UNLEASH YOUR CREATIVE POTENTIAL
Purpose:
This tool provides a different approach to brainstorming. It allows you to unleash your creativity by allowing free association of thoughts and the use of non-standard forms of communication; such as colored markers, pictures, and images.
Background:
For many, creativity feels like an elusive task. You may look at yourself, your relationship, and your existing challenges and see the same solutions. You walk into a brainstorming session or a planning session and your mind goes blank. When everyone else is engaged in the process and sharing ideas, you hold back because no new thoughts come to mind. Yet, you each have a creative portion to your brain; you simply have not learned how to tap into it. Traditional forms of idea gathering tend to be linear and highly structured (e.g., outlines, lists, and matrices). While these are great organizational tools, they do not necessarily inspire new ways of thinking because they use only a fraction of the brain’s innovative potential!
In the late 1990’s, Tony Buzan introduced a concept called “Mind Mapping.” The essence of Mind Maps is “radiant thinking,” and it mimics the brain’s natural tendency to connect information with a variety of words, images, textures, and memories. For example, when you listen to a song or smell a flower, do you create a list of thoughts that come to your mind? Not likely! Typically, you have several random, seemingly unassociated thoughts. Perhaps you think of a loved one or a picture of a garden. Maybe you envision a dream or an impression you have of the future. Whatever the thought, chances are it does not come in the form of an outline!
In this process* you will learn the fundamentals of mind mapping and how to use them to help unleash your brain’s potential. Whether you create a Mind Map as an individual to reach new levels of personal growth or use Mind Maps in a group setting to address an organizational or business challenges, you will discover new ways to innovate and increase your creativity!
*The Mind Map process is adapted from the book The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan. Penguin Books, New York, New York, 1996.
Download the complete process as a PDF (Right-click to Save As...)
