Visual Impact to Creative Thinking ....

I have recently been using Mindmanager for quick brainstorming sessions that have led to viable concepts or projects ... the ease of manipulation once a framework is set is extremely valueable for keeping the idea flowing. I have come to believe that the flow is the key to creativity and the visual mapping process is the key to maintaining the flow ...

This is an example of a recent project that started as an exploration of a great concept ... Vertical Farming ... in this process, you would farm in an enclosed building within urban environments to produce food and process waste from populations concentrated in cities. Having the fresh and nutritious produce sourced in close proximity to the population and treating of waste both from the food processing and from population are critical pluses to the system. Add to that the ability to grow crops year round and not to use any more land than is under the building makes for a very attractive alternative.

So I started on the thought and quickly built out this map ... I have highlighted how the idea evolves and once the main thoughts are laid out it was a simply process to fill more and more thoughts into the map. As I did more research and found other ideas and sources, I simply added to the map and used links to ensure none of the info was lost (serving as a knowledge management system for the project). I will usually then start formulating marketing pieces, with this done, I would make sure the documents were then tied into branches ... by following this evolving project, you would never lose sight of where it came from and the overriding concepts, but you would also have the minutest of details at your fingertips as you create your project and proposal. The other value is being able to see the whole framework in a quick glance and go to wherever you need to in the map. I have used similar processes to flesh out many concepts and products.

So to recap, simply start with the main concept ... flesh out the details radially and continue to add to the structure as work progresses. This method will allow you to come back to your work and never skip a beat as you add more and more detail .... visual impact to creative thinking ...

Couple of Productivity Tips ....

Wow ... almost a month since the last post ... have been busy, but that is really no excuse, so here goes .... let me qualify some of this as I am using the Firefox 3 Beta 2 version of the Firefox browser and so far have had good success with it ...

I happened on this tip in Lifehacker and now use it effectively throughout my day. This will add a side window on gmail (also my now default email client) ... the screenshot shows my gmail window with the sidebar ... whenever you open an email, one of the further actions on the pulldown meny is create a task .. once you do that the email will appear on the list as an item today ... you can mouseover the item and change dates and title ... once that is accomplised I ususally archive the actual email ... when the date occurs, you mouseover the task and you will see the email icon in the upper right corner ... hit that and voila you are right back in the archived email and can send a followup .... it is extra slick and takes care of an immense amount of clutter I had in my inbox ... this is how I use it, but I'm sure there will be many resourceful users who create their path (click on the Lifehacker article to get the plug in link).

The second new animal is UberNote ... a simple list and note taking utility that has some extremely useful features ... again, as I kinda use gmail as my online dashboard, having a good way to create items that can then be put on my with more extensive documentation. Research notes, ideas, screen captures, links ... all viable items that can be posted to your big note and then emailed to your box (see the little email icon ... just hit that and the note goes flying to your inbox) ... further use then with the remember the milk sidebar or even then using the actual Remember the Milk web based client to further refine the storage or categorization of the note. The utility of this is the open ended chain for reminder or information processing ... having the web note open and ready to store research or thoughts spontaneously helps to not interrupt the flow of an idea ... all goes a long way to higher productivity ...

New Way to Sync Office Files ...

Just happened to stumble on Docsyncer .... this new beta has a great premise for those of us who live in office files as a matter of workspace ... this app takes all your My Document word, excel and powerpoint files and background syncs to your google docs account (you do need to have set up previously the google docs) ... the neat thing is that the app copies your file and folder structure so all the docs reside in the folders just like on your base machine. I have not fully tried it yet, but reviews are numerous and it appears that you could then access the files and work on them from any computer with internet hookup ... this is a great way to know that in a pinch you can get to work from anywhere ....

I use Foldershare to totally synch up both my desktop and tablet, so I know I have a redundant and local copy of ALL my files on both machines in current version, however, this new service could be a great fallback in a pinch ... the Foldershare configuration has saved my you know what many a time and enables me to take my tablet and know I have everything ... try both of these, you'll like it ....

