Aug
09

Mind Web – Spinning a Web of Ideas

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Anyone who has had to give a presentation, write an article, create a training buy cheap Penis Extender Deluxe Gold online session or even give a quick talk to some children can probably quickly recall sitting in a dankly lit room, behind a desk covered with research material, a glazed look upon your face as you gaze at the stack of information you so desperately want to pull into a first rate piece.  You hope for some spark of genius, yet all you get is frustration and probably a headache.  You try harder and harder to pull together the words, thoughts and phrases to articulate your message, but your brain gives you nothing to work with.

 

Well, fear no longer for those days are over.  Today you are going to learn a technique that will pull out those ideas into a form that allows you to ‘see’ your message in a natural flow.  Once your see your message, writing that speech or presentation will come far easier than you ever expected.

 

I use this technique over and over again to create articles like the one you are currently reading.  The only downfall to this brain web or inspiration web as I prefer to call it is that I often get too many ideas and have to cut many of them out of the article I am writing.  But that is ok, for that leaves me with plenty of ideas for the next article, all ready and waiting for me to call upon them in a moments notice.  This even works for those times when you have only minutes before you have to stand before your audience.

 

So, let’s spinning a web of ideas. 

 

The tools you will need to create your web are a pen, paper, and a timing device.  Larger paper is better, but standard 8 ½ x 11 paper will do as well.  In the center of this sheet of paper, write the topic of your presentation and draw a circle around your words.

 

Now take a few deep breathes, and stand up, yes that’s right, stand up.  Hold your head high and look up at the ceiling.  Throw your shoulders back, and puff out your chest proudly.  And smile a really huge smile.  The kind of smile you would see on the face of a child before opening that wonderfully wrapped present on their birthday or on Christmas morning.  Feel those feelings, the excitement and the thrill of finding what is within the brightly colored wrapping.  Breathe fully and deeply while doing this.  Open your mind – remember that for now there are no rules, no limitations.  This is the time for no-holds-barred idea creation. 

 

Now, with those wonderfully energizing feelings pumping you up – set the timer for five minutes.  Sit down, grab your pen, and begin to write.  Write down every idea that comes to mind.  Write fast; do not let your pen stop moving.  Abbreviate so that you can get as many ideas down on your sheet as fast as possible.  What you will find is that you will be writing one idea and BANG the next one hits, then, before you even can finish writing that idea down, BANG another, then another BANG, and so on.  Write every thought that comes to mind, filling up your paper.  Don’t be concerned with spelling, grammar or neatness.  Make no judgments as you write during this five-minute period.  Only record the thoughts as they come to you. Your end goal right now is a vast number of ideas and thoughts.

 

While you are writing, circle each idea, and connect related ideas/thoughts with lines or even arrows.  Keep writing until the timer goes off.  Then relax, sit back and review your inspiration web.  Is it full of ideas?   It should be.  Did you make all the connections?  If not, make those obvious connections now. As before use lines, arrows or whatever you are comfortable with. 

 

Take a break, ten to fifteen minutes is a good period of time.  During this break get away from your idea sheet, and take your mind off of it completely.  Then come back and look at the page.  By now a few main idea threads will become obvious on your web of lines or arrows.  Identify three to five ideas (five maximum for the best audience retention) that you want to cover.  Highlight or color-code them so they stand out on the page.  Now you have your topic and primary talking points.  Your lines and arrows will guide you in your flow from one speaking point to another.  I guarantee by this point your piece is taking direction in your head and you will be quite ready to begin putting it to paper.

 

Use this inspiration web technique anytime that you need to give birth to some creative ideas.  This technique will work not only on coming up with speaking points for your main topic; it will work in problem solving, product enhancement and innovation as well.

Think Successfully and Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann
Today’s Top Motivated Coach & Author of Success Atlas Programs
http://WriteYourSuccessStory.com
http://SuccessAtlas.com

Related posts:

  1. Impromtu Speaking
  2. Focus on Your Audience
  3. 8 Steps to Easier Speech Writing

Comments

  1. krissy knox says:

    I have recently been introduced to this way of creating. In the blogging world, it is used to decide what post topics you want to cover for an extended period of time, or to develop a particular post. We call it “mind mapping.”

    Thanks for a great post and for explaining how to do the process.

    This is my first visit to your blog, and I love it. I’m gong to sign up via RSS!

    krissy knox :)
    follow me on twitter:
    http://twitter.com/iamkrissy

  2. tracybrinkmann says:

    Thank you Krissy – yes it’s called few different things depending on where you learn about it and can be used in oooo so many ways. So glad you are enjoying my blog – I look forward to hearing more thoughts from you and I’ll tweet you too!!!

    Tracy

  3. Marilu Nunez says:

    Wow, this is very useful. I’m in the process of training to becoming a mentoring coach and this information as well as everything else on your page is unexplainably inspiring, motivating and fullfilling to one’s life. Thanks for following, for tweetin with me today and thanks in advance for the ongoing and rewarding relationship I can see us having. Its been over 2 hours and I’m still reading your blogs! Just love it, consider me a faithful reader from now on!

  4. sinda says:

    Hi and thank you. i joined nanowrimo to write a novel and remember this technique from many classes. but one invaluable thing i learned is to make part of the list from your heart too. after your brain empties out…use your heart to make another map. you will be surprised every time. Thanks for helping me remember!

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