How Can Mind Mapping Enhance Small Business Growth?
There is a way that huge enterprises create new strategies easily, and really fast, that you as a business owner are not aware of.. or are you?
We both know that you are not.
But that is about to change, because right here on this page you are going to figure out how to avoid...
another round of racking your brain,
making endless long lists
staring at a blank page
getting lost in thought
...while trying to figure out what the next idea for your business would be.
If I were you, I would quickly grab a pen and notepad because you are about to discover the magical power of mind mapping – an innovative way to come up with ideas and strategies that would totally transform your business strategy sessions.
What is Mind Mapping?
Mind mapping is a technique that helps you generate ideas through a smarter thinking process that gives you a mental connection between an existing information and a newly formed idea.
Is that all?
Not entirely..
Mind mapping uses pictorial representations to break down your ideas into segments and shows you how these ideas fit together.
You can as well liken a mind map to a tree diagram, it helps you identify various parts of your thoughts and how they link up to form a whole.
This concept of mind mapping could be traced down to Tony Buzan; he created it as a way to visualize, organize information and foster creative thinking.
4 Benefits of Mind Mapping (Plus 3 Giveaways)
Now that you have an idea what mind mapping is, let's talk about its various benefits for your business growth.
1. Enhances creativity
Mind mapping is a good method for planning because it helps you connect your thoughts in a nonlinear fashion. It keeps you at the liberty to think outside the box, opens you up to a creative flow of ideas and makes your brainstorming session fun because of the visual representation of your thoughts.
2. Keeps you organized
Creating a mind map allows you to stay organized in your thought and action taking process.nIn your thought process, it helps you visualize how your ideas relate to each other and take action one step before the other.
3. Helps with strategic planning
In all, strategic planning is all about setting goals and coming up with suitable means to achieve them. Mind mapping is uniquely designed to achieve this purpose. It helps you see the big picture and ensures that your plans are relevant and actionable.
4. Leads to better decision making
Mind maps are not just visually appealing and straightforward, but they are also a tool to improve your decision making process. Mind mapping gives life to your thoughts and helps with decision making.
By now, you have probably fallen in love with mind maps.
But just wait... there are more benefits. Follow me!
5. Helps strengthen your memory
The easiest way to keep your brain active with information is through the unique power of visual representations. You must have known that by now. Just like you could see all the parts of a tree in one glance, mind mapping is a quick way to think about, learn and recall every part of a central idea.
6. Boosts your productivity
Using mind maps is the best way to increase productivity especially in a team environment. It is more comprehensive because it breaks down complex work structures and helps everyone focus their thinking on central information and how to generate more ideas.
7. Enhances the growth of your business
Basically, the purpose of developing a business strategy is to ensure growth, and this could be enhanced through mapping out all ideas and strategies.It also helps you to identify new opportunities, strategies that can lead to innovation and expansion of your business.
Now, let's talk about why mind mapping is a better option than apps for note taking.
Differences Between Mind Mapping and Linear Note-Taking
The first difference between them is their structure. Mind mapping follows a nonlinear structure where thoughts are represented from central ideas to branches or subtopics in a visual manner.
Note taking follows a linear structure where information is recorded in written form, from top to bottom or left to right.
Another difference is that mind mapping depends heavily on the use of diagrams, colors and symbols to represent ideas.
Note taking involves the use of written text which is organized in sentences, paragraphs and/or bullet points using traditional word processors.
Which one do you think is easier to recall?
There is also a big difference in levels of creativity. Mind mapping allows you to make connections between different concepts, whereas note taking uses traditional word processors and follows a straightforward manner without giving room for exploration.
How Mind Maps and Strategic Planning Go "Hand in Glove"
Here is how mind mapping helps in setting goals and planning strategically.
First, you can begin by drafting a central idea on your mind map to stand for the main business goal then create branches to signify sub ideas which are connected to the main goal. From each branch you can brainstorm different strategies to achieve them; from here you begin to see connections between ideas, strategies and actions.