2008 will be the Year of the Web Worker because…

business on an international scale is converging on a singularity that transcends borders, time zones, cultures and languages. It appears that collaborative innovation is driving business and that involves a seamless interaction among the many global citizens the now work on the web. The convergent model is illustrated now in spaces like Second Life or the new HiPiHi where the web provides the platform for interactions on a cyber social level. Interaction like this is key to successful collaboration and I think we will see an accelerated effort to provide tools and resources to allow this to happen. Revolving around those who reside on the web, 2008 will be the Year of the Web Worker.

Note Taking & the Brain ...

I read a couple of fascinating posts today and I wanted to share them with you ... the first is on digital vs paper notes, great read at jkOnTheRun , then a fascinating discussion by Tim Ferris blog regarding a true note taking geek ... both great reads and getting back to info management ... speaking of which ... I am revisiting an old friend, the Brain, and am really enjoying the newest version, I had started with version 1.0 and typically used it for awhile and dropped it only to come back and try the next iteration ... well, we are now on 4.0 and it is coming together well and I am finding it very good ... in fact, I am organizing a presentation this week using it ... will blog later on this use and get into the software ... take a look at the Brain site and see why I am so excited with it ... gives you the visual presentation and allows for associative thinking ... cool stuff

Catching Up ....

Hi All .... have been so busy and so many new things that I just don't know where to start, but start I must ... so here goes ...

The posts I had made on the presentation and mind maps most recently all worked and we are actively engaged in forming a company to solve some big environmental issues, it was the presentation using the mind maps and ideas that started this and allowed for creating an understandable framework ... in fact, I created several mind maps on the fly using my trusty MindManager Pro 7 that captured the essence of a discussion (Chinese group, so the visual nature of the map created a quick understanding) and furthered the negotiations .... mindmapping is INVALUABLE when trying to create or convey thoughts or processes ... the visual nature of the presentation with short descriptive branches is a wonderful tool.

Another saving solution was the creation of a meeting map ... I showed this earlier, but what I did was create a map with links to all my docs and even web sites that might enter into a meeting, then I kept it up on my Thinkpad X41 tablet while in discussions ... there were two times in Japan while discussing a proposal that I was able to bring up the background document on my screen and share and annotate the pdf's on the fly ... this is an essential tool as it allows for the flow of the conversation and the ideas with full recall of anything that you need ...

Now here are some teasers of coming attractions ... there are updates to some of software programs that I am testing now ... we are reaching the point in web based applications that they are a viable alternative to the desktop .. and in some cases are even functional without an internet connection to allow you to work .. this is the holy grail from my point of view and I am very excited to be testing the new wave that is coming ....

I am also now with the success of the negotiations needing to collaborate with a far flung group ... I have always been following this project management aspect and will now implement using tools available today to work on a new paradigm for future delivery .... This new paradigm is to implement a virtual office for collaboration ... I feel that this is the next big step on the internet, creating interactions that will allow for collaboration and sharing more like the conventional office and social environment .. this would create space where people can interact socially (virtually) ... this element of interaction is essential and is lacking in present solutions today. We are attempting to create this space in Second Life ... I will post more on this shortly ...

Streamlining the Process ....

In my last post I shared a map to lay out a guideline while I prepared a presentation ... this technique is useable for any type of work that you want to present and then flesh out with a consistent framework ... as I actually started work on my presentation I discovered another nice tip to create the visual workspace ... I used the Angular Tree template from the included styles in MindManager 7 Pro .... this template as you can see by the capture allows for your branch to be situated right under the content direction from the guide. This allows you to focus one topic at a time and work on any slide at any time as information comes to you ... the ability to jump around and highlight topics as they hit the mind is one of those particularly empowering abilities of mind mapping ...

Once each slide is addressed to satisfaction, I take the branches and move to the main trunk and then delete the guide slides ... at that point an export to powerpoint creates my presentation and export to word starts the document .... a consistent presentation and hours saved ....

Making An Investment Pitch ....

Here is a unique read on making a pitch for funding using ideas from "The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki ... his group, Garage Technology Ventures has guidelines for creating presentations for using his unique take on creating a presentation for investor funding that makes the case for not being like all the rest and creating a framework for a presentation that will be of interest and impact the people on the other side of the table ... this methodology distills the process and creates a roadmap to craft a presentation.

