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Mind Map
Table of contents
What is Mind Map?
Mind Map is a card from the Idea Tactics deck by Pip Decks.
Mind Maps are one of our most powerful and flexible tools for thinking. They became popular in the 1970s, but they’re actually much older than that, a chap called Porphyry of Tyros was busy visualising the concept categories of Aristotle using this technique way back in the third century.
Human Truths is a great companion to this card if you’re feeling stuck.
When to use Mind Map
- Stuck in a creative rut and need fresh ideas
- Facing complex problems that require visual breakdown
- Need to organize chaotic thoughts into a coherent strategy
- Preparing for a brainstorming session
- Developing a new product or service
- Rebranding or refreshing a business identity
How to use Mind Map
Use Mind Maps to organise your ideas or stimulate new ones; to create a shared model for group discussion or make sense of information on your own. As a general process, follow the steps below:
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Make any relevant research or inputs (such as those gathered in Normstorming or Who, What, Where, Why) visible for your team and briefly talk through anything that needs further explanation.
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Give participants 5 minutes to re-examine and absorb the information.
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Give people a starter word or phrase. Ask them to write it in the middle of a piece of paper and draw a circle around it.
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Spend 5 minutes adding more words/phrases to the map, using lines to connect them:
Tip: make sure everyone knows there are no right or wrong ways to do this. The thinking they do is more important than the artefact they produce.
