Using iMindMap to Present Yourself

I attended the world's first iMindMap Certification course conducted by Mr Chris Griffiths, the CEO of ThinkBuzan. It is the world's only Mind Mapping software that is officially endorsed by Tony Buzan, the Inventor of Mind Maps.

The above powerpoint slide was easily created by the iMindMap software. The application is quite user friendly and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the beauty of the organic branches and also in the manner in which you can do presentation in a natural, brain-friendly way.

For viewers with Apple's iPads or Andriods, a tablet version is downloadable from the internet. It is useful to have one on your iPad rather than your mobile phone, as with a bigger screen you would be able to have a good overview of your mind map.

My CV could easily be read from the above iMindMap. Enjoy.

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Summary of Chap 2, 3 & 4 - Quick Review / Revision of Lessons Using Charts and Mind Maps

Summary of Chap 2, 3 & 4 - An Overview

This real-time mind map summary was done for my students as part of a quick review / revision for Chapters 2, 3 and 4. It provides them with a quick guide as to the KEY points covered during lectures. 

However, students have to read up the powerpoint lecture notes if they do not understand or forgot what the key words used in the mind map meant. Enjoy.

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Chap4 - Quick Review / Revision of Lessons Using Charts and Mind Maps

Chap 4 - Heat Treatment Processes

This is not a mind map. It is just a summary that I did to show how the Phase Diagram used in Chap 3 is used to show where the Heat Treatment processes [ Hardening, Full Annealing, Spheriodisation, Process Annealing ( Stress Relief Process) Normalising ] are in relationship to the Upper Critical Temperature and Lower Critical Temperature.

Students going through this Chap 4 were also shown how the traditional Katana Samurai sword was made. The hardening process involving the heating to its austenitising temperature, is followed by the quenching process as well as the tempering process.

The range of the tempering chart is shown together along side with parameters such as %elongation, %Area reduction, Yield Strength, Ultimate Tensile Strength and Impact value. To be a Master in making the sword obviously involves intimate knowledge of the heating, cooling and tempering process as well as the material that goes to make the sword.

Well, what do you think is the %carbon content in a Katana Samurai Sword?

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Chap3 - Quick Review / Revision of Lessons Using Charts and Mind Maps

Chap3 - Plain Carbon Steel - Phases & Mechanical Properties

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Chap 2 - Quick Review / Revision of Lessons Using Charts and Mind Maps

Chap 2: Properties and Different Types of Mechanical Tests

 

 























This quick review of Chap 2 mind map would provide a summary of the various topics covered, namely, properties ( Physical and Mechanical ) plus some of the main types of mechanical tests ( Tensile, Hardness, Impact,  Creep and Fatigue ).

Students need to dutifully read through their lecture notes and then associate what they have read with the key words found in the mind map above. Only then, would the above mind map be extremely useful. I just could not imagine a world without mind maps. Please enjoy.

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GIGO versus GIGG

I was reading Edward de Bono's "New Thinking for the New Millennium" when I came across an expression GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) commonly used term in the computer world. Dr Edward de Bono stated that this computer logic "is the same with human logic. If the starting perceptions are faulty or inadequate, then flawless logic will produce absurd answers. But, much more dangerously, we will believe those answers to be valid."

The GIGO expression reminded me of Tony Buzan's book "Head First". He wrote that the computer GIGO logic that was thought to be true as to how the human brain thinks for many years, was in fact NOT TRUE. He emphasised that the human brain thinks, (in a more graphical way) as GIGG - i.e. Garbage In, Garbage Grows! 

He wrote that, "armed with this new information we can reconsider the idea that our synergetic brain is self-creative" as well as the fact with "the GIGG equation, the human brain can also be synergetically destroyed when rubbish or pollution infiltrates its incredibly sophisticated and complex systems....." eventually leading to "instances of suicides, murders, wars," and acts of unexplained shootings and killings in many parts of the world. How do we prevent this from happening? Apparantly, we need all to understand how the BRAIN really functions!

From my many observations, I have seen that a lack of understanding of this knowledge about the BRAIN has led to many individuals/groups "being led" to the path of "no return". Likewise, individuals/governments/countries with knowledge of how the brain functions may be able to save or pull some of these individuals to the "right path", from being depressed, individual/mass suicidal packs, or committing many unexplainable acts that we see today.