The map I have created shows the pathway separated by the various "slides" and will serve to make the powerpoint or highlights of the presentation. I save two copies of this and work in it to create both the powerpoint and the presentation... The powerpoint is simple as you need to make the words 30pt font so it purposely limits your wordiness ... think concise and clear. Once the presentation is made, export to a power point and finish up with the graphics, etc to create a good presentation. Then take the outline and export to word to serve as your framework to the written document.

By following this type of creation, you create a consistent and complete approach to a critical presentation by using the power of mind mapping software ... by using this framework to organize and create a path you will find your presentations will always have a flow and continuity that is elusive without the proper tools .... This map is simply a guideline for this specific task, but I am sure you can see how this technique could be adapted to almost any sort of presentation or task ....

The screen capture can only show a portion of the map as it is large, but I think you can get the idea as most of the info that needs to be entered is in the branch and is replaced by your text as you go ... contact me if you would like more info ....

Cool Tool ....

Thanks to Lifehacker I discovered today a new and efficient way to utilize the Wikipedia to research a topic and expand my thoughts will allowing a quick way to get down to particulars .... for long time followers you know that I thrive on the mindmapping metaphor, so this was a no brainer to try ... what I discovered was an extremely efficient web based way to research a topic ... you simply go to WikiMindMap and type in your language and the topic and voila ... see the screen shot of biofuel as a topic ... notice the green arrows ... hit one of those and you instantly drill down to the next level with all sorts of topics radiating out ... click on a topic with an arrow and it brings out the reference in another screen ... man talk about quick ... great great tool for all sorts of applications ...

The Presentation Map Rocks ....

Fresh from a successful presentation and more convinced that Mindmanager 7 is the ultimate tool for presentations .... let me digress and set the stage before going into the details ... the purpose of the meeting was to finalize strategic arrangments and possible collaborations and distribution of an extremely diverse set of products and projects. This universe includes prducts we represent along with branded products, projects that are ongoing and projects that are conceptual and in need of development ... this universe represents over 4 years of discussions so the face to face meeting with their decision makers was a critical juncture in the process ... that being said, this map is the actual one used to do this and how it was used along with some afterthoughts ....

I decided that I would use the map in an extremely multifaceted way to create a continuity in all of the presentation parts; the handout, the presentation, and the action to be taken ... I used the map to first put the handout together, the Agenda branch is where that occurs ... the other branches represent seperate but related areas that keep you tight and organized leading to the presentation, during the presentation and to capture the essence after.

The Agenda section is the heart of the animal ... I created a book of product brochures, white papers, other maps and diagrams ... normally something as diverse as this type of book would be such a mess from a handout standpoint that you could become quickly bogged down and lose the flow of the material ... well the mindmap allowed me to logically group and highlight the various portions that I need to emphasize ... I then used the "Agenda" as basically the table of contents and arranged my notebook with 5 dividers ... then is sequence I inserted the respective handouts ... in some cases they were simply the brochures in others they were longer executive summaries .... this structure allowed the meeting to flow nicely and the flow was dictated by the clients ...

For a more formal presentation to a larger group you could easily adapt this by attaching the print peices to the respective nodes for a large presentation group, like a powerpoint presentation, but actually showing the documents that they have in their handouts ... emphasize points by using the inking capability of a tablet PC to keep everything personal on a presentation level and keep it active ... I isolate my branch to present this by using the F4 function key to create this ....

This view on my computer is now the meat of the presentation and resided exactly in their book that was prepared .... this allows instant organization to the extremely diverse handouts and also allows them the ability to notate on their sheets and create an archive of what was discussed and what we need to do ....

In all meetings, the key is the flow and continuity, that is the heart of losing both attention and derailing the whole effort ... by using the mind map to tie everything together you obtain the benefits of allowing free roaming over the materials, but the ability to instantly change direction to keep the client thought process flowing ... this map was the heart of over 7 hours of detailed project and product information ... everything discussed came from the book that was prepared ... it is human nature to have a finite ability to focus and also a need move to combat fatigue which is the death of all communication ... I found this method an incredible breakthrough, not only were we able to digest and discuss all of these topics, I realized that we were able to jump around successfully after 10 or 15 minutes on each topic and moved as their interests progressed ... the structure allowed for unstructured flow ... we were able to transition (rest) with a minimum of loss of momentum ... like it to passing a baton in a relay race, we never dropped it and the race continued .... it was exceptionally efficient ... I can see one other thing I could have done and kept everything on my side electronic ... I needed to attach to each piece the electronic print of the document, then I could use my tablet to actually do the presentation and go to actual handout and markup and note right on the computer ...

