How to Make Thinking Maps
When faced with a new challenge or question, the best way to approach it can often be to brainstorm a solution. Generally speaking, your first instinct may not be the best option. Sometimes it is. The best way to see all your options is to lay them out in a thinking map. Sometimes referred to as mind maps, thinking maps let you organize your thoughts and see all the possibilities in front of you.
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Instructions
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Boil down your question to as simple a form as you can. For example, if you are faced with creating a new ad campaign for shoes, then your question would be shoes. Get it as basic as possible. It will make it much easier to expand upon.
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Write your question down in the center of the paper. In this example, you would write "Shoes." Circle it. This will help isolate it from the map and make it easier to see.
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Write down everything that comes into your head when you think of your topic. The best way to do this is to set a timer for about five minutes and then just constantly write. If it has nothing to do with shoes, no problem. The point is to get as much on the page as possible.
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Circle each new word or phrase that you write down,and draw a line to the word or phrase it came from. Do this as you work, because you're not going to remember where everything came from when you're done. For example, shoes may make you think of shoe parts and types of shoes and where you wear shoes, and so on.
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Put down your pencil when the timer goes off. Take a break and then come back and look at the results. Find the connections you made and see how they pertain to your more broad, general question. If they apply, circle them again. If they don't apply, cross them out. Transfer everything that applies to another piece of paper and look at it. There should be a lot of stuff to make you examine your original question in a good way.
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Tips & Warnings
Work fast and messy. Just get it all out there. Don't do much more thinking on the boiled-down topic after the five minutes. If it was important, it probably would have come up during the brainstorming session. Be hyper-critical when it's over. If something doesn't help you, throw it out. Don't hold on to unnecessary information. Have extra paper on hand so that you don't have to get a new piece if you run out of room. Finding more paper eats into your brainstorming time.
