Mind mapping meeting notes: How do you do it?

I am excatly the same. I use Mind Maps to run my life yet still persist in linear note taking when in meetings. I think this is probably for the same reasons you list. I'm not going to beat myself up over it though. It seems to work for me, and that's what counts.

I take rather free-form notes. I'll sometimes type in a simple editor (MacJournal) or scribble notes with a pen and pad, but the pace and loose organization of most meetings I attend doesn't allow me to really think through connections on-the-fly. If needed to clarify my thinking or discover ideas that might have been missed, a mind map could come in handy after the meeting, but during the meeting? I'd find it too distracting.

At 63, I too worry about not being able to remember details if I don't make fairly copious notes. But having found that when preparing talks (I must confess these are sermons) (computer-generated) mind maps have enabled me to return to preparing the brief notes I used to make in my youth, I have tried using (hand-drawn)mind maps for taking notes at meetings and found that firstly I could note more details with a mind map than with linear notes and secondly, in spite of my rapidly decreasing brain cell count, I could remember the meetings at least well enough to generate quite full minutes.

I've no idea how this works, but it works for me.

So far I've avoided using a computer in meetings because, having sat in a meeting while someone else used one to make notes, I suspect it is disruptive for other attendees. If I did use a computer, it would be to create a mind map rather than something like the MS One Note which I've just acquired and already become very cross if not furious with.

I've used both methods for notekeeping during meetings. The most success I feel I have is when I am taking notes in classes or small group sessions. I like the way the mind maps make it easy to draw connections between seemingly different topics or if something was discussed 30 minutes later.

I have used mind maps for some one-on-one meetings with my staff. I would basically prepare an "outline" mind map of the agenda/topics to be discussed. Then, as the meeting progressed, I could add to each branch as appropriate - due dates, to dos, etc. I found this made it very easy to make sure everything got covered, new stuff could be added on the fly, and connections were easy to see. And then when reviewing later, it was easy to assess progress (e.g. by checking off/crossing out nodes) - kind of like I do when writing something very long and use a mind map to outline the structure.

I have not yet given it a try during weekly staff meetings with my boss. Maybe I should try sometime.

All of these are handwritten and thus far I leave them handwritten. Just haven't found a tool I like for electronic. I think it would be really nice to have a tablet that I could draw the mind map with, but obviously it would capture it electronically (and maybe clean it up a little bit).

Oh dear. Out of all the ways that "mind mapping" has been squeezed, stretched anbd twisted over the years, note-taking is the one thing that it remains really good at. And not software, but hand-drawn maps. This is the only place that the "one word per branch" rule really works to your advantage.

If your meeting includes important information (e.g. the date of a customer visit), then while recording vital facts is common sense, there is also evidence to show that you can be either attentive or write detailed notes - but not both. Overall, you are likely to get more from the meeting if you write less, because you can focus more on what people are saying.

You don't have to draw attention to yourself with coloured felt tip pens and A2 paper. A normal pen is fine. You are not trying to memorise the meeting for unaided recall, but capture the key points without sacrificing your participation and interaction. A laptop and software are definitely the wrong tools and will take your focus away from what is being said, as well as everyone else's.

The key is to review a hand-drawn map soon after the meeting to extract essential information and actions. You will probably surprise yourself at how efficient a mind map is at bringing things back to mind that you would have otherwise forgotten, but it needs to be done within 24-48 hours.

I'm not a fan of the notion that Mind Mapping is a transferable and shareable technique, but personal note-taking with paper and pen are its defining application.

For some types of meetings it might help to have a mind map template to give some structure to your notes. (May be similar to Jeff's "outline" mind map)

I found some examples on biggerplate.com that could serve as a starting point for creating your own template that works for you and the meeting style.

http://www.biggerplate.com/viewmap.asp?id=787 http://www.biggerplate.com/viewmap.asp?id=717 http://www.biggerplate.com/viewmap.asp?id=437

Obviously there is more flexibility if you do this with software.

If you are doing hand-drawn maps for the meeting you may need to use more than one sheet of paper.

You could use one sheet for the overview and another sheet for big chunks of details that could overwhelm your map. To connect the 2 or more sheets, you could use superscript numbers on the overview map to point to the big detail chunks like footnotes.

EIther way, you can always transfer linear notes or your hand-drawn maps to a software version after the meeting to clear things up.

Chuck

I have been taking notes at meetings with MindManager in ink mode on a Tablet PC for 5 years. I have only a couple of dozen hand drawn mind maps in my blank A5 pad. I have recorded hundreds of meeting this way.

This is uninstrusive compared to using a keyboard. The ink mode allow fluid note taking. I have experimented with pen flicks and the Windows tab tip. It's slower and distracting, you tend to correct the text as you go.

I try to stick to keywords but I do write the odd quote. Combine this with a few map parts, some preset resources, a set of map of markers specific to the meeting type and you can get a lot recorded in a meeting.

Maps can be left in ink for personal use. MindManager creates five guesses for your ink in hidden text and the ink maps can be searched. I don't do a instant conversion of all the ink to text but use the topic by topic process. Some ink to text conversions produce either hilarious or gobbledegook results, so it's best to give yourself a chance of reading your handwriting. This process also allows you to add additional information as it comes back to.

I do publish my meeting notes as public records of events. You can see many examples of this on the http://www.conferencereaction.co.uk site. I have been recording and publishing the Entrepreneurs World meeting speakers for a year (some have been kept private) http://www.conferencereaction.co.uk/Entrepreneurs... obviously some work goes on after the meeting to produce these maps. Hopefully they give non-attendees an idea of what happened and the links take you to more detailed sources about the speech.