Now we get to the key .... I used a seperate sheet to create actionable points of discusion ... this last view was printed out and put in a pocket in the binder ... it represented a starting point, but maintained the schedule of all things discussed ... this allows for quick movement from discussions to action ... normally an awkward function to close a meeting or discussion ... this ala carte method allows a nice checklist for simple agreement and buy in to the next steps ... in my case it led to other thoughts they had and that was easily accomadated by actually writing on this handout ....

One of the biggest values of this lies in what you do after ... contemporaneous notes allows one to document the actual discussions and what the presentation did ... using the markup of the sheets in an electronic form allows the capture of the essence ... after the meetings I went back and added notes to each section to archive reactions and followups (remember to flag or write followups with flags which will allow you to quickly make a filtered map with all your followup actions that need to be done) ... all done in this mindmap .... all worked in harmony ... all very very efficient with great impact ... I can see going further by dressing this up with pics and drawings to emphasize areas, etc ... I leave that to you to let the creative juices flow ... but whether you go to 1 or 1,000 this is an effective way of preparing, presenting, and actioning the process of communication and discussion ... the key is the seamless interactive ability to keep discussions and presentations flowing by interaction rather than the normal power point or handouts .... use this to ensure that people get it by allowing them to interact with the presentation rather than remain passive ... that is key to effectiveness ....

PS ... because of the fluid nature of this presentation ... they brought up things that I hadn't thought of ... we tied in other items and added them to the action list at the end, so we actually expanded on this as a function of allowing them to think rather than blindly absorb ... a valuable extension of the process

Using Mindmanager to Tame Travel & Meetings ...

My last post was creating a new powerpoint using the Beyond Bullet Points system .. as I went through my presentation, I realized that it was eventually in a close to one on one situation and there was a better way to do this ...

I am meeting with a client next week to present some ideas to him regarding a collaboration and of picking up some of our products to distribute in a foreign country ... as I started thinking this through, I went back to method I had employed successfully earlier ... see the map ...

This is a template I use to plan meetings with travel involved ... I then use the highlight or F4 to isolate the different parts of this as needed ... let me start with the Itineray ... I use this to document all my travel and accomodations on the trip along with contact info, etc. ... this will serve as my trip diary as thoughts emerge during travel ... just add as branches.

The second section is info for the meeting proper ... I will also google the map and directions, use snag it to capture an image of the information and then attach as an image that can be called up if I need directions, etc ...

The meeting itself is then outlined in the Agenda ... this area carries the meat of the meetings and in this case is an open ended repository of possible agenda items ... each with detail and discussion points and relationships ... the broad branches allow for items that need to be covered and the children represent possibilities and allows for expansion of the thoughts .... I go over this after the meeting and move items not covered into a new category "not discussed" and then elaborate on the discussions of the points above ... also there is the ability to add things that may come up without prompting ... this branch then serves as the meeting recap and start of the action items to follow up on along with any documentation and to dos that may come from the meeting. The one nice thing about structures like this would be the combinations that could be made on multiple meetings that would be scheduled on a trip ... this structure will keep the ability to see the forest from the trees at all times while allowing you to focus in on the "tree" in specific meetings ...

The last item is the Support Files area ... I use this as my quick lookup section on all info that I might need ... I will link to folders, files, spreadsheets, presentations, pdf's, etc ... whatever I may need to call up during a meeting ... I have found this invaluable as it has saved my hide more than a few times by being able to call up documentation or schedules with an impressive speed ... by using this area to include all of the supporting information, you no longer have to fumble to find things during the heat of a meeting ... it is all there for you ...

