I’ve recently been criticized by a number of ‘certified’ Mind Mapping instructors. Who, correctly, claim that I am breaking certain laws of Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map.

Those criticisms made me relook at my Mind Maps and my personal style of Mind Mapping. I came to some interesting conclusions, which I’d like to share with you today. These are my experiences and my opinions and not necessarily a scientific fact.

To illustrate some of my points, I will equate Mind Mapping to running. Before you run off, thinking that I have finally ‘lost it’, please humour me by reading further.

Running is one of humankind’s most natural activities. The statement, ‘You must walk before you can run’, is understood by most people.

While running is one of the most basic human functions, have you seen the industry it has created?

Here are some examples:

• Running Books
• Running Coaches
• Running Shoes
• Heart rate monitors
• Energy Drinks
• Cabo-loading products
• …and much more…

These examples prove that even though we have been running since childhood, there is always room for improvement, and there is a huge, lucrative market.

I’ve chosen running as an example, as I view myself as a runner, even though I haven’t really run seriously for years.

At the height of my ‘running career’, I spent lots of money on ‘running stuff’.

I subscribed to monthly magazines, bought books and went to lectures on running. I bought special running tops, shorts and even a heart rate monitor.

I have a book called ‘Lore of Running’, by professor Tim Noakes, on my bookshelf. It is dubbed  ‘The Runner’s Bible’ by the British Journal of Sports Medicine and contains 1,277 pages. That is not for casual bedtime reading! It is an encyclopaedia of running. It contains scientific studies, shoe buying tips and of course training programmes. All of this is backed up by scientific evidence.

I can see that you may be beginning to ask, ‘What’s your point?’

Let’s cut to the chase. If you did not read any of the thousands of books on running; Never read articles on how to buy shoes, socks, pants, vests, etc.; Never had a personal coach; Don’t know Arthur Newton’s ten laws of running. Would you and, more importantly, could you, enjoy and benefit from the act of running?

I hope your answer was a resounding, ‘OF COURSE!!!’

The same applies to Mind Mapping.

While you would enjoy the benefits of running, you could also be doing everything wrong. You could injure yourself. You may never win a race. Running a marathon will most likely be impossible.

The conclusion?

It all depends on the runner you want to be and the school of thought you want to follow. I’ve quoted Newton (not Isaac) above. Tim Noakes, the author of ‘The Lore of Running’, uses and adapts his laws in the book. Are his laws valid?

Even with all the scientific evidence and academic backing, Lore of Running still has its detractors.

I’ll use one of the laws from the book, ‘Train first for distance and only later for speed’ as an example.

This law can be debated forever without coming to a conclusion. Scientists and various other ‘experts’ can come together, each bringing their own evidence, and still we won’t get to a unified outcome.

Do we…

• stop running?
• learn the rules?
• subscribe to Runner’s World?
• employ a personal coach?
• read all 1,277 pages of ‘Lore of Running’?

…Before we start running?

The answer, I hope, is an obvious ‘No!’ To run, you need to start running.

The same applies to Mind Mapping. To Mind Map, you need to start Mind Mapping.

I deeply respect Tony Buzan, the inventor of the Mind Map, and the efforts he has put into taking Mind Mapping to the masses. His views on mental literacy in his early works inspired me to be an ‘evangelist’ on Mind Mapping.

Yet Tony Buzan is also a great marketer and a great entrepreneur. He has made lots of money from Mind Mapping. He has books, videos and now endorses the only official Mind Map Software, iMindMap.

Global Mental Literacy will come at a cost, a huge cost.

Living in Africa, I don’t see this mental literacy translating to the masses easily. The costs are simply too huge. Like basic literacy, some will develop high skills of literacy, but others will simply have basic literacy skills.

If we can’t get basic literacy right, how can we tackle mental literacy?

My response is, one person at a time. With the understanding that I am teaching basic mental literacy in most cases and advanced mental literacy only in some cases, I’ve put together some Web resources to get you started. The websites that I have created on Mind Maps and Mind Mapping (MindMapTutor.com and recently UsingMindMaps.com) are free resources. I hope that it will add value to people’s lives and get more people to use Mind Mapping than before.

It’s as simple as that. Hopefully many of you will explore Mind Mapping further and advance you mental literacy just like a novice runner preparing for a marathon.

Who knows, I may even make a buck or two!

Mind Map Software

I promote free Mind Map Software such as Xmind and FreeMind, even though they don’t meet the requirements of Tony Buzan’s strict laws. I believe that it will increase the mental literacy of the people that use them and if you really want to go further with Mind Mapping Software, try the commercial versions.

This is not unlike buying and reading ‘Lore of Running’. I know many people who have acquired the book only after they started running seriously as adults. Like me, they first read articles, journals and other material. Later, they borrowed the book from the local public library and read a lot of it. Only after that did they finally buy the book.

My advice on Mind Mapping is the following:

• First walk before you can run
• Start Mind Mapping
• Explore the laws if you need to grow further

A good way to learn Mind Mapping is by example. Look at the examples on MindMapTutor.com, UsingMindMaps.com and other websites and simply start Mind Mapping.

To run, you have to put on your running shoes and step out the door…

Forward this on to others. Remember that comments are most welcome. I’d love to hear about your experiences with Mind Maps.