Mind Mapping in all the Quadrants

The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument is a quick and easy way to assess the way we like to think. Mind Mapping (the notation tool on which VisiMap is based) is a quick and easy way to put ideas down and start to turn them into action.  How does one put the two tools together?  Different kinds of thinkers use mapping for different purposes, but all get excellent results.

A quadrant people are analysts. The map is an easy way for them to get information down, - just the facts.  Because they think sequentially to start with, they can often produce a map with the branches are in the right order from the beginning.  In truth even if they are working with mapping software, A’s may even prefer to use a list format and switch it to a map later.

 B quads are organizers. They are even more pre-occupied with sequence than A’s.  When B’s are part of a project team, they will re-order the information to ensure that things happen. Computer maps make re-ordering easier than hand drawn ones, where the only real option is to start over. In a team situation, the B’s hold all the cards for putting things in the right order. 

The expressive C’s, concerned about human values at work will find mapping an interesting way to express their feelings. Gabriel Rico, a teacher of writing, was one of the first to use a mapping technique to jump start the brains of her students in creative writing.  She simply asks them to put a word in the centre (try “Afraid”) and map all the random connecting words that come to mind. When it seems right students stop mapping/clustering and start writing.  The result is a richer image-based kind of expression that always has an integral unity.  The C’s will inject some depth of feeling. 

The D’s like mapping most of all. Visually oriented, they want to see the big picture and rush in the direction of any tool that lets them do so. They love the speed of mapping.  Its free form style allows D’s to get everything down and worry about making sense of it later. Often their thinking seems off the wall to the others. But it is the place to start that the others need. 

The advantage of mapping is that it can be translated –  D’s see the big picture, C’s express their feelings, B’s organize what has to be done, and A’s get the facts straight. They are all on the same page, but come at it from their own perspective. 

And it is important to remember that this quartet of thinking styles is present in every one of us and all of them can be accessed in any situation.

 © Dynamic Thinking 2004

BrainWave is written by Norah Bolton. You may copy the contents in whole or in part, but please acknowledge the source and the author.