CHAPTER 5

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The purpose of this chapter is to eliminate any potential

learning barriers by providing solutions for the most

common struggles individuals encounter when learning to

create idea maps. These obstacles include:

• One Word Per Line

• Writing Upside Down

• Line Connections

• Markers & Paper

• Main Branch versus Sub-Branch

• Level of Detail

• Looking for Perfection on the First Draft

• Running Out of Room & Paper

• Images

• "Real-Time" Idea Mapping

• The Idea Generation Process

Reading a book to learn a new skill is the next best thing to

attending a workshop where there is immediate feedback and

coaching. However, sometimes a book leaves unanswered

questions that can slow down or limit learning. Becoming

your virtual teacher, standing over your shoulder, bringing

you into my vast experience of addressing typical questions,

and helping you to avoid pitfalls-that is one of the main

goals of this book. This chapter brings the idea-mapping

workshop directly to you. It covers the most frequent

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struggles people have when learning to create idea maps-

and numerous solutions to those challenges.

During the first few attempts to create idea maps you

may have already faced a few of these dilemmas. The objective

now is to help you minimize the learning obstacles and

to create strong habits that will maximize your success in

business and life. Let's begin with the most common difficulty:

Obstacle #1-

One Word Per Line

Detour #1-"I'm having a hard time condensing thoughts

into one word per line. What if I need to use more than one

word?" I've heard this question thousands of times. To address

this let's examine why the struggle is so common, the

advantage of using one word per line, and when to break

the law.

The habit for most people is to write in phrases, sentences,

bullet points, or outlines. Not only have you been

doing it for a long time, but it is your normal habit AND

you are good at it. Learning to boil thoughts down into

single words is going to feel awkward for a while. Keep persisting!

Refer to Chapter 2 and look at your bloom activity

around the word WORK. Imagine for a moment that the

central topic changed from that single word to the phrase

WORKING ON A REPORT. Picture the associations you

would make while blooming ideas around this topic. Notice

how the scope of these ideas is limited by using a central

phrase instead of a word. Where the single word WORK

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generates many more possibilities and gives more flexibility.

When the purpose for making notes is creating, brainstorming

ideas, planning, or solving problems, adhering to one

word per line will allow for more freedom for your thoughts

to explore possibilities.

Lesson Seven-

A single key word generates more

thoughts than a phrase.

Still struggling? I know. It's a challenge to break old habits.

Here are a few more suggestions. Consider how you could

boil the following phrases into key words and images:

• Finish budget for project

• Update project plan and distribute to team

• Pack boxes with seven instruction manuals

• Send boxes to William in Japan

Try substituting an image for a phrase, or use a word/image

combination. Ask yourself, "If any of these words were eliminated,

would I still understand the meaning?" Remember

these idea maps only need to be understood by you. See Figure

5.1 for how I might put these first two phrases onto a

branch.

Notice all of the unimportant words I eliminated. I

didn't lose the meaning of needing to finish the budget. I

know I need to finish it. There was no reason to include team

either. Who else would I send the plan to anyway? Let's look

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at one more example. See Figure 5.2 for how I might put the

last two phrases onto a branch.

In this case the box represents the idea that I need to

both pack and ship. That eliminated most of the extra words.

There are many different ways to accomplish minimizing

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Figure 5.1 Key Words I

Figure 5.2 Key Words II

words, and your associations might be different. My examples

serve to give you some ideas.

In some instances, the objective of using more than one

word may be to capture a literal definition, the title of an article,

the name of an author, quotes, or a table of information.

This happens more often when taking notes on written

material or someone else's presentation as opposed to making

notes, which come from your mind. In this case there is

an argument to put more than one word on the line-but

there is a way to accomplish this that will still be attractive to

both sides of your brain!

In the case where you want to include a diagram or table

of information, create a main branch and put the name of

the table or chart on that branch. In Figure 5.3 I called the

branch Table XYZ. Then attach the whole table as its subbranch

by inserting a copy of the table or recreating it by

hand. If you need to expound upon any information in this

table, color-code the relevant parts of the table to match the

branch(es) that will contain more detail. For book titles and

authors, draw an image of the book on the branch (or as the

central image) and write the title and/or author on the book.

It may be more than one word, but it still looks like an image.

For definitions and quotes create subbranches that look like

cartoon bubbles with the text inside. Add images and color.

It's more visually appealing and more memorable than writing

a sentence. These are some examples of when and how to

work around the one-word-per-line dilemma. You will discover

additional creative solutions to suit your own needs.

See Figure 5.3 for visual support of these examples.

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Figure 5.3 Alternate Solutions

Obstacle #2-

Writing Upside Down

Detour #2-"I found myself spinning the paper around and

writing upside down on some of the branches." The easiest

way to fix this is to stay away from the 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock

branch positions that go straight up and down. Because we

read from left to right these positions create visual difficulties.

(See Figure 5.4.) When looking straight on at the page,

you want to be able to see all of the words on the top of their

respective lines and read them right-side up with ease. (See

Figure 5.5.)

