Tools and Techniques Paper

Tools and Techniques Paper

Decisions, decisions, decisions, with so many to make on a daily basis it is wonder that anything gets done! Fortunately, there are a few tools that can assist in making these decisions. One such tool is called a Mind Map. “Popularized by Tony Buzan, Mind Maps abandon the list format of conventional note taking. They do this in favor of a two-dimensional structure.” (Mind Tools Ltd., 1995, par. 2). Whether it is at work, school, or home, mind mapping is a useful tool in making decisions and taking notes. For the purpose of this paper, however, we will be discussing mind mapping and its use in the workplace environment. We will discuss an application example of mind mapping, and when someone would and when someone would not use this tool in a workplace environment.

“Mind mapping (or concept mapping) involves writing down a central idea and thinking up new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre.”(Calder, 2004, pg. 1). Taking a general idea and branching off the main point makes taking notes more efficient. Utilizing the mind mapping technique while taking notes during a meeting will help to keep the different ideas in an easy to reference format. It will also allow someone to add idea’s that may branch off of those separate idea’s without rewriting the notes. Below is an example of a Mind Map of time management by mindtools.com (Figure 1, 1995.). They took the topic of time management and branched off from there into smaller (Figure 1)

subtopics such as time wasters, personal performance, etc. Like a tree, a Mind Map will have a base and many branches that stem off of it. The goal is to eventually work your way down to specific ideas.

“…you can quickly identify and understand the structure of a subject and the way that pieces of information fit together, as well as recording the raw facts contained in normal notes. More than this, Mind Maps provide a structure which encourages creative problem solving…” (Mind Tools Ltd., 1995, pg. 1)

If writing notes by hand is becoming too cumbersome, there is hope. There is a multitude of software programs that can plot out a Mind Map as you take notes. Some programs are completely