By forward planning, you will be completely prepared for whatever twist and turn that may happen (it ALWAYS happens ...) during a critical meeting and you can proceed to flow without the normal stresses in this type of open ended meeting ... the next post will get back to the presentation aspect that will be part of this ....

Beyond Bullet Points ... A Better Way to Present

I read with great interest a new technique of creating a vibrant and engaging powerpoint presentation without the tried, or should I say tired format of the proverbial bullet points .... Cliff Atkinson has published a book called Beyond Bullet Points ... he uses a technique based on the ages old method first used by Aristotle to convey ideas by telling a story ... fast forward to the business and entertainment worlds and he parallels the use of this method to produce successful movies and to bring presentations to life ... the book is an engaging read and highlights a very structured approach to creating or should I say crafting a presentation .... when you think of all the presentations you have seen and put it into his context, you will quickly see the power of his strategy ...

Enter our old standbye Mindmanager as a tool to quickly enable the process ... the first shot is a map I created to highlight his method ... notice there is a little redundancy, but you will see why in a minute ... In this map I have taken his structure and created slides for a powerpoint export.

The second shot is the exported map in powerpoint viewing it as a slide sorter view ... this allows you to look at the flow of the presentation and follow like a storyboard ... I see there will be two options to create the final presentation from this framework ... I can either modify the map and export it or work in powerpoiont and do the editing there ... if you notice how I have the Act slides to kind of summarize the following slides, normally to make a presentation flow, you would take or hide those slides in the final version ... take a look at this book and his website for a better explanation fo the process ... I created this mindmap to help me along, and as always, I am back to our reliable tool to simplify almost any task undertaken ...

I am preparing a presentation to be shown in a couple weeks, so I will add more to this subject as I go along ....

Quick Presentations ....

Here is a great way to do presentations on the fly ... no pics yet, no great graphics ... just quick and dirty presentations ... I have had to do this many times in the past ... you travel to a meeting and find out that you need to get across a complicated concept either to clarify a vision or create a framework for discussion ...

Well, working through comapping I started playing with their Make Presentations tab (the implementation of the ribbon interface is becoming standard but takes getting used to if you are not an Office 2007 person yet) ... well here is a brief example made in less than 5 mins ... I think you will see how this can work for you ... pretty slick ...

Here is a map that I made ....















Here is the clip showing the Make Presentation tab and shows how you add slide ... you need to highlight the branch you are isolating and hit create slide ... you can see the thumbnails on the bar and can create, delete, edit order and juggle the presentation as you see fit ...









This last one is the full screen showing how it looks in presentation mode ... it will run in the browser window and it then looks like any other presentation ... very concise and great tool for your work ... the only downside now is the need for the internet hookup, but I think the solution is coming ...

Further Thoughts on WHY This Works ....

I have been playing with the comapping web based application for a couple days and have been dazzled by the ease of creation and thought input served by this new iteration of the mind mapping paradigm ... from their Q&A comes this gem ..

" Before we started this project, we had a feeling (based on the many years of developing and reviewing mindmaps with learning objectives with people all over the world), that we should look further into how people were actually working with mindmaps. We then observed quite a few users both in terms of their mapping process in general. We also analysed more specifically how the use of a computer facilitated building - and reviewing - the content and semantic structures in the mindmaps. The conclusion was striking: people were more confused - and less efficient - when they were building or trying to review a part of a map that had the topics around a center especially going from right to left.

We have a hypothesis that the reason is tightly related to the fact that we read from left to right: Topic organized from left to right gives a much faster overview of the semantic structure - probably because you can physically see the topic in less eye spans."

I think their research has paid off as the ease of use is noticeable ... things seem to flow and ideas are captured rapidly ... this takes the interface out of the way and allows the creation of the map to be effortless ... there are very few distracting additions and it really appears this was designed (and successfully I believe) to enable the process rather than to be the process ... I have played with the export both to MindManager and to Word and I can say that this creates entirely useable outputs that speeds the creative process ... I used a quick export to word to format a document highlighting a sales presentation ... really really efficient ... I always use some sort of mind mapping tool to do this as it ensures the flow of the work and also allows the overall picture to be easily grasped and also to make sure the details are properly presented ...


