There are two ways of of taking advantage of the powerful benefits that Mind Mapping has to offer. The first is to take a blank piece of paper and then using some colored pens an create a Mind Map by hand. The second way, which is the modern version of the process is to take the leading MindMap software called iMindMap and do it on your computer.
Just to remind you how and why iMindMap works – it is because it mirrors the Mind Mapping process. Our brains are hardwired to think in terms of ideas represented as pictures and feelings that are organized and related through associations. When you use iMindMap, or even its hand drawn process, you create a map of the information you are considering that is in the perfect format for the brain to process, understand and remember.
So what iMindMap does is take the hand drawn process and allow you to achieve the same thing on your computer. In addition to having the flexibility of using software to draw your maps, iMindMap also offers you a range of other facilities. The most advanced of these is the integration with some of the industry standard office productivity software like MS Office.
There are four versions of iMindMap. At the basic end there is the Elements package that is closely follwed by the Professional version. At the top end there is iMindMap Ultimate which has the full functionality. You might also see iMindMap Ultimate Plus on offer as well but this is just the Ultimate software with some bundled goodies.
Because iMindMap Elements has been stripped of the more detailed office and workplace functionality it is ideal for students whilst the Professional variant is the perfect variant to start with for those working in a company or in their own business.
The Ultimate variant is the top end version that has the full range of Office integration (Professional only has partial integration) as well as a range of other specialist features that include a comprehensive project management module.
To get the most out of iMindMap you should take advantage of the comprehensive training library that consists of brief but educational videos to show you how to use the common features as well as how to get the most out of the more advanced functionality.
The iMindMap software itself has some useful embedded video tutorials to get you started as well as a comprehensive help folder. As you would expect there are typical start-up tutorials on how to get around iMindMap and get started on the basic features of creating your first mind map as well as some useful guidance on how to use some of the more advanced capabilities. iMindMap guides are also available that will take you through getting started and these are useful to refer to after you have watched the videos so you don’t have to watch the whole recording again.
There are workshops available to help you get started but you will find that a couple of weeks finding your way round the software yourself will be a far better learning experience for you. After you have done that if you do attend one of these workshops (that are available online) you will find them much more beneficial.
You can get comprehensive iMindMap Tips from here or just discover more about iMindMap at our informative site where you can watch video tutorials and browse our extensive article library.