The Many Kinds of Mind Maps
You can create mind maps in several different ways, which perhaps people don’t realize when they first learn what these visual mapping techniques are. It’s easy to get the impression that the spider map, which shows ideas floating all around one central word, is in fact the sum total of what it is to make a mind map. However, while that sort of visual representation is very good for general brainstorming, different sorts of pictorial mind tools might be called for when trying to accomplish other types of tasks.
Flow charts are just as much mind maps as spider maps are, despite their more defined structure. These charts don’t float all over the page in the same way, and yet they allow people to see connections between events or factors in ways that are similar. Indeed, when someone is looking for causal relationships, they are much easier to see using these methods than by creating a less organized type of pictorial representation.
Other mind map examples might be those viewed as chains or circles. A chain might be just a series of loops, one after the other, showing events or causes that are connected to each other. Or it might involve loops descending from each other in ever widening branches, like the roots of a tree, as a single event creates a cascade of repercussions. Another type of map displays itself as an actual circle, and would illustrate certain things that go in repeating cycles. These mind maps, especially the chains, can probably fall into the flow chart category as well.
Visual and concept maps are powerful tools for allowing people to gather ideas and pieces of information into one place and discern the relationships between them. These maps can make it clear how certain factors play into events, or how certain causes create effects, and they can help people find solutions to complex problems. It’s not surprising, then, that having so many varied potential uses, mind maps come in many different forms. After all, when using right-brain thinking and not being tied to the more rigid formats of the left brain, the results are bound to be creative and prolific.
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