I am also enthralled with the way the interface re-layout function functions in a seamless manner and again functions without conscious effort ... I have included three screen shots of the same map, the first is the overall map ... when you highlight one of the branches and hit the focus button, you get screen two .. do this again and you drill down to the third shot ... all effortless and all very intuitive ... the best programs are those that don't require thought or get in the way of the work ... I think from what I've discovered this may become one of those that enables creative expression, thought processes enhanced by technology ....

Some Thoughts on Thinking ....

I kept coming back to some points in my mind today that have clarified why I am feeling comfortable with the new mapping program comapping .... the thought process is explained in this excerpt from their FAQ ...

"We have spent a significant amount of time on this subject. We are highly passionate about human-computer interface stuff and this challenge appeared to be right in the middle of it.

Before we started this project, we had a feeling (based on the many years of developing and reviewing mindmaps with learning objectives with people all over the world), that we should look further into how people were actually working with mindmaps. We then observed quite a few users both in terms of their mapping process in general. We also analysed more specifically how the use of a computer facilitated building - and reviewing - the content and semantic structures in the mindmaps. The conclusion was striking: people were more confused - and less efficient - when they were building or trying to review a part of a map that had the topics going from left to right.

We have a hypothesis that the reason is tightly related to the fact that we read from left to right: Topic organized from left to right gives a much faster overview of the semantic structure - probably because you can physically see the topic in less eye spans."

Through my many years using maps to illustrate concepts to business colleagues I thought not so much about how I got there, but rather the end result ... several other points were made that goes to address why this app feels and acts so differently ... are you primarily right or left brained, do you get concepts with color and organic layouts or are you more for presentations that flow more linearly ... I have found that though organic, art filled, maps do convey a message and can be a quick take ... but in a business setting, it can distract from getting the message across ...

The shot at the right is a map from the Australian Buzan Center Web Site (Tony Buzan is the acknowledged father of mind mapping ... as you can see this is a wonderful depiction of thoughts and what a mind map should do ... Conceptually vivid this for a whole brained person makes a very visual presentation ...



Now I have taken several of the key branches and transferred to a simple mind map using the new comapping website (took 5 mins max) ... this is the type of layout for presenting concept in a business setting that I use ... there needs to be more emphasis and relations than this, but just the feel is illustrative of the point being made ...

I have linked the Q&A, there are many points that are made in the design of this ... I think the points are a valuable insight into thoughts on thinking ....

New Application Shows Great Promise ...

Hi all, been feverishly working on a new project so have been a little quiet ... I was emailed by a new group that has an application out called Comapping .. this is a great web based tool for mindmapping ... I tried it over the past few days to work on some of my project and was totally blown away by the interface ... see first shot ... I see the purpose of this application to create an interface that doesn't interfere with the idea flow .... normally in the course of my day I tend to switch between machines and have several different settings for the screen real estate ... this new web based app truly shines in fully utilizing the screen ... it is truly seamless in the way the map grows out and extremely fluid in highlighting your work ... one of the big problems as your map grows on a small screen is readjusting the view as you go from branch to branch ... in this app, you just go to the branch and hit tab, it then fills the screen .... everything is fluid and is the best implementation of a web based map that I have found to date.

Of prime importance to my work is the interchange between anything I am doing with my MindManager desktop app ... Comapping shines in this, below is the mind map that I took to MindManager ... really smooth ... so far so good, I would give this 5 stars on ease of use ... this is simply an app that was made to work and get out of your way while creating ... in that sense, it is what this genre is supposed to be ... (PS, Maps are all in one flavor of presentation format ... interesting discussion on their site re that basis for this ... there seems to be a lot of basis and thought behind the design and implementation ... it works for me )

PPS ... service is free to try and will be for charge after 30 days ... $11.99 for 6 months

When Evolution Becomes Revolution ....

I was fortunate yesterday to get an invitation to the early unveiling of the new MindManager 7 product from Mindjet ... it was an incredible look at something that I feel will be both an evolution and revolution for users .... my first impressions were extremely favorable and look forward to getting my hands on the new version to work with.

