how to create and read idea maps, describes the three keys to developing idea maps, and guides readers in overcoming potential obstacles when initially learning this skill.
Idea Mapping (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., September 2006) includes a wide array of actual maps (and the stories behind them) created and used by 21 successful business people around the globe.
Whether you’re an overwhelmed businessperson, an overworked entrepreneur, or someone who just wants to solve problems better and faster, Idea Mapping is a perfect guide for anyone who wants to work more efficiently -- and achieve success in business and life. Jamie Nast brings her practical workshop right to the reader.
A CD-Rom (PC or MAC) is packaged with each Idea Mapping book and includes: a 21-day trial version of MindManager software by Mindjet (the world’s most successful mind mapping software provider), Flash demos that show this product in action, and PDFs that provide more information on how to use the software, as well as information on how others have used it themselves.
To help you discover how to Idea Map faster and increase your knowledge level, we offer: a Client Idea Maps area displaying your own Idea Maps or your fellow idea mappers' creations, and an idea mapping forum to then discuss your accomplishments.
Remember to check out our first custom-designed Idea Mapping Kit which will equip you with all the material needed to get started!
"Jamie Nast’s work in Idea Mapping enables those with creative minds to clearly lay out their thinking process and those who are more process-minded to become creative. If your organization is looking for a pragmatic, step-by-step guide to this valuable tool of Idea Mapping, this is it." Chris Brown - Executive Vice President,
DTE Energy Resources, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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!
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.
These two group maps were created last week by the participants of the Idea Mapping Certification Workshop. The topic was "Uses of Idea Maps."
Each person started with an individual 4-minute brainstorm of all the uses they could think of for Idea Mapping. Then I broke everyone into two groups. The groups then merged all of their ideas onto one map. The interesting thing to me is that given the same topic, each group chose different main branches in categorizing the uses.
Last night concluded the Idea Mapping Certification Workshop that began on Sunday evening April 20. We met in Palm Beach, FL for a great time of fun and learning. The top photo features those who completed the 5-day course (a few missed the photo to catch flights). We were priviledged to have Vanda North with us for a few days. The last photo is our final celebration toast!
I'd like to thank everyone who was not in attendance but who contributed their gifts and words of wisdom for out final celebration. Thanks to Scott Hagwood, Debbie Showler, Angelo Lam, Catherine Ho, Kirsty Hayes, Denny Sikkila, Gan Foon Tong, and Dario Biondo. Thank you Kaizad for sending the 7 Habits and World Trade Center maps to start their collections. Thanks to Richard Israel for suppling the "Learning with Lana" videos. Finally, thanks to Mindjet for providing a copy of Pro 7 for the two people who did not yet have it.
The next 2-day workshop will be held in Ft. Collins, Colorado on June 4-5, 2008 and the next certification workshop will be in Palm Beach, FL December 8-12, 2008.
I'm teaching an Idea Mapping Certification course this week in Palm Beach, FL and have needed to put 100% of my energy into both the set-up and opening session with the group last night. Forgive me for being quiet for a few more days.
Jamie's two 30-minute television interviews can be viewed on the Press Page.
Jamie hosted an engaging Mindjet Webinar on June 5, 2007.Listen to this 45-minute session titled the "MemorabilityFactor" by scrolling down to the webinar section of the press page.
"Please join me for an Idea Mapping Workshop soon! In addition to having fun, you'll learn many other valuable skills in addition to Idea Mapping -- skills you can immediately apply to your business and life."