Mind mapping has its origins______. [originaltext]F: Hello, Professor Malone. I’

F: Hello, Professor Malone. I’m glad to have you in our studio to talk about mind mapping with our listeners. Would you please explain to us what mind mapping is exactly?
M: OK. Mind mapping is a new and effective way of organizing one’s thoughts. It is often used in business, to record notes at a meeting, to plan a project, and to prepare for a presentation, etc.
F: Then what are the origins of mind mapping?
M: Mind mapping has its origins in the results of research into the human brain. To put it very simply, brain cells have a central body with a lot of "branches", rather like the branches of a tree, which radiate from the center or nucleus of the cell. The "branches" carry the information transmitted by the cell. All along the branches are bundles of chemicals that carry messages. As a message is passed from brain cell to brain cell pathways are formed, which create a kind of memory map. It is said that the more pathways that are created, the more efficient thinking becomes.
F: How interesting! I guess it must have something to do with people’s remember once of things.
M: Yes, you are right. There are two of the most important aspects of memory, which are association and emphasis. The brain has a kind of database of information. When we learn something new, we tend to store the new information by associating it with something we have already stored. It is easier to remember something new if it is stored in this way. We also easily remember new things that are emphasized as being unique or very important.
F: Would you please tell us how a person creates a mind map in his brain?
M: Sure. Mind mapping is a graphic technique used for note-taking, preparing projects, etc. Instead of writing everything down in a linear manner, the mind mapper produces a graphic "map", which may have a similarity to networks in the brain. Like a brain cell, every mind map has a central point. This can be an image or a word. This is the main focus and it represents the main subject of the map. Then, the most important themes connected to the subject branch out from the central image or word.
F: It seems a little complicated to me, but please go on.
M: There are then smaller branches linked to the main ones. All the branches form a connected structure. The mind map also uses the ideas of association and emphasis thought to be so important for learning and memory. To draw a mind map, you need to be aware of associated facts and also of hierarchies so that you know what to emphasize in your map. So, the first thing to do is to decide on your central subject, then to draw the main branches, which represent the important themes. Then you can add the sub-branches.
F: Professor Malone, you have talked a lot about mind mapping. I’m sure there must be a lot of advantages of using mind maps.
M: Yes, certainly.
F: Gould you tell us some of them?
M: Sure. Mind maps help you to focus on key words and concepts that often become hidden in linear notes. They help you to store related facts together and to be aware of hierarchies. They are helpful in decision making because they allow you to look at all the complex and interrelated information you need to consider. They also help you to organize and plan your objectives for a meeting, presentation or project. Mind maps encourage creative thinking and can help in problem solving because they encourage you to think of all possible aspects of a problem and various potential solutions.
F: Thank you very much, Professor Malone. We’ve quite appreciated your talk and learned a great deal from you. Thank you again.
M: My pleasure.