However, it is easier said than done. In the first place, the troubled individual / group needs to voice out their concerns. Sometime they communicate, but, no one seem to listen to them. Most of the times they may choose to remain silent and then, exercise their dissatisfaction through some non-violent acts like the ballot box, street demonstrations, etc... So....How could to we solve this BRAIN problem? Haha. How do we win the TRUST of these troubled individuals/group in order to win or turn them over? It is not easy......! I believe, lots of hard work is needed, sincerity in helping and giving would certainly be one of the ways.

Thus, to summarise this post in very simple terms, I would look at GIGO as how computer logic works and GIGG as how the synergetic human brain thinks. It is important to recognise this Brain Principle of Synergy. The reader may wish to explore other Brain Principles in Tony's book "Head First". Alternatively, the reader is also invited to view the various Brain Principles in a Mind Map that I did during Tony's two-day workshop in Singapore [ CLICK HERE ]
and
an excellent TEDx presentation on "The Power of a Mind to Map" that he gave in Dec 2012 [ CLICK HERE ]!

Enjoy! Thanks.

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Chinese Tsunami vs Malaysian Tsunami

The Malaysian General Election (5 May 2013) ended with the Barisan Nasional (BN) forming the next government. What is interesting are some key words mentioned by prominent players. They are, "Chinese Tsunami" by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and "Malaysian Tsunami" by Lim Kit Siang, the DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Gelang Patah (2013).

The words reminded me of the 13 May 1969 incident, where racial riots broke out in Malaysia after the general election. Would it happen again because of the above "words"? I hope not! It is probably best to maintain racial and religious harmony among all races, listen to the needs of the people and work hard to win over the minds and souls rather than blaming or playing one race against another.

Again, as mentioned in my earlier mind map on "Crucial Conversation"  [CLICK HERE], it is important to seriously uncover matters that lies hidden in the minds of the people. Here is where the hard work of the government and all elected representative comes in. Can they win the trust of the people? Would they be able to fathom into the issues facing the people? Would they be able to plan, organise and implement issues/projects critical for the country's survival/sustainability instead of, for the party's? Have they not learnt lessons from the previous elections so as not to repeat the painful experience again? It takes a strong person /government with an ability to accept CHANGE, to admit that there has/have been honest mistake(s) made, work hard to correct it and move ahead to implement good project(s) for the country without prejudice to anyone.

However, no real progress would be made, if corruption of any kind exists in the system.

I am glad that we take racial and religious harmony and upholding of incorruptibility in Singapore very seriously and not let any political parties or any organisations / individuals undermine these important National Education (NE) Messages [CLICK HERE] all Singaporeans would treasure very much. 

I believe, I have travelled quite widely. I think I have always been a strong advocate of encouraging Singaporeans to travel to as many parts of the world as possible and learnt all they can about the people and the country that they have visited. The Internet may help. But, nothing beats first hand experiences. I believe, it will help to strengthen Singaporeans' belief of the six NE messages. Thank you.


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Creativity and Curiosity

I read with interest about Professor Jackie Ying's (Executive Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), A*STAR) comments in TST, Science - Sunday 7 April 2013 on pg46. In response to a question whether she has a life here in Singapore, as she was known to have worked 80 hours a week, she replied that her schooldays were the best days of her life as compared to what children have to go through now and that "there's so much pressure to perform in school, and little time to read or play".

Firstly, I think, the word "PRESSURE" used by Prof Ying is really quite dependent on the expectations of the parents. Parents with high expectations, in my opinion, would very likely feel the intense pressure as they strongly want their child to excel. Hence, they would most likely try all means possible to coach, mentor and educate the child with lots of academic matters and lifeskills so as to probably give the child a headstart. Whether this is good for the child or not really depends on how we can INTEREST the child. A child who is interested would not feel the pressure at all as compared to another who has no aptitude to LEARN. Thus, I think the "PRESSURE" that Prof Ying is really referring to could be on the parents NOT the child. Haha, could I be..........wrong? Readers, it is interesting to compare notes. Thanks.