Mind mapping allows you as an individual or team to brainstorm ideas and visually structure your ideas without being limited as in the case of note taking, thereby, giving rise to creativity that births innovation.
Mind mapping can also be used to streamline task management, delegation and project tracking while enhancing team productivity and efficiency. It does this by providing a visual representation of tasks, responsibilities and project components, making it easier to understand how these things are connected.
Although mind mapping could be done manually by using a pen and paper to sketch out ideas, there are some digital tools that make creating mind maps much easier.
Let us now look at the advantages of mind mapping softwares over pen on paper.
Advantages of Mind Mapping Softwares
Mind mapping with pen on paper is the natural way to gather ideas. However, there is a level of comfort and better approach that mind mapping softwares offer.
Multimedia support - Mind-mapping software is more attractive to use because it incorporates other elements that makes the app more interesting like hyperlinks, videos and images.
Collaboration - Through the use of software mind maps there is no limit to the number of users that can access and contribute to your map.
Integration - Digital mind mapping softwares contains some other tools like calendars, task managers and document editors.
Flexibility - Mind-mapping softwares make it easier to make adjustments during planning.
Organization -Since teams can work together on the digital mind-mapping softwares, it makes it much easier to delegate tasks and organize members.
By now, you know for a fact that mind-mapping software tools are richly interactive and result driven, among these digital tools are ...
COGGLE.
Coggle is an online software where you can create and share mind maps and flowcharts.
It is a user friendly and web based tool which has significantly gained more popularity, mainly because of its easy to use interface and collaborative features.
Coggle is more popular and widely accepted in the United Kingdom, especially in the educational sectors because it aids the teaching and learning process.
Also, it is accessible to all, flexible, allows sharing of complex diagrams and offers real time collaboration among multiple users.
As a business owner you could also leverage Coogle for brainstorming sessions, strategic planning and enhancing team collaboration.
Other mind-mapping software include:
EdrawMind- a task management tool developed to focus on diagrams and complex mind maps
MindMeister - allows access outline mode and add expandable notes to your mind map
MindMup - a free online mind-mapping software that can easily convert your maps in PDF and powerpoints
Lucidchart - a task management tool known for its versatility (flowcharts, wireframes and other diagrams)
Xmind - a software that allows you to add audio to your mind map and offers different templates
Getting Started With Your First Mind Map
Now, it is time for you to start using mind maps. Here is all you need to do, step by step:
Step 1. Have a clear objective
What do you intend to achieve with the map? Is it for better decision-making, strategic planning, or idea generation? First, you have to identify it!
Step 2. Choose a mind mapping tool
You are at liberty to choose a mind mapping software based on the features of each software tool and what you want to achieve.
Step 3. Begin with a central idea
For a start, put your central idea, topic or keyword in the center of the screen or page. This will stand as the main idea of your mind map.
Step 4. Include main branches
Next, you go ahead and begin adding directly related and relevant branches to the central idea. These branches represent the sub topics in your mind mapping so they must connect back to the source - the central idea.
Step 5. Create sub branches
Expand each branch by brainstorming for other related ideas or concepts, which will serve as the sub branches in your mind map. All these must be connected to the theme of the central idea.
REMEMBER:
Use keywords to represent the ideas in each branch and sub branches instead of long sentences.
Organize and connect each one according to how they relate. You can achieve this easily by using lines and arrows to show relationships.
Moving Forward with Mind Mapping
A strong business strategy through an effective mind map is totally achievable, especially if you set aside time to regularly update and revise on your mind map as your business evolves and new ideas are developed.
Try out mind mapping today for your strategy brainstorming session, and for better results create your mind map with a software tool like Coggle to help reach all your business goals in no time.
Are you not too certain of how creating your first mind map might turn out?
It’s always a good idea to have someone guide you through the process for the best results.
More reasons why you should join Micromentor.org and get connected with an experienced business mentor who is prepared to help you learn not only about mind mapping, but other aspects in developing your business!
