Technique!

Posted by Faizel Mohidin on Jul 10, 2010 in Mind Mapping | 1 comment

Are you putting in more and more effort, but getting less and less rewards?

This is called the Law of diminishing returns.

Years ago, I purchased a book written by Tony Little called ‘Technique! Target Training for a Fat-Free body’. While he is quite a controversial character and self proclaimed “America’s personal trainer”, his advice on technique stuck with me.

If you look at any of the top performing athletes, you will see that most of them have a technical coach. As good as they are, they are constantly working on their technique.

We are coming to the end of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup here in South Africa and you have to look no further than this amazing event to see the principle of ‘technique’ in action.

Not only individual technique, but also team technique was in many cases the differentiator between winners and losers.

The soccer players could train longer and harder and still underachieve, if the coaches did not focus on technique.

So whether you are a world record holder like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, a top tennis player like Venus and Serena Williams, or simply a person trying to get ahead in life, you have to focus on technique.

This is where Mind Maps and Mind Mapping come into their own. The Mind Map is such a great tool that it could help you improve your technique in just about anything.

Let’s assume you were a soccer player and you wanted to improve your kicking technique. Here is a simple example of how you could use a Mind Map to guide you:

You now have a simple tool to coach both yourself and others with.

The same goes for your learning and personal growth.

If you’ve been following my articles and the information on our websites, you will have noticed that we often quote that your ability to learn faster than you competitor may be your only sustainable competitive advantage (Arie de Geus).

It is with this in mind that we developed the Learning Management Program.

While the program is designed to help you manage your learning better, it focuses a lot on technique. All 10 modules:

• vision,
• motivation,
• goal setting,
• reading,
• note taking,
  
• memory,
  
• study methods,
  
• time management,
  
• exam technique,
  
• sound mind & sound body, focus on technique.

The Mind Mapping and other techniques in the program ensure that you are not only working harder, but working smarter.

Let’s use the Note Taking Module as an example

Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map, claims that 90% of the words use in traditional linear notes add nothing to the meaning. He goes on to say that memory is actually hindered by the fact that the important words are separated from each other by irrelevant words that add no value. The key principles of association and hierarchy are naturally lost in normal linear notes.

All this can be solved with Mind Maps and Mind Mapping.

If you continue to work harder without improving your note taking techniques, you are simply enforcing the principle of diminishing returns.

If you could improve just one aspect, e.g. your note taking technique, by purchasing our affordable Learning Management Program Ebook, you would already have gotten your money’s worth. We use a ‘hand holding method’ to take you from your traditional linear note taking methods to Mind Mapping using our unique MindMapTutor concept.

We also go into the Cornell Note Taking Method, which is a structured linear method.

It’s like running a marathon. You don’t just go out there and run 42 km on the first day. It takes months of training and preparation to get you running a marathon.

The same goes for Mind Mapping. You are not going to be an expert Mind Mapper in one day, but if you apply our techniques bit by bit, day by day, you will soon become a proficient note taker – simply because you are working on your technique.

Now imagine what you could achieve if you improved your technique in all the other areas covered in our Learning Management Program – You will have all the knowledge and skills to gain a competitive advantage by being able to learn faster and easier.

I would even go so far as to say that there is nothing new in our Learning Management Program, but you will have your own personal coach and tutor in one easy to read simple format to help you improve your technique.