I’ve been exploring various creativity techniques lately, and one of those is mind mapping. It’s getting a lot of play these days as a way to exponentially increase not only the number of ideas you bring to a concept but also the connections between ideas that breed even MORE ideas. You start with one thing in the middle of the map—a goal or the name of a project, for example—and then start branching out with activities, concepts, or themes you associate with it. Ideally, by the end you will have not only numerous branches, but also a web of connections that lead to even more associations. It’s a great way to brainstorm that gets away from making a list on a flip chart.

A blog post Rosetta Thurman did about a year ago (and tweeted about again last week) on mapping your professional development got me wondering. How could mind mapping unstick us from thinking narrowly about our professional development? In the video below, you can watch me take on that exercise. Just imagine how many ideas could be generated with a few more hands in the frame! There is free online software out there—like Mindmeister—that can help you make a pretty mind map, but I decided to go old school marker-on-paper for you.

Note: It will be a lot easier to read the mind map if you watch this video in FULL SCREEN.

Disclaimer: The ideas, groups, and individuals on my mind map are ones I brainstormed in the moment and are in no way endorsed by YNPN-TC over any you might come up with!

Thanks: To Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris. Some of the ideas that ended up on my mind map came from their book How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar.