I have never used this theory but I will try it out when I get home from work today!

To be honest, I have been fairly unimpressed with what I have seen on Mind Mapping. I have not seen any real evidence that it increases creativity, but I guess giving a name to something that people often do intuitively is a good way for old Tony B to make some cash.

Personally, I think it is kind of a placebo effect, I guess you would call it. Creativity can be enhanced by focussing on being creative and on training yourself to think synergistically (yeah, I know, another buzzword), so, if using "Mind Mapping" helps a person focus on generating ideas, then that would be a help. But I don't think it is the mind mapping in particular that helps. Any exercise which helps the person focus on their ideas would increase creativity.

I hope that made sense.

I use Mind Mapping just to make notes. For me it is easier to remember "stuff" when I record it in a manner that I came up with it in the first place.

My personal mind maps used to be A4´s with hand written notes and multiple post-it stickers pasted over the whole mess... until I stumbled on the actual theory. Now I can read my notes and remember my prior thought patterns instantly, instead of going like "what the ... this coffee stain has to do with anything?" and spending several minutes on figuring out some ancient memos.

I've read Tony Buzan's "The Mind Map Book". Mind maps have great appeal to me for organizing complex information visually. I'm working up my first complex mind map using a software application, Inspiration 7.5, on my Mac as a starting point. The software is a fast way to prototype the mind map. I feel the final version will have to be drawn by hand.

Note taking and brainstorming are other obvious uses but I'm most interested in creating maps that can be used as a reference tool in the manner that the periodic table of the elements is used.

I've read Tony Buzan's book as well. I fully stand by mind mapping. It offers such a non-linear approach to developing and organizing ideas. As many have said, it's great for note taking too.

I find that if I mind map my projects (whether that be a paper, a concept, whatever) my finished product is much more streamlined and succinct. I also cuts on my "Brain storming" time, giving me a solid outline for whatever I'm working on.

There's a PC tool called AXON, which offers an object based application which you can use to make mind maps. It has some great templates that can get your engines of creation going. It has a pretty steep price tag, but they do offer a fairly functional demo.

web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000/index.htm

For those interested, there is an open source mind mapping software in sourceforge.net.

I've used Mind Mapping off and on for the last 15 years. I even taught the technique to a team I was running once.

I have kind of two modes: the first, as taught by Buzan et al, kind of a "quick, do it without thinking about how you are doing it" mindmap is really far easier to do on paper or on a whiteboard (maybe on a tablet PC, although I haven't tried), and is good for capturing thoughts and brainstorming.

The second mode is more deliberate, can be done using software, and is what I call the "organizing" mode. I use it for organizing what I've captured using the first mode, or for notes, or just to organize thoughts etc. I've used this technique as an aid for giving talks and presentations as well, going around the central concept (and navigating subconcepts) in a clockwise direction.

-Bart

FYI... my installation of Microsoft Visio Professional 2002 has a "Mind Mapping Diagram" template under the Flowchart category. So.. you may already have access to another software tool for creating mind maps.

Yes
I use mind mapping and modified mind mapping with clients to help pin down messages and create new messages within an organization. I use it in the social network context as well when working with a new client on what their community is.

I have been using the technique for a long time but I have not read any formal treatises on it. I learned it from a friend and got it the first time I saw it. It is not something that I share much with anyone else because if you are doing it right it feels too personal to share. It feels like kindergarten work. Don't fool yourself, it is a very powerful technique for quickly and accurately capturing your what is on your mind.

I was late for a meeting and had to come up with several ideas for a project and in 20 minutes I had more ideas than my coworkers. Then I got caught with the drawing and had to explain it and I felt bizarrely exposed. It was not pleasant even though they appreciated me sharing what I had done. After that, they only got the distilled outlines. I think it feels like kindergarten work because it is possible to viualize a complex set of ideas and actions in a simple easy format.

It is also a good way to refine problems that seem persistent. If a project is not going well, I will map it out and if the map just does not look right, then there is usually something wrong with the assumptions. Redrawing the map with a different central idea or different emphasis in the "arms" usually exposes what is wrong with the project. It is usually that the wrong problem is being solved or too much effort is being put in the wrong place.

I do not use software for it. I see that Visio has a mind mapping template but it's just not for me. You have to do it to see if it will work for you. It is like artistic drawing in that if you think you cannot draw it is because you _do_not_ draw it is not that you cannot draw; everyone can draw.