If you want to engage in a deeper study of the principles, applications and possibilities of visual mapping and visual thinking, here are 8 books that I have personally read and recommend:

The Mind Map Book: Radiant Thinking – Major Evolution in Human Thought by Tony and Barry Buzan: This book does a better job of explaining the principles behind mind mapping – and why it’s such an incredibly powerful tool – than any other book I have ever read. It’s filled with engaging insights and tips, which I devoured when I first read this book. During the past few years, I have extracted several of these tips on this blog, including posts about:

• Creating more powerful first-level topics for your mind maps and
• Buzan’s concept of basic ordering ideas.

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam: The premise behind this book is simple: anybody with a pen and a scrap of paper can use visual thinking to work through complex business ideas. Everything in the book is broken down into steps, providing the reader with tools and rules to facilitate picture making. This is a fascinating book that I highly recommend.

I just discovered that Roam recently published (just a few weeks ago) a companion workbook, entitled Unfolding  the Napkin: The Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures. It helps readers put Roam’s principles into practice with step-by-step guidelines. It’s filled with detailed case studies, guided do-it-yourself exercises, and plenty of blank space for drawing. I plan to pick it up and will write a post about it in the near future.

Marks & Meaning by Dave Gray: This unique “book in progress” (sort of like an alpha or beta version of a piece of software) is available via print-on-demand service Lulu.com, and is an evolving exploration of visual language, visual thinking and visual work practices. Dave’s entire focus is on helping today’s information worker (that describes just about all of us!) to understand how to present information visually, in a meaningful and compelling way. The book is chock full of hand-drawn information s and examples, which I found to be quite interesting. It contains blank pages, where you can add notes and insights gained from it. Dave also provides some very compelling explanations of his visual thinking theories. It’s a work in progress because Gray really wants readers of it to give him their feedback and to add their ideas to it – making the final product a stronger, more comprehensive resource. Click here for my review of Marks & Meaning.

Idea Mapping: How to Access Your Hidden Brain Power, Learn Faster, Remember More and Achieve Success in Business by Jamie Nast: This excellent book teaches the basics of how to capture your ideas using “idea maps” – basically, mind maps that are focused on recording your ideas.  While it tends to focus on hand-drawn maps, the principles and outlines are valuable for anyone doing software-produced maps, as well. In addition to teaching readers how to create idea maps, the book also covers topics such as applications of idea maps and how to use them in a team setting, and it also includes a number of maps produced by real-world business people. Click here to read my review of it.

Thinking Visually: Business Applications of 14 Core Diagrams by Malcolm Craig: If you are interested in learning more about the larger context within which visual mapping fits, then you will really enjoy this book. It gave me a deeper appreciation of some of the theory behind visual diagramming and why it is so effective as a business problem-solving tool. Visual tools covered in Thinking Visually include system maps, mind maps, relationship diagrams, and tree, influence, input-output, control, fishbone and force field diagrams. Finally, Craig offers contains a wealth of practical advice on how to use the diagrams to manage information overload. Craig’s writing style is highly accessible and informative. Put this one on your must-read list! Click here for my review of it.

See What You Think! How to Work Better and Faster with VisiMap by Norah Bolton: This e-book is filled with practical examples of mind mapping in action (both hand drawn and software produced). Norah believes that visual mapping represents a new “language” for communicating ideas. Seen as a type of “language” for representing ideas, visual mapping literally makes it possible for us to consider our ideas in powerful new ways that aren’t possible when they are represented in the conventional linear fashion. Click here to read my review of it.

Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software: This is a popular e-book that I wrote. It summarizes business applications and best practices for utilizing mind mapping software, and contains a wealth of ideas, tips and strategies that you can put to work today to increase your effectiveness and efficiency – no matter which software program you use. I didn’t include it in this list to give it a shameless plug, but because it has been a popular resource for visual mappers during the last few years.

What books do you recommend?

The book is structured into three main sections: part one is an introduction to diagramming, part two focuses on applying core diagrams and part three focuses on managing information, theory and pitfalls.  The author opens part one with an overview of business diagramming and its applications, including these common business needs:

• Problem solving
• Producing ideas
• Writing reports
• Understanding a process
• Working in groups
• Mining for knowledge

Craig provides some compelling theories that help to explain why it is a potent tool for executives challenged by complex business issues. He also explains at a high level what some of the core applications of business diagramming are. I found this part of Thinking Visually to be fascinating, because it gave me a deeper appreciation of how business needs and challenges are different today, and how visual diagramming can be used to address them. This section of the book also contains a chapter on drawing, reading and interpreting diagrams, including common lines and shapes used in business diagrams and their function.

Part two of Thinking Visually takes an application focused approach to diagramming, concentrating on six key areas:

• Mapping the business: the system map, the mind map
• Relationship and influence: relationship diagram, tree diagram, influence diagram
• Control in business: input-output diagram, control diagram
• Thinking about causation: multiple cause diagram, fishbone diagram, sign diagram
• Diagramming for change: force field diagram, window diagram
• Thinking about flow: flow diagram, the algorithm diagram (which diagrams flow as a series of questions and yes/no responses), ring diagram

Part three of Thinking Visually contains a wealth of practical advice on how to use the diagrams to manage information overload. Craig correctly points out that one of the major challenges businesspeople face today is how to separate meaningful information from a mountain of inputs, research and data. He points out that most businesses don’t make good use of available knowledge, and suggests that business diagramming can help us to do so more effectively.

Conclusion

When I picked up Thinking Visually, I was expecting something dense and theoretical, but found Craig’s writing style to be highly accessible and informative, and over 60 illustrations add an important visual dimension to this important book.

I like the fact that Craig doesn’t attempt to position visual thinking and business diagramming as a panacea for all of the challenges that businesses face. He actually devotes a chapter to eliminating some of the pitfalls of diagramming, and coaches the reader on how to avoid them.

If your work involves process mapping, innovation or any use of visual aid depicting knowledge, information or data, then I highly recommend that you read this book!

Buy Thinking Visually from Amazon.com