Secondly, I like the word "PLAY". It brings lots of memories and FUN about how I use it with my children when they were young (doing projects like recycling paper, rearing betta fish and chicks, making customised sports car and perfume etc....), and to my students when I teach them the boring first year "Engineering Materials" module, that all engineering students have to take before they can really call themselves 'An ENGINEER'. 

When I was asked to teach "Engineering Materials" to the polytechnic students, I recalled how my second year professor taught me during my undergraduate days, 40 years ago. I thought hard and long about how I should teach my first year polytechnic students and try to arouse their interests in this subject. My goal is really to TRANSFORM all my students (as well as my children) to be LIFE-LONG LEARNERS. I think, I may have some degree of success......! --> judging from the large number of positive student feedbacks year after year.

It would be a mental torture for my students to endure the same kind of lecture that I received back in my younger days. So I resolved to change all that by incorporating and applying what I learnt about learning - To make it FUN to learn, I encouraged students to explore the world of materials using the magnet, the Internet, experiential learning journey outside their normal laboratory session as well as other things. To some 16 - 17 year old polytechnic students, learning about engineering materials during a walk outside the laboratory is probably unheard of. But, at the end of the learning journey, (from my experience) you could practically see their eyes and minds opening up to the fact that there is so many things to learn about materials from the common things that they see everyday. The journey just provided them with the "SPARK" to hopefully ignite their interests in this really boring engineering module of Pearlite, Eutectoid, Eutectic and other terms, that is so important to an ENGINEER.

I also made use of mind maps as a way of summarising and revising with my students the important points learnt in Engineering Materials. Readers may wish to view some of these real-time mind maps that I posted earlier. [ Please CLICK HERE to see ]

I did not regret teaching it in a way that I see it as both "PLAY" and having "FUN" learning as the method [To read more, please CLICK HERE ] of how I teach this subject not only won me quite a few development and teaching awards in Ngee Ann Polytechnic as well as the fact that it gave me the opportunities to present some papers in local and international conferences, but, more importantly, brought me lasting friendship with engineering students who might otherwise, not know the type of material for the aircon condenser unit supporting frame that is required by legislation in Singapore. Would you like to know? [ Please CLICK HERE for HDB Website and CLICK HERE for BCA Website ].

Another comment that Professor Jackie Ying made was that "....children learn by many processes. I feel the system here has become too rigid. It's killing their curiosity and creativity " .

This remark brought me memories about what I learnt about "Creativity and Creative Problem Solving (CPS)" from Professor Gerard J Puccio's lecture that I mind mapped in real-time in Jan 2001 [ CLICK HERE ] and his recent brilliant Dec 2012 TEDx presentation on "Creativity as a Life Skill [ CLICK HERE ]

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My Mind Map on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's (Former Prime Minister of Malaysia) Keynote Speech at the 14th ICOT on 23 June 2009 in Kuala Lumpur

This mind map of Tun Dr Mahathir's keynote speech on "Asian Leadership" at the 14th ICOT on 23 June 2009 in Kuala Lumpur is the second of four mind mapped keynote speeches that I promised to post. The viewer is invited to Prof Howard Gardner's Keynote speech in my earlier post.

As usual Dr Mahathir's speech is always covered with interesting anecdotes. One of the things he emphasized is that DEVELOPMENT requires able LEADERS who has the ability to also THINK about DEVELOPMENT.  This inevitably covers one of his best remembered achievements as PM of Malaysia where he stood his ground during the 1997 financial crisis to steer the country towards economic recovery.

Dr Mahathir also mentioned that once LEADERS (e.g. GEORGE BUSH, TONY BLAIR, RICHARD NIXON, MAO TSE TUNG / MAO ZEDONG etc....) are in POWER, it is very difficult to remove them. (These remarks drew laughter from the audience). Yet they, the LEADERS, are important in the development of the country.

I leave viewer(s) with an interesting interpretation for the rest of his excellent speech, that was delivered to a pack audience at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

I am very fortunate and thankful that Dr Mahathir was very kind to autograph my mind map of his keynote speech that I did during his presentation. This is the second time that a Prime Minister has autographed my mind map. For the first, viewers are invited to view my mind map of former PM Goh Chok Tong's keynote speech given at the Singapore Quality Award (SQA) presentation ceremony in 1998 [CLICK HERE]. Please enjoy.

