In Chapter 4, I discussed how to m ake a basic m ind m ap that can be used to address m ore sim plistic topics and is also good practice for beginners. At som e point y ou will want to expand y our use of the m ind m ap and I wanted to introduce som e of the m ore com plex elem ents y ou would find in an advanced m ind m ap. Since m ind m aps can seem advanced and com plex for users who don’t have a lot of experience with them , I’m going to do a com parison to best highlight the differences.
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Figure 5-1 Basic Mind Map
While this m ind m ap does m ake good use of lines to both connect and highlight the different topics, they ’re done in a way that is fairly sim ple to understand. The connecting lines are singular in nature and are the root of the m ind m ap, effectively illustrating the im portant points of the m ap.
3. Shapes
This m ind m ap has one shape, a circle that is used to highlight the m ain concept.
4. Words
This m ind m ap uses words in different form ats to differentiate between topic headings and sub headings. If y ou look, y ou’ll notice that the topic headings are in all caps while the sub headings are in initial caps.
Ultim ately this m ind m ap in Figure 5-1 has only four elem ents and they ’re all used fairly sparingly. The one elem ent that is used in different way s is words which m ake for a pretty basic m ind m ap. Now let’s look at an advanced m ind m ap.
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Figure 5-2 Advanced Mind Map
Figure 5-2 is an exam ple of an advanced m ind m ap and y ou can easily see the difference between it and the one in Figure 5-1. But the thing to understand is why this one is m ore advanced and how the different elem ents are being used to analy ze the topic. If y ou notice this is another m ind m ap about m ind m aps. As y ou begin to gain a better understanding of how m ind m aps work I wanted it to do double duty. You’ll be able to com e back to these m ind m aps and use them as references for content as well as form at. But now let’s dive into this m ind m ap and discuss what m akes it advanced.
1. Color
This m ind m ap is m ore colorful than the one in Figure 5-1. It has about eleven different colors in it (possibly m ore if y ou consider different shades of one color a different color) but each color serves a purpose. Not only does it help to m ake the m ind m ap m ore interesting to look at, it highlights different elem ents of the m ap and underscores their im portance. Before y ou begin to really analy ze or read the m ind m ap, y our ey e will be drawn to the colored elem ents. This use of color affects how any given person will interact with the m ap based on what y our ey e is drawn to first.
2. Lines
The lines in this m ind m ap are m uch m ore com plex than in the basic one. Not only are they radiating out from the different topics, they are also used as links between topics and are curved to highlight different term s.
3. Shapes
This m ind m ap doesn’t use a lot of shapes but there are a few different ones that are m ixed in with the different im ages. There are also arrows incorporated into the m ind m ap which serve to further highlight specific topics covered.
4. Words
As with other m ind m aps, this one uses key words to identify different topics while supporting the im ages, lines and shapes used throughout. The words are consistently all caps.
5. Im ages
Unlike the basic m ind m ap this one m akes use of different im ages to organize and em phasize different topics.
This advanced m ind m ap covers a lot m ore topics using the all of the sam e tools as the basic m ind m ap with one addition. However, it’s still fairly easy to understand what the m ap is com m unicating to the reader.
More advanced m ind m aps are necessary when y ou are analy zing concepts that are m ore com plex and m ay require instruction or additional insight. With the basic m ind m ap, it’s essentially a list m aker that m akes it possible for y ou to analy ze m ultiple lists at once. With an advanced m ind m ap, it’s m ore about dissecting a topic and using the links, im ages, colors and words to sim plify the topic.
Below are som e additional exam ples of advanced m ind m aps.
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Figure 5-3 Creativity Mind Map
The m ind m ap in Figure 5-3 is a hand drawn one that m akes full use of color, shapes, im ages, words and lines. As a m ind m ap that analy zes the creativity and im agination, it’s definitely very im aginative. In spite of all of the inform ation and creativity included, it’s still clear and easy to read. It’s im portant to rem em ber that clarity is m ost im portant when creating a m ind m ap no m atter how creative it is.
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Figure 5-4 Stress Managem ent Mind Map
The m ind m ap in Figure 5-4 provides tips on how to deal with stress. It has a LOT of detail and uses im ages, colors, shapes, lines and words to dissect stress and offer tips on how to m anage it.
This kind of m ind m ap could easily overwhelm som eone new to the concept but as y ou get m ore com fortable with it, y ou’ll begin to see the value in this ty pe of m ap. It provides a lot of valuable inform ation at a glance. If y ou were to write all of this out using sentences, y ou would have a m ulti-page docum ent. In this form it can be very easily shared with a large group of people.
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Figure 5-5 Behavioral Program Mind Map
The m ind m ap in Figure 5-5 breaks down a program designed to change a person’s behavior.
Because this ty pe of program can be very com plex and involve m any different factors, this m ind m ap is guaranteed to be an advanced one. By using colors, shapes, sy m bols, im ages and words, it addresses the different program elem ents effectively. Much like the m ind m ap in Figure 5-4, if this one were written out using words it would be a m ulti-page docum ent. However, these ty pes of program s often need to be pitched to m ultiple people before they can be introduced. By using a m ind m ap, all of the inform ation is presented without being overwhelm ing. Plus it’s m uch easier to share this with m ultiple people.
If y ou look at the above m ind m aps, y ou’ll notice that they can be used for a wide variety of topics. Mind m aps aren’t j ust created for creative or educational pursuits. They can be used to craft new program s and to encourage people to deal with life changes differently. Any topic that y ou want to work through can be addressed using a m ind m ap. Plus, once y ou’ve created it, y ou can com e back to it and continue to build on it. In fact, that is encouraged especially in situations where the m ind m ap is being created by one person.
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