Obstacle #3-

Line Connections

Detour #3-In all of my workshops I see participants connecting

subbranches to various places on their main

branches rather than radiating from the end of the branch

(see Figure 5.6). This is cause for trouble in two ways. First

of all, you can get trapped with nowhere to insert additional

ideas. Secondly, it is a visual disaster. Notice in Figure 5.6

how the clear hierarchy is lost and the associations get confusing.

Compare that to Figure 5.7 where each line connects

to the end of the preceding branch.

Frequently I see maps where none of the main branches

touch the central image. I'm not sure why this occurs. It

wastes space and creates a visual disconnect. The scenario

around this issue goes as follows. I point out to a participant

that their branches are not connected to the central image.

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Figure 5.4 Wrong

The participant fixes the problem and later works on a different

map. The next time I look over his or her shoulder,

there is a circle or box around the central image, and the lines

are now touching the box or circle. We're making progress,

but again it's a waste of space, and this technique will make

all central images look similar-an image inside a box or

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Figure 5.5 Right

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Figure 5.6 Wrong

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Figure 5.7 Right

circle. You want unique central images. I point out the box

issue. The participant finally gets it! Let your main branches

connect to the central image!

Here's my last observation about lines. Occasionally

individuals will draw a line, but will not put a word on the

line. Instead, he or she leaves the line blank and writes the

word beginning at the end of the branch. You see this line,

word, line, word pattern. This is the ultimate waste of space,

so avoid it. Okay, enough about lines.

Obstacle #4-

Markers & Paper

Detour #4-"These markers draw lines that are too fat or

too skinny. The markers bleed through or smear on the paper.

I can't imagine carrying my markers into a meeting

with a client!" Having the right tools for the job (and ones

you are comfortable with) is essential for success. Different

situations will require a variety of tools.

I have become a markeraholic, so let me pass along

some advice. Everyone has their own preferences, but I suggest

a minimum of ten colors and a set of both extra fine and

medium fine tips. There are also several manufacturers that

produce markers with a different tip on each end. The sets

that come with cases make them easier to carry. Don't buy a

cheap pack of twenty-four colors from a dollar store-the

markers that do work probably won't make it through a second

day. If you don't want to carry your markers around, I

suggest a four-color pen. Just be careful to change colors quietly

when you are in a group or the clicking may be distract-

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ing to others! You probably haven't had the thrill of shopping

for colored markers since childhood, so enjoy it!

Next is the paper. Find a notebook or create one with

paper that is heavy enough to handle any marker bleeding. I

frequently use blank copy paper. For more formal idea maps

I have an 8.5″ × 11″ sketchpad, and when out of the office I

carry a small binder that holds my PDA, a four-color pen,

and blank paper folded in on itself (so the paper, when unfolded,

is twice the size of the binder.)

Obstacle #5-

Main Branch versus Subbranch

Detour #5-"I'm having trouble deciding which word

should act as the main branch versus a detail branch." Here's

an example: The central topic is planning for a business trip.

In this scenario, the words clothes and packing are going into

the map. They will both be part of the same-colored branch,

but the question is which word should be on the main branch

and which one should be subordinate. Mentally picture putting

clothes on the main branch and packing linked as a subbranch.

Imagine how many other ideas you could generate

from the word clothes in addition to packing. Now start over

and mentally reverse the position of the two words. Imagine

how many ideas you could generate from the word packing in

addition to clothes. Does using packing as the main branch

generate more subbranches? The main branch will be the

word that generates more subideas for you.

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Obstacle #6-

Level of Detail

Detour #6-"How much detail should I put in my idea

map?" How much information you include on your map primarily

depends on the purpose. Once you have defined the

specific purpose for the map, you must be sure that the level

of detail is complete enough to meet that purpose, but is not

crowded with information irrelevant to the task. Two people

could create an idea map on the same subject and have completely

different branch structures and amounts of detail.

Familiarity with the material and how much you trust your

memory will also impact the need for details.

Obstacle #7-

Looking for Perfection

on the First Draft

Detour #7-"I made a mistake and now I want to start over."

Resist momentarily! Before doing anything ask the following

questions:

1. Is it really critical to start over? Revisit the purpose of

the idea map. Has it already served its purpose even

though it may look messy? Are you being a perfectionist?

Is redrawing a valuable use of your time?

2. Have you finished the majority of the idea map? If not,

keep going until it is done. All possible changes can be

handled in a second draft if necessary.

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If you can consider this a draft, you are well organized for the

next stage.

Once the idea map begins to take shape, it is easy to see

where branches should move, where you could add pictures,

and where certain ideas should have been ordered differently.

That's one of the most useful things about an idea map.

Sometimes conclusions or answers that weren't previously

apparent will leap out at you. It is nearly impossible to make

these observations while looking at pages of linear notes.

What a great benefit! I usually consider my first attempt a

draft-get all the ideas out, number the branches if there is a

sequence, and then decide (based on my purpose) whether or

not another draft is necessary.