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My Mind Map on Kamal Kant's "The Career Survival Kit" on 30 Aug 2003

Another fav mind map of mine. I drew this mind map on a printable white board. It was based on a 27 July 2003 ST article written by Mr Kamal Kant, entitled "The Career Survival Kit".

Basically the article is trying to say that to survive in this rapidly changing world of ours, we need to be a team player, a bridge builder, adaptability, have different skills and a new mindsets that can help you fit into your career. In a nutshell, these are:

1. Adopt a new mindset towards your career
2. Become a career opportunist.
3. Turn career ladder into career path.
4. Plan to be out of work.
5. When between jobs, consider temping
6. Master effective job hunting skills
7. Be self-aware.
8. Become a bridge builder
9. Keep your skills sharp and relevant.
10. Be a team player.
11. Be accountable.
12. Learn to promote yourself.
13. Diversify.

Notice how I grouped common key words together.
It helps in summarising.  Notice also that my key words is not the same as your keywords? Enjoy.

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My Mind Map on a IT SECURITY AWARENESS for END-USER Lecture on 4th Nov 2009

Above is a typical mind map of my normal routine in joting down notes of any lecture, discussion etc. Normally, how beautiful or well arranged the mind map appears after the lecture depends on many factors such as my interest in the topic, my mood for the day - whether I have any urgent commitments etc., my skills in handling the many colour pens in my hands, the lecturer's presentation skills and clarity in making a difficult topic looks easy and others. I am not sure about what other real-time note-taking mind mappers have, however, these are just my opinion that I am sharing with all of you. Hope it helps to know what it takes to do a real-time mind map.

For those interested to know what the presenter is saying about IT Security Awareness for the End-user, the mind map that captures this lecture is full of keywords that will lead you to more teaching or learning materials that you may google from the Internet.
Good luck and enjoy.


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My Mind Map on Prof. Howard Gardner's Keynote Speech at the 14th International Conference on Thinking (ICOT) held in KL on 22 June 2009

I was very privileged that Professor Howard Gardner autographed my mind map of his keynote speech given on the 14th International Conference on Thinking was held in Kuala Lumpur on 22 June 2009 where he added yet another Intelligence, Interdisciplinary, to the list of nine, NOT eight intelligences (Linguistic, Mathematical, Spatial, Musical, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist and Existential) that he originated many years ago.  He also spoke about his latest and more interesting passion of his life, the Good Work Project. More details of this project could be found in this website: http://www.thegoodproject.org/ - It is about his passion to launch a large-scale effort to increase the incidence of good work in our society. Read more about it in the internet.

I first met Professor Gardner when he presented his keynote speech on Multiple Intelligences in 1997 at the 7th ICOT in Suntec City, Singapore. The Conference was opened by Mr Goh Chok Tong, the then Prime Minister, who announced Singapore's vision of "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation". This theme, has since, been the Vision of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore.

I was happy to have met him again in Kuala Lumpur where I presented a paper on “Enhancing Learning & Thinking Through Mind Mapping®, Technology & a Learner-centred Learning Approach”

I will be posting many more mind maps of the various 14th ICOT keynote speakers included Edward de Bono, Howard Gardner, Tony Buzan and Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad. Stay tune.

Thank you for your patience and interest in my mind maps.

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My Mind Map on a Crucial Conversation Workshop on 8 and 9 March 2010

I attended the 2-day "Crucial Conversation" workshop to find out more about how can it help the organisation improve by making the working environment more conducive for teamwork and innovation in the face of continuous changes.

It was certainly not a waste of my time. The course really emphasized the importance of trust and how to get these issues out in the open (through cleverly crafted 'crucial conversations') so that employees can "safely" add what they are thinking to those issues instead of quietly (or "deadly" )grumbling about openness, lack of communication and that management is not listening to them etc..

I mind mapped the basic principles of "Crucial Conversation" during the workshop and what it takes to encourage employees to open up. On hindsight, it takes a great organisation to be able to listen to opinions, thoughts, ideas and adopt them where appropriate into its ideabank.

