Mind maps are fantastic ways to communicate.  In most cases, people remember far more of what they see graphically represented then what they read.  Why read the book when you can watch the movie? Mind maps are a wonderful way to remove the text from documents you are using today to get yourcomplex ideas across and instead use graphically rich pieces that have real visual power.  Mind maps work great as printed documents because the do the following four distinct things

    1.  Show Complex Networks and Demonstrate Connections

Mind maps are cool visual diagrams that show how ideas, people and things interrelate. They’re like color copies of a part of your brain.  One of the hardest things to get across with words is the interdependencies of concepts, people and things.  Mind maps solve that problem by visually depicting those things.  Mind maps take things that seem unrelated and link them by filling in the gaps; think the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Use mind maps when you have to show how people, things or concepts interrelate. 

2.  Graphic Element

Mind maps are graphics and how visually appealing you make them is completely up to the designer.   Bright lights and pretty colors, we’re all suckers for the shine of the Vegas strip.  We know that people gravitate to interesting visuals and that the human brain process visual images before it processes text or words.  This means the the inclusion of mind maps in your documents increases the likelihood people will remember what you are trying to say.

Mind maps are graphics. Make sure they include more images then text.

3.  Condensed Text

Mind maps have text, but the text is short and centrally connected an image, so it reads like an image to the human brain.  Kind of like the visual Cliff’s Notes to the concept.

Replace heavy text components of your document with mind maps.  Even though they have words, they read like a visual to the human brain.

4.  Defines the Path

Mind maps are just what their name infers, they are maps.  This means they visually depict the path from point A to point B or from concept A to concept B.  By having this demonstrated in a picture versus text, the reader has less mental work they in turn have to do to create concept paths in their own brain. You’d never take a road trip without a road map, don’t leave your learners wandering in the wilderness of this mind trip, give them a mind map!

Use mind maps to help readers connect the dots and know how to get from one concept to another easily.

Five Great Mind Mapping Software Tools

1.Nova Mind

2.Mindjet

3.Inspiration

4.MindGenius

5.The Brain