How to Mind Map your skills

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on May 28, 2009 in Mind Maps at Work | 1 comment

Mind Maps at work must start with you.

Start by doing a Mind Map of your skills.

You will use this Mind Map to work to your strengths. By focusing on your strengths and highlighting them on a Mind Map, you will be able to stimulate your creative brain to use this positive reinforcement to guide your success.

As usual, take a blank piece of paper and turn it on its side (landscape). If you use Mind Mapping Software, use that. Look at my free Mind Map software recommendations on this site.

Draw an image of yourself in the centre of the page. You could also use something that represents your industry or profession.

Remember to use different colours. It stimulates the brain and also helps to reinforce the image you want to portray.

Choose a colour and draw a curved branch from your central image. Write down Key Words that relate to you your various skills. Your branches could be something like:

• Experience
• Knowledge
• Education
• Goals
• Interests
• Presenter
• Etc.

Now draw branches coming off each of these and add details. Use one key word per branch, as it allows more associations and is much better at triggering thoughts.

Draw pictures throughout your Mind Map if you want to. The images will assist and prompt your imagination. Don’t worry whether you can draw or not. It only has to make sense to you and they are just used to prompt your memory.

Notice how different this is to drawing up a CV or resume. Hobbies and interests are normally added at the end, instead of being part of the true representation of who you really are. With a Mind Map, you will have a more holistic picture of you as a person. It will also show everything that you have to offer and where you want to go.

If you are new to Mind Mapping have a look at Mind Map Principles or enrol for our free Introduction to Mind Mapping course.

Here is an example to get you started.

My Skills