Thus, it takes a great organisation to understand these principles, the ability to recognise the capabilities of its employees and nurture this intellectual talent through cleverly crafted "Crucial Conversation". It would probably help organisations overcome the lack of teamwork and lack of "Innovation" within itself.   

Enjoy the map!

Fast forward to 17 March 2013:
An article of a Washington Post interview with PM Lee Hsien Loong was reported by The Straits Times. It was headlined as "Govt will need to be more open". It is a good article to read, as it gives people some ideas about what PM thinks about key issues for Singapore itself.

Somewhere in that long interview, in response to a question that his party has lost some seats in the recent 2011 election, PM responded that it is a different generation, a different society, and the politics will be different... They have to work in a more open way and that they have to accept more of the untidiness and the to-ing and fro-ing which is part of normal politics.

My thoughts
Something struck me is that, could the lost of seats be avoided if "crucial conversation" had taken place years earlier? Is the govt. taking corrective action now in order to avoid further losses in 2016? I believe it is. I don't think they want to lose more. But the guess whether the govt is doing enough or not is on everyone's lips. It is really difficult to satisfy people's wants. Any solutions? Better start to understand the aspirations of the people as early as possible.

Fast forward to 24 March 2013
An article in ST "Singapore dialogues 'have influenced policy making'" catch my interest again with regards to the topic of "crucial conversation".

It was reported that Mr Heng Swee Keat, the Education Minister admitted that [quote] it would have been useful if the consultation process for the recent Population White Paper published in January to a firestorm, had dovetailed with the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC). 

He was responding to the view, most recently expressed by PAP MP Denise Phua after the Budget debate, that the White Paper debacle lost the Government goodwill that the national conversation was generating [unquote]

My thoughts
Something struck me is that, wouldn't it be useful to discuss the long term plans of having a population projection of 6.9million during the OSC? More views, ideas, suggestions, could come up!

There is no shortage of all kinds of creative ideas during this Internet Age. Prof Gerard Puccio, the Chair and Professor of the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Bufflao State University, recently in a televised presentation on "Creativity as a Life Skill" said that studies have shown that it is important to have lots of creative ideas instead of having a small number, in order to have the best idea. Please view this excellent presentation if you have the time.

Could the govt have missed this  "Crucial Conversation" again by not introducing it during the OSC? It is important that as we mature, it may be good really to listen, search for the truth and invite comments and views no matter how bitter it is, rather than appearing like "it was bulldozing" as one ST reader pointed out. Could there be many more as the authors of "Crucial Conversation" suggest in their book of the same title? Would the opposition parties' views be taken into consideration in the Population Debate? Also, would the opposition parties be willing to participate in a series of nationally televised debate along with govt representatives, like what we had in the 1970's on having an all BUS SYSTEM vs an MRT SYSTEM before selecting. I think, a national debate of this kind would benefit all Singaporeans as eventually, it is a question of winning the hearts and minds of Singaporean. It takes time for people's mind to tune to what is best for Singapore. It may be good not to brush aside this "Crucial Conversation" on 6.9million Population Debate as Singaporeans could end up as losers. Participants for this propose debate could include representatives from the govt., opposition representatives as well as population experts / economists / futurists taking part in this nationally televised programme over, perhaps, 2months? BEFORE parliament sits and come to a consensus as to what is BEST for Singapore. What do you think? Thank you for reading.

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My Mind Map on EDB Chairman, Mr Lim Siong Guan's Speech to IES on 16 Sep 2008 at Singapore Management University

I was quite excited when I got news that Mr Lim Siong Guan, then Chairman of EDB, was invited to give the IES Charles Rudd Distinguished Lecture on the day he was made Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Singapore.

As far back as 1997, I knew that Mr Lim was very supportive of the creative techniques, such as mind mapping. Thus, I had no doubt that the lecture he would be giving would be very captivating. I was delighted that I was not wrong in my judgement!

