Mindmapping the Someday/maybe coaches' chat.

[lemontmartrois]

Hello all-

After listening to the recent Mindmapping webinar, I have been exploring the possibilities of applying mindmapping techniques to visually represent the arguments contained within a discussion, lecture, or text.

My idea was to capture graphically a summary of the arguments, their explanations, premises and conclusions, to quickly see how "everything fits together".
The reason for doing it is when I merely jots notes down, the information too often lacks structure, and I sometimes wish I could look at a "picture" or a "map" of the entire discussion, lecture, or text, for later review, recollection, or analysis.

So I experimented mindmapping a discussion using as guinea pig the podcast Kelly Forrister and Wayne Pepper did on someday/maybe lists (cf. Coaches' chat series).
As it turns out, using mindmapping to visually represent a series of arguments does work, as long as one is ready to spend the extra time required to capture all the useful information.
You'll find the mindmap in attachment to this post.

A personal take-away from this exercise:
I didn't realize how much information I let fall through the cracks when listening to a webinar, until I forced myself to restate the arguments, elicit the logical links between them, and tried to make sense of every bit of information the coaches share.

I am not sure if this experiment of mine would be of interest to others, but I am sharing it in case it might.

Cheers,

Eric

Attached files image_478.pdf (70.1 KB) 

 

[Barb]

A great map!

Thanks for doing this! I take notes during the call, and go back and create a Mindmap later. You've saved me some time!

When I'm reading for information, I often Mindmap as I go. I start with a topic for each chapter, fill in what I want to remember. It's a great way to have a book come alive for you as a reference tool.

I've said this a zillion times, I know: MindManager is the single most valuable piece of software I own.

 

[kelstarrising]

Great map!

I'm curious of your process here, since it's well organized. Did you just collect first and organize later, or do both as you went along? Did you stop the recording to type into the map or grab what you could as it played?

 

[lemontmartrois]

processing beyond the inbox

Barb: You are welcome! I have too started taking thorough notes while reading. It is really changing the way I remember and reuse the information.

Kelly: I wrote the entire mindmap while listening to the audio recording between Wayne Pepper and yourself. I had to pause the recording often, rewinded a few times, in order to ensure I got the arguments, down to the nitty gritty details, correctly -- one after the next.

The mindmap developed quite organically, without preset plan, following the chat as it evolved, and structuring itself progressively around the logic Wayne and you were following throughout your explanations.

Mindmapping the talk served me as a very good exercice to engage actively in the conversation, and facilitated the learning process. I remember the chat much better now, after doing the mindmap, than if I had "merely" listened to it.

Another point I'd like to make is that the more I measure GTD's profoundness, the more I realize that processing "stuff" -- which starts by asking the cardinal question: "what is this?"-- is really key, not only to processing one's inbox, but also to dealing with any kind of input, regardless of the communication medium or channel.

For instance, when I now listen to university lectures, GTDConnect material, or when I read, I now systematically, constantly, and consciously ask myself questions such as: what is the person trying to say? Is this a premice? a conclusion? an explanation? a counter-argument? how does that relate with what was said earlier? with what I know? what is the big picture? does it make sense? is it coherent?

Whereas my natural tendency would have me "go with the flow", GTD enhances my capacity to make sense of the world by sharpening my inquisitiveness, by grooving in the habit of questioning. I'll keep my attention on a point someone is trying to make, an argument an author attempts to construe, or simply a story someone is trying to tell: I don't let go of things until I have transformed them from amorphous "stuff" (things that I am simply numb to) to something that has meaning, whatever the latter may be.

I do not know if others have experienced similar changes... but would be curious to know if some did.

Eric

 

[Barb]

This might sound strange...

This may sound profoundly stupid, but sometimes I'm SO braindead when I process stuff that I've found my new GTD Workflow map really helps me focus on "what is it". I put the smaller version under the glass on my desktop so all I have to do is look down to see what to do next.

What is it about December and extreme craziness?

 

[lemontmartrois]

on the contrary, right-on tip!

On the contrary, your comments are spot on.

I really like the idea of having the smaller version of the new GTD workflow map stuck under the glass of a desktop! I currently have it hanging in front of my desk at home, but my partner recently complained that it made the place look like an office, and contrasts sharply with our mural decorations (although I personally think it looks great there...).

By placing it on the desktop, under a glass, the workflow map would remain highly visible to me, yet inconspicuous and protected.

And on top of it all, it would also help keep the peace in my household.

Thanks Barb for the useful tip!!!

Eric

 

[Barb]

Thanks

On the contrary, your comments are spot on.

I really like the idea of having the smaller version of the new GTD workflow map stuck under the glass of a desktop! I currently have it hanging in front of my desk at home, but my partner recently complained that it made the place look like an office, and contrasts sharply with our mural decorations (although I personally think it looks great there...).

By placing it on the desktop, under a glass, the workflow map would remain highly visible to me, yet inconspicuous and protected.

And on top of it all, it would also help keep the peace in my household.

Thanks Barb for the useful tip!!!

Eric

I had the same issue with my home office, which is my only office. I have very little wall space and what I do have has carefully selected artwork. I hung the large poster on the wall behind the french doors, but I can see it all that well from my desk. My office is right off the entry of our house, so I have to be careful that everything looks tidy all the time. That actually keeps me from forming piles of stuff, though, so it's a plus!