What is a mind map?

A mind map is a visual diagram that provides an overview or summary of a topic or idea. The main subject, topic or idea is located in the centre, with related ideas and information branching from it in many directions. Each related idea may have further information or ideas branching from them. Both words and images can be used when creating a mind map.

Why should I use a mind map?

• Mind maps help you to remember information.
• Mind maps allow you to organise information into easy to remember chunks.
• The organisation process helps you to understand and remember content.
• Mind maps help reduce information overload.
• We generally find it easier to remember images and diagrams.
• Mind maps are also full of mental triggers which help our memory recall.
• The mind map structure is similar to how our own brain stores and recalls information.
• Mind maps allow you to see everything at a glance. Seeing all the relationships and hierarchies within a mind map give you a fantastic overview of a topic and help you understand the bigger picture.
• Mind maps are concise and constrained to a single side of paper. This allows you to see all the information for that topic at a single glance, all in one place. Seeing the information in this format also helps you to quickly and easily spot connections and relationships.

How can I create and use a mind map?

• Put your main ideas in the middle of a page and draw a circle around it
• Identify the key themes that are related to this topic and write them around the central circle
• Use lines to connect these key themes to the central topic
• Around each key theme, write down key pieces of information. These should be short phrases or keywords, not full sentences
• Keep it simple – this is not an art competition
• Once created, cover up the mind map and see how much of it you can reproduce from memory, checking your answers after a couple of minutes of trying
• Repeat this memory process at regular intervals until you can reproduce the mind map without looking at the original

For a more detailed overview of mindmaps, see this presentation from the Revision Drop Down morning.