My Mind Map on Philip Kee's Speech on His Six Years of Consulting Experience in China to the Institute of Management Consultants

Preparing a speech in linear form was always a difficult task for me. However, after learning mind mapping, I always depended on it to help me draft the speech. 

The above mind mapped speech was made for my good friend Mr Philip Kee, Chairman of Luke Philips Consultants, who was invited to give a speech to members of the Institute of Management Consultants on his vast experiences, insights and lessons that could be learnt when doing business in China. He told me what he wanted to talk and I did the colourful mind mapped speech in just over a 2-hour lunch break that we had in Bukit Timah Plaza.

I was totally amazed and glad that I was able to help him mind mapped his speech. Philip told me that he successfully managed to present his talk from the above mind map without minimum reference to any notes. 

Mind Map Blog by Choon Boo LIM is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

 

My Mind Map on Dr Spencer Johnson's Book on "Who Moved My Cheese?" on 19 April 2001

Well, anyone who have read Dr Spencer Johnson's book on "Who Moved My Cheese?" would loved this simple mindmap that I have drawn minutes after reading this excellent book.

It concisely explains in simple language the situation before and after a change and the intervals between changes (denoted by the cheese being moved). The book explains that changes happens and how one should monitor and anticipate the impending changes so as to adapt to the new environment when it happens.

Dr Johnson also very cleverly explains why we should conquer our FEARS and get ready to face up to the inevitable changes to our environment even before it happens again. Only this time, one should be ready and should join in and enjoy the changes as part of an ongoing process in society.

Mind Map Blog by Choon Boo LIM is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

My Mind Map on Prof Robert S Kaplan's Lecture on "Balance Score Card" on September 11th, 2001 in Suntec City Auditorium Singapore



How could I forget this wonderful creation!

The Mind Map is a summary of Professor Robert S Kaplan's lecture on 'Balance Scorecard' lecture at Suntec City Auditorium. It was created coincidentally on 11th Sep 2001! (911).

I remembered that I was very tired after making this mind map that I fell asleep in front of my TV only to be awoken by the images of two planes smashing themselves into the then Twin Towers of New York. 

I actually arrived late for the event. Fortunately, there was a tea reception before the lecture and I quickly took the opportunity to find a seat and occupied my time in drawing the central image as well as the Professor's portrait. I then felt very comfortable to wait for the lecture to commence.

Luckily for me, Professor Kaplan was an excellent teacher as the mind map grew and transformed into one of my finest pieces of creation. I quickly noticed that mind maps that are balanced and easily read provides me with a very quick indicator of how good the speakers are in relation to their speed of delivery, clarity in explanation and excellent organisation of the content. In other words, they are Masters or Gurus in the area of their expertise.

Mind Map Blog by Choon Boo LIM is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License



My Mind Map on Bill Handley's "Speed Maths and Speed Fun in Learning" at Nanyang Primary School, Singapore on 12 and 14 Mar 2001

One day, my younger daughter came back with a notice that her school was organising a workshop for parents and students at the cost of $20 per person per 3hr-session on 12 and 14 March 2001. The workshop was conducted by Mr Bill Handley from Australia, who founded Learning Unlimited Australia in 1979. 

I was excited about this workshop after reading a brief description about what Bill intended to cover in speed learning and speed maths techniques in two 3hr-session. I immediately signed up for both sessions with my daughter. As usual, I quickly set up a simple central image and sat down quietly in the front row, listening attentively for his key words and watching him carefully as he illustrates examples after examples of "Speed in Learning" and "Speed Maths". The combined result of the two sessions was the mind map above.

This mind map ranks as one of my favourites as I never fail to amaze those who attend my courses how I recorded the proceedings of the Speed Learning and Speed Maths workshop religiously onto only one page. I really felt very satisfied that my mind map turned out quite balanced and readable for those viewers who wants to understand what went on in the two workshops.

