7 Ways to Use Mind Maps in Business

By integrating Mind Maps and the iMindMap software into your business you can streamline your working process, save time, wave goodbye to information overload and boost your productivity. Read on to find out how…

1) Present

Present something different and deliver with impact. Mind Maps allow you to brainstorm ideas, make a plan of action and present it to your colleagues all in one place. By using using key words, Mind Maps encourage clearer, more concise and more stimulating presentations. The combination of keywords and the visually stimulating structure of a Mind Map is proven to increase recall of information and allow you to handle challenging questions with confidence. iMindMap’s Presentation Mode offers a refreshing alternative to presenting with slides, giving you a highly visual and effective way of conveying your message. You can attach files, webpages, audio clips and even PowerPoint slides to the branches within iMindMap creating a truly multimedia presentation, all easily manipulated from within your Mind Map.

2) Plan

Plan your schedules, meetings, briefs and proposals in a new and more efficient way with Mind Maps. You can divide up topics and tasks into different branches, adding sub-topics and smaller, related tasks as child branches. Then you can draw connections between related tasks, see how different projects impact each other and prioritise you time accordingly. Make ‘To Do’ lists, plan your weekly schedules, construct a three month marketing plan or set goals for the year. A Mind Map is the perfect space to organise and group information in a clear and coherent way – cover all aspects in one place, from agendas and objectives, to resources and locations, so you can stay organised and on the ball.

3) Consolidate

With a Mind Map you can consolidate a vast range of information, and with the iMindMap software you can take this to a multimedia level with anything from spreadsheets to websites to audio files. With all the relevant information at your fingertips, all in one Mind Map, you are in control and can save hours of time. You can throw in all of the documents and links relating to a specific project you’re working on, attaching files to the relevant branch of your project map. You have complete control in iMindMap and the potential to create your own library of information that is easily navigated and all on one screen. Integrating new data or amending existing data is simple as you aren’t tied to a rigid structure – a Mind Map is a living document.

4) Project Manage

Manage time, data and resources to achieve new levels of productivity with iMindMap’s award winning Project Management System. Create Mind Maps to scope projects, then add tasks, dates, predecessors, milestones and durations. Incorporating Gantt charts, Task Tables and Mind Maps, this tool can be fully integrated with Outlook and Microsoft Project to ensure you never leave a project unfinished or behind schedule again.

5) Problem Solve

Find innovative solutions with a tool that provides a space for exploring relationships between the various facets of a problem and inspires creative and critical thinking. By creating a Mind Map you can view all the elements of a problem at once – stimulating creative association and integration. The process acts as a trigger device for your creativity and encourages your brain to track out ideas which normally lie in obscurity at the edge of your thinking. The iMindMap software gives you complete freedom to manipulate and draw connections between your ideas, without interrupting your train of thought. If you’ve ever felt like your hitting your head against a brick wall trying to figure out a solution or come up with a new idea, you need to try Mind Mapping!

6) Collaborate

Collaborate with others to develop plans or implement key projects. A Mind Map allows you to harness the input of all members of a group in a dynamic and creative way and is proven to enhance critical thinking. Contributions can be added to the relevant branches and either explored further, or put on hold for later discussion. With iMindMap Ultimate, you can also capture audio notes and attach them to your map to ensure no comment is missed without losing the momentum of the discussion.

7) See the Bigger Picture

A Mind Map is a perfect platform for analysing your business, making decisions and anticipating potential threats or risks. PEST, SWOT, Five Forces, SMART, Six Thinking Hats, Four P’s, Balanced Scorecard, Value Chain Analysis and any business model you may wish to explore, can be simplified and enhanced by using a Mind Map as your workspace. The radiating nature of a Mind Map allows limitless expansion of ideas whilst keeping a coherent and organised structure – providing you with the whole picture in one visual snapshot.

Interested in Mind Mapping? You can get a FREE trial of iMindMap, the only Mind Mapping software from Tony Buzan, the inventor of Mind Maps.