Let me start this with a little background ... I have been a user of Office 2007 for several months now as I really rely on the OneNote 2007 application, so getting the rest of the suite was the best deal for the money. At first, I was not happy with the "ribbon" interface (teaching old dogs new tricks), but have come to really like it and have seen a jump in speed and productivity from just this feature ... I now really like the interface and find the old one very cumbersome ... SO, when I first saw the demo screen for the new Mindjet product it was a great surprise to see the "ribbon" up there and functioning on the presentation ... it was one of those "wow" moments that Microsoft has been pushing and served to make my enthusiasm for the new product ratchet up a notch ... not that the old UI was bad, but this new look is truly breathtaking ... it is like a new product has been made.

I think this is evolutionary for many long time users and sets the stage for that unified working space that has evolved ... I normally go back and forth between word, powerpoint, project based software and mindmanager ... all of these tools function in my normal workspace to tackle all sorts of tasks ... I think though, this represents how a user who has come down the long road of applications will view it ...

The new product now has the potential to truly revolutionize the user base .. with the now consistent ribbon interface and ease of generation of concept .. I think the instant gratification of a beautiful finished map of an idea or project will immediately appeal to new users ... it has the potential to become the paradigm for creative thought and conceptual presentations ... even more revolutionary will be showing this to a user for the first time using inking ... when you take it to that level, it reaches the point of being a must have ...

If you are interested in all the features, here is a great writeup of the new product features (many of which are useful to me, all of which will be useful to many) ... The Mind Mapping Software Weblog is a great source on information and commentary on this topic ... The release date is the end of the month, so until then I will keep mapping with MM Pro 6, but will post more on this after I use the new product and create maps ...

Quick Presentation & Proposal ...

I was faced with multiple tasks today and it was quickly solved using several techniques that have been refined over the years ... again, the importance of having a framework to start from to keep the work consistent cannot be overstated ...

Here are the screen shots of the work, first the starting point for all my ideas is necessarily my MindManager library ... within it, I have created several maps that I use as templates that contain both the framework and helpful hints ... I have created this mindmap to flesh out a proposal for presentation ... needing to keep things simple creates a cleaner and far more effective presentation ... so the mindmap was done quickly to show my important points ... the export capability of MindManager is always handy as I exported the map to Word 2007 and quickly arrived at a look I wanted and I refined some of the information to create this final draft ... as the ideas are floating around in your head, by giving a framework to your communication, a quick and effective presentation can be accomplished in minutes rather than days ....

A Better Business Plan ....

Have been very busy on a project getting funding for our new project. In the process I am framing our new venture using my normal tool for any sort of work, MindManager ... I am using a form created by Guy Kawasaki and put down in his classic book, The Art of the Start, a plan that gives you what the guys on the other side of the table would appreciate and hopefully get you through to the next round ... I have included a look at what this will be composed of ... you need to make this the framework of the presentation and make it concise and short ... I used this process to make both a presentation (export to powerpoint) and the offering document (export to word) .. by using mindmanager I was able to focus on each point easily and move from point to point as my mind wandered, but still being able to see how the ideas were developing and how the flow of the document was progressing. Another valuable trait of doing a presentation and proposal from this framework is consistency and keeping everything tight ... when you are competing with people that all are worthy, you need to make sure your presentation is read and your idea realized ... this is essential in this day and age where information is readily available but new ideas and processes are few and far between ...

His book is great reading and the process works ... this is a great starting point to define the process and keep you on the road ...

Approaching the Perfect App ....

Today I tried a new app called Peepel ... It is very impressive and holds much promise ... this is an alternative to the web based docs and spreadsheets that promises soon to allow the use off and on line of the app and related files ... I have used the Google apps to much utility in the past month or so and find now that I fire up the web based apps first to do my work unless I need to really make a complicated doc or spreadsheet. Having the ability to work in one browser page makes this new application unique.

As you can see from the pic, I have both a spreadsheet and document open on the same "desktop", I like the speed and look of the app so far. Notice the toolbar floating above the windows, it changes like the ribbon bar on Office 2007 and more importantly changes as you change windows ... pretty nice interface ... I will be trying this more extensively in the near future and will relay my thoughts on it ... suffice it to say, the web application arena is heating up and the new generation of web based office alternatives are getting very very good ...