Mind Map Blog by Choon Boo LIM is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

My Mind Map on Andrew Matthews on "Follow Your Heart" at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 24-25 May 2001

Attending the 2001 National Achiever's Congress at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was probably one of the exciting moments of my life. Here I was, listening to seven prominent inspirational speakers speaking over 2 days, determined to mind map their message on one sheet of paper as I have always done for all seminars that I had attended ever since I saw the potential of mind maps and how it can empower our brains to do the "impossible".
Many had came up to me to say that "It is not possible", "It is too difficult", "I always run out of space", "My mind map does not look like a mind map (cos' it is untidy).....and the list goes on. 
Thus, having done the above mind map while Andrew Matthew lectures and draws his cartoons at the same time.....I think,... could only make people wonder whether I really did it on the spot or did I do it only at the end of the day.
If anyone has seen Andrew giving the lecture, would know that he collects his drawings after his lectures. So it is almost impossible for me to remember what was drawn if I had not drawn it on the spot before he covers it up. Please enjoy the drawings as I mimicked Andrew during his lecture on "Follow Your Heart - Finding the Purpose in Your Life and Work - Have More Time, Friends, Health and Happiness". 

Mind Map Blog by Choon Boo LIM is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

My Mind Map on David Copperfield's Magic Show in Singapore Indoor Stadium on 1 July 2001

I was rather amused when someone asked me whether I did the above Mind Map during the show. Of course not! I was busy closely observing from my front line seats with my son and trying to figure out how one of the world's greatest illusionists, David Copperfield, was doing his illusions right in front of our eyes! It is really a great show that I could not possibly forget it that easily. I was thus determined to remember that night that I was kept wondering how David managed to perform his illusions. So that very night, I drew the above Mind Map. 

Till today, I could easily relate the entire magical night performance that I attended together with my son, Zhiguang. I believe, through my pictures, you, the viewer could also easily relate what went on that night.

Mind Map Blog by Choon Boo LIM is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

My Mind Map on Prof Gerard J. Puccio's (Buffalo State University) "Creativity and Creative Problem Solving" Workshop

Ever since I started mind mapping, I probably have saved tons of paper. How? Instead of several pages of notes that I would normally make when attending a whole-day seminar, I now record it on just one sheet of paper. It was with that mindset of being eco-friendly as well as to challenge myself to do the "impossible" of taking notes in colour and at one sitting, that I managed to produce the above creation of a 3-hour lecture by Professor Gerard J Puccio on 12 Jan 2001 in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It was a privilege to attend this excellent presentation of using Creative Problem Solving as a technique in this complex world of ours. The Divergent-Convergent thinking process among other things taught during the workshop left a deep impression in my mind.

Fast forward to Dec 2012 an excellent video presentation "Creativity as a Life Skill" by Prof Gerard Puccio in which he talked about how we should be "deliberately creative" in this fast changing world of ours in order to innovate faster. Individuals and organisation who does not know how to promote creativity would be the eventual losers.  

Fast forward to 16 March 2013, The Straits Times, page D6
An article on Why Study? by the Dean of NUS faculty of Law, Simon Chesterman where he mentioned that to survive, to do well in this globalised world , one needs to be creative, to think laterally, to be passionate about things because they are part of your identity rather than part of your career plan. Because today's students cannot know what is going to be important to their career. A good example of this is the late Steve Jobs. Professor Chesterman further elaborated that it was "calligraphy" that Steve was passionate about, 10 years before he designed the first Macintosh. Back then, he thought it had no hope of any practical applications. Thus Professor Chesterman said that it will not always be possible to predict what subjects will be important. But if you find something about which you are passionate, if it is part of your identity, you may find a way to make it important.

What Professor Chesterman says does ring a little bell for me. I am glad he wrote that article where he elaborated on why students considering a university education should ask themselves whom they want to be, not what they want to be.

Mind Map Blog by Choon Boo LIM is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License