For the perfectionists at heart-and you know who you

are!-an idea map does not need to be a piece of artwork (although

it can be). It is a tool-an organized holding tank of

information to be used for a specific purpose. Once that purpose

is fulfilled, there is no more need for the map unless

there is a reason to keep it. As you begin to utilize the idea

map for the purpose it was created for, you can write on it,

cross things out, or throw it away!

There are still good reasons to reproduce and keep

beautiful, final copies of idea maps. Here are a few:

• It will be distributed to others.

• It contains something you want to learn and put into

long-term memory.

• It is a reference document like a strategic plan, a process,

or a project.

• You are delivering a presentation from the idea map.

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• It's a meeting agenda.

• To keep a history of your idea-mapping progress.

• Just because you want to!

Idea mapping is intended to save time and increase productivity;

so when considering the need to start over, make wise

decisions based on the purpose.

Obstacle #8-

Running Out of

Room & Paper

Detour #8-"I ran out of room around the central image.

What do I do?" There are two easy solutions for this dilemma.

One-get larger paper. That option is a good one to

keep in mind for future idea maps, but is not helpful in the

immediate situation. So grab a second sheet of paper. Use the

same central image as before only make a note like "Page 2"

somewhere within the central image. Off you go again!

A second option (if you know in advance that your map

will contain a great amount of data) is not only to start with

larger paper, but create a slightly larger central image. Now

you have more room to attach your main branches.

This is an effective solution, especially when the issue is

adding more branches, but what about adding more data to

the branches. Now it is a function of running off the page.

One idea is to draw an arrow off of the last branch(es) that fit

on the page and write Continued on it. Flip the page over and

continue mapping right at that spot. Alternatively, you can

put another piece of paper next to the current one, keep map-

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ping, and then tape them together when you are done. It

might be ugly, but it works in a pinch!

Obstacle #9-

Images

Detour #9-"I can't remember what this picture meant."

(We've already discussed the "I can't draw" syndrome in

Chapter 4, which is a related and equally difficult obstacle.)

In order to remember the meaning of pictures, I suggest

starting with a combination of word and image. Implementing

planned review periods of the idea map will also improve

recall. (For more information on this, refer to the graphs on

"Recall During Learning" and "Recall After Learning" in

the book Use Your Perfect Memory by Tony Buzan.)

There is a temptation to have pictures randomly floating

in the idea map. When this occurs, the association and

meaning for floating images is difficult to remember, so keep

pictures on a line and connected to a branch.

Often workshop participants draw a box or circle

around the central image. There is no need to do this. Boxing

in the central image creates a visual barrier between the

central image and its main branches.

Here's a final note on images. If you are at the point of

waving the white flag and saying, "I can't draw," consider this

suggestion, which came from one of my first clients, an associate

director in the financial industry. She became obsessed

with collecting stickers she could use to represent the ideas

in her maps in order to avoid drawing. Hey, whatever works!

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Obstacle #10-

"Real-Time" Mapping

Detour #10-"I tried idea mapping a live 3-hour presentation.

I couldn't figure out where the speaker was going and

my map got messy. After 20 minutes I quit and returned to

taking linear notes." I call this skill of mapping in the moment

"real-time" idea mapping. It is an advanced skill and

can take time and practice to become proficient. The person

in the example above happened to get an unorganized presenter

who had no outline or agenda to work from; the pace

of information flow was quick; and his only exposure to idea

mapping was from reading an article. He was a novice trying

to slay a giant. See Chapter 13 for a full description on creating

this type of map.

Obstacle #11-

The Idea Generation Process

Detour #11 covers an observation I see frequently from

workshop participants. In the process of generating ideas for

an idea map, I see people taking one of these ineffective approaches:

1. They identify all of their main branches before allowing

themselves to move on to any detail levels.

2. They create one complete branch (including all its subbranches,

images, and details) before allowing themselves

to add any other branches.

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3. They are working on an application that has chronology

(presentation, workflow, or other). They stop to think

through each complete thought rather than letting the

ideas bloom and flow simultaneously (capturing them

as they come and placing them on the map where they

best associate).

In each of these cases, thoughts are being forced onto the

map unnaturally. This dilemma can be resolved by referring

back to Lesson 2, which says "Where your brain goes, you

will follow." By taking any of the previous approaches, the

natural associative process is restricted. As a thought comes

to mind-it goes on the paper. Just ask the question, "Where

does this thought fit?" You may decide to move things

around later, but for now capture the ideas as they come. It

might be a good idea to have a miscellaneous branch as speed

is the focus here. You can organize them later if appropriate.

Working through these obstacles is all part of the learning

process. Be patient and persistent. A lifetime of linear

note taking may compete a bit with your learning until idea

mapping is an equally strong habit. Practice mapping frequently

to improve your skills and make it a tool you can use

naturally. My hope is that this tool will be fun and incredibly

beneficial. See the idea map in Figure 5.8 for a summary of

this chapter.

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Figure 5.8 Chapter 5 Summary