He certainly gave an interesting perspective as to what he would say to people who tells him that Singaporeans "CANNOT"  (do it). His response to those people would be to "IGNORE THEM". He brought up the example that the simple thumbdrive that almost every IT personnel uses, was actually invented by Mr Henn Tan, (who won the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Special Achievement Award in 2010) [ CLICK HERE ]. He is a Singaporean and the Chairman and CEO of Trek 2000 [CLICK HERE]. Furthermore, Singapore is the top builder of, off-shore oil rigs in the world and many other examples

He also emphasized that solving problem should be in a FUN way. Please enjoy the remaining many interesting anecdotes in the mind map that Mr Lim shared with IES members.


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My Mind Map of Gina Ford's Baby Feed Schedule for 2 to 4 months old Infant

Another application of Mind Map.

I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to draw Gina Ford's schedule of feeds for babies of 2-4 months into a mind map so that one could easily follow the  feeding, napping, "pooping" and bath routine graphically.

I must add that Gina Ford proposed feeds schedule acted as an invaluable guide. The above 24-hour mind map had been modified to suit the baby's needs.

The mind map shows quite visually, a long interval of inactivity whereby the tired parents or nannies could have a peaceful night's sleep most of the time. I believe any parents taking care of their a baby would really appreciate this routine. Good luck.

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My Mind Map on Prof Nitin Pangarkar's Talk on "Achieving Cost Effective and Service Excellence" on Friday, 6 Oct 2006

I was attracted to this IPAM organised talk by Prof Nitin Pangarkar on "Achieving Cost Effective and Service Excellence" and decided to mind map the talk.

Basically, he was giving an interesting overview of what he has written in a book on the recipe for success in the public and private sectors. One of the examples he had studied into is Singapore Airlines, SIA for short. It is a well known fact that SIA is one of a few airlines in the world that is profitable, year after year. The factors are clearly stated in the mind map. Enjoy please.

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My Mind Map on Tony Buzan's "Laws of Mind Mapping".

I just love this Mind Map. It was one of the earliest Mind Map that I drew in accordance to the "Guiding Principles" that Tony and his brother Barry Buzan wrote in their "The MindMap Book". A must-read book for any person wishing to discover the secrets of mindmapping. The book is simple to read. The principles found in the book would provide essential guidance to anyone wishing to apply brain-friendly techniques that would enhance their love to mind map. Part of the secret of continuing to mind map is to motivate your brain of its immense capacity to absorb information.

I have used this mindmap guiding principles for more than 15 years. It has worked well for me in bringing a comprehensive understanding of how the brain works. Knowing how the brain functions will help many people to effectively optimise the immense latent potential/capacity of the brain.

This is done through the technique of mind mapping. Many people may not be convinced of how this could be realised. But, once you are suitably coached by an accredited mind map trainer, I strongly believe, your motivation will be so strong that it is difficult for you to be otherwise. Please do not hesitate to share/email me (lcblcb1@gmail.com) some of your thoughts on this matter.

Together, we could convince Education Ministers around the world to encourage their teachers and educationalists, to use mindmapping as one of the most effective teaching and learning tools. For a start, educationalists/trainers could use it to introduce a topic at the start of the lesson and then summarise the lessons learnt at the end of the class. I have been using it with lots of successes. The students love it! In future updates, I will include encouraging quotes from students who have been through my courses. They served as sources of "food" for my brain. Haha.

By the way, I revised the above Mind Map on 11 Feb 2001 to include the image of Albert Einstein as I always remembered what he said that "imagination is more powerful than knowledge". It is important to learn how to imagine even though you feel that it is not the best thing you like to do. Just by trying to imagine would help one in developing/enhancing their creativity quotient (CQ). Imagination is the foundation of creativity.

A memorable occasion:
I once had an opportunity to explain the above mind map to a group of educationalists, teachers and administrative staff from Wuhan Institute of Technology (WIT), China in 2009. They eagerly learned the principles of mind mapping and whatever examples and applications that I could teach them. The feedback that I received led me to believe that there is certainly quite a high demand of people wanting to know more about the use and how to apply mind mapping in China.

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My Mind Map on a Secondary 1 or 2 Math Function: 'Exponential and Logarithmic' on 12 June 2006

I was approached by my colleague, Ms Esther Chin Mee Yan for help in developing a mind map as a training aid for polytechnic students.

She did a wonderful job of providing me with the teaching materials as well as a summary of the gist of what she teaches her students.

The result of her hard work has provided me with lots of inspiration to help her mind mapped this topic on Exponential and Logarithmic Functions. 

The mind map provided a holistic view for anyone hoping to have a firm grasp of this topic and and do well in the exams.

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My Mind Map on Tony Buzan's "Developing Family Genius" Learning Tapes on 20 Oct 2005

This A4-size mind map summary of Tony's "Developing Family Genius" is definitely a must-see and must-do mind map for all mind mappers. It combines nearly 4 hours of recording by the inventor on how the Brain Functions, Memory, Speed Reading and How to Study in a Brain-friendly Manner.

I find it hard to duplicate the above material on an equivalent A4-size space, using any of today's mindmapping software! There are many essential features that needs to be incorporated into each software before it can come close to mirroring the uniqueness of a hand drawn mind map. I would be pleased if anyone could share an equivalent of the above drawn using a computerised mind map software.

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My Mind Map on Michael J. Gelb's Book on "Present Yourself" on Thursday, 20 October 2005..

This mind map on Michael J. Gelb's book was one of the pre-requisites for the Advanced Learning Strategies Course conducted by the Buzan Centres.

I drew it just before I left for Palm Beach, Florida where the course was conducted in October 2005. Little did I know that I was also flying head on to meet one of the few Category 5 Hurricanes (Hurricane Wilma) that developed just before I left Singapore.
My family was certainly worried about the Hurricane. But I took the chance of going as all my arrangements have been made and there was a chance that I would arrive in Palm Beach before the Hurricane arrive. To cut the story short, Hurricane Wilma came during the course, knocked out all electricity, etc.... and I managed to survive the wrath of a Category 5 hurricane. What a Von Restorff!

The mind map provides a good summary of the various issues that one needs to focus on when one is trying to make an impact during a speech or presentation. It may help one who is keen to learn these techniques from the master, Michael Gelb, himself.

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

My Mind Map on Kenny Yap's 9 Fish Approach Towards Total Business Sustainability / Survival.

I was fortunate to attend a total defence day event at the Singapore Discovery Centre on Wednesday, 10 July 2002. The highlight of the event happened to be a GOH talk by Mr Kenny Yap, the MD of Qian Hu Corporation Ltd. aka "Kenny the Fish".

Mr Kenny Yap, aka Kenny the Fish, certainly had a way of relating some principles of how he learn to survive the business world by studying some of the hardy features of 9 fishes, namely:
1) Arapaima - One of the biggest freshwater fish in the world. As in business, try to be a big fish like the Arapaima so that you would not be eaten up by others.
2) Cardinal Tetra - If you are small, try to swim in groups as the chances of survival as a group is higher. In business, think about merger, collaboration and acquisition.
3) Goldfish - Eat as much as possible during the warm weather where food is plentiful. Thus during a business downturn, ensure that you have sufficient reserves available to sustain yourself instead for folding up.
4) Guppy - Learn the survival skills of the Guppy. These are ornamental fishes that can be found in almost any drain or jungle stream.
5) Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Fish) - Have the fighting spirit of the Betta Fish in protecting its territory. Fight for your market share.
6) Arowana (Dragon Fish) - Survive to a ripe old age like the Dragon Fish whose ancestors are believed to have lived during the age of the dinosaurs. Ensure that your business has a succession plan. This is often overlooked in business. This is also critical for any organisation as well as government-in-power.
7) Lou Han Fish (Flower Horn Fish) - Extend your network by adopting the features of the Lou Han Fish with their lively and friendly approaches to customers.
8) Rainbow Fish - Do not forget to reflect on life like the colour on the Rainbow Fish without which, may prove meaningless in doing business.
9) High Fin Loach Fish - Finally, to survive and sustain in this competitive world of ours, learn to create niches for your business as the Loach Fish does in nature. The fish learns to eat whatever that is left on the bed by evolving or adapting its mouth so that it can eat / suck up directly from the bottom of the bed without much effort.

Each of these fishes has certain UNIQUE strengths that one can learn from so as to help one survive this competitive world of ours. Please enjoy Kenny-the-Fish's speech, one of the shortest, yet most impactful speeches that I have ever come across.

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