In another example I was quietly typing at the back of the room. I printed a mind map out at the end each session over the two days of this meeting and they went on the wall. The following week they were all in a web site on the clients intranet. The content is private, so it's just a description of the process.
http://www.conferencereaction.co.uk/FTSE100GroupM...

Hope this inspires some others to give it a go.

I do use mind mapping to take notes and find it extremely effective. First of all, the discipline of listening for the key words or phrases helps me focus on what is most important. Second by only writing down key words I am writing less and paying attention more. I used to miss parts of what was said because I was still busy writing down the previous thought.

I use a pad of newsprint paper that is 9 x 12 and turn it sideways.

Hi Chuck,

Personally, I think choosing when to mindmap depends on the audience, whether or not you plan to distribute your notes, and the topic being discussed. Like you I'm a big fan of using mindmaps for notes during project planning meetings, high-level brainstorms, and software design discussions.

For most usual business meetings, I tend to just jot down quick written notes in my notebook. I'm becoming more of a fan of keeping my laptop closed during discussions since it can prove to be a distraction when important conversations are underway. In some cases I either take these written notes and incorporate them into my mindmap dashboard, or track them as tasks in my GTD system. For meetings where I'm the facilitator (esp. where my team is involved) I like to start the meetings with a mindmap rather than a Powerpoint presentation, and add notes as the meeting moves along. I'm not sure there are any hard and fast rules for this, just keeping in mind context and whether or not mindmaps are the most effective medium for getting things done.

BTW, If you're interested I wrote up a blog post on this a while ago echoing some of the comments

here:

http://eric-blue.com/2007/08/15/mind-maps-and-not...

Hi Chuck,

Like some others, taking meeting notes is actually one of my main uses of mind maps. Having tried several ways of taking notes, mind mapping is my favourite. It allows me to draw out the key themes from a discussion as they emerge and to link contributions made by different speakers - both trickier to do with linear notes. I find it easiest on a computer (I currently use a MacBook and iMindMap), but it works on paper as well, as others have said. There have been many meetings over the years where mind mapping the discussion was key for me to get to a successful result!

Nick

Hi Chuck,

I use MindManager for meetings I run with my direct reports. It may be difficult to describe in plain text, but in short, this is the process I use:

- Notes are available for everyone on the server;

- The last meeting notes are in the file named "next_meeting", so it can be edited and/or reviewed by participants prior to the meeting and new subjects can be suggested. Moreover, you have the history of previous meetings, so people can give feedback on their open loops. Once the meeting is finished, I just save a copy of the file using the date ex.: 100221, so we have a complete history for each meeting;

- The file contains a chronological list of subjects to be covered (the template is always in blue ink) and I take (or my assistant takes) notes in black ink. A topic may leed to tasks, which are opened and assigned directly within MindManager using the Outlook link: people receive tasks in their Outlook and the trace of it is preserved in the notes and it can be reviewed during the next session. The notes file is cleaned-up on a regular basis, once tasks are completed and/or when topics are closed (history is preserved anyway).

I have implemented this method several years ago and I find it very useful and efficient.

Hi Chuck,

I've got to say, of all of the applications I use mind mapping for, taking meeting notes is up there as one of the top ones.

Why?

1. It helps me to remember what was said (very much a core benefit of mind mapping in general)

2. It is significantly quicker than any other method at my disposal

3. Meetings tend not to run in a linear fashion, so my notes can jump around as we move from topic to topic.

I appreciate that not everyone feels comfortable either using a latop in a meeting, or having someone else in the room who is doing so. However, if you say to people at the start of the meeting "I'm taking a few notes on the laptop because that's what really works for me", generally people are okay with it. Better still, if you are the one leading or guiding the meeting, people find it fascinating and useful to see the meeting, comments and actions taking place before their very eyes.

Also, it brings efficiency to the table by eliminating a step. So often someone says at the end of the meeting - "ok, I'll go away and write this up and distribute the minutes and actions". WHY? You can do it all in one go, on screen with an agreed consensus and send it out before people even get back to their desks.

As time moves on, folk are going to have to get used to people using laptops and tablets in meetings but even mind mapping on paper is worthwhile for meeting notes.

A

For some meetings I prepare by doing a map in Mind Manager. I then use this to take handwritten notes during the meeting. I don't fiddle with Mind Manager during the meeting, cause I can't talk, chew gum and type at the same time.

I use a pencil to mind map during meetings (easier to update and change with the eraser!). In planning discussion meetings I put a the legal pad on the table and start mapping. Towards the end of the meeting I pass the map to the participants to make sure that we covered everything. Using a pencil allows them to freely make suggestions, changes or add new ideas without feeling that it is "written in stone". With a pencil it easy to expand balloons, reroute arrows, correct the spelling, etc.

If there appears a need to "write it in stone" then I will convert the hand written map into an electronic medium. I usually use FreeMind since almost all other mind mapping software can import its file format.

I have been using Mind Maps for taking notes during meetings for years, primarily hand drawn mind maps in my moleskine notebook. I find it freeing, I capture the critical points of the meeting, I can relate topics to each other and most important I can add a topic back to the appropriate branch in the map. Most business meetings, workshops and conferences still tend to jump around a bit especially when participants ask questions after or during to clarify a point. The downside is searching these notes later to find what I am looking for.

I have also used Mind Manager quite a bit to take notes in a meeting, but how I use it, varies. I like using my Fujitsu T4220 in slate mode, for informal meetings where typing on a keyboard would be a distraction. At formal meetings with other technical people, using the Fujitsu in notebook mode works best, because the majority of the attendees have their notebooks open as well.

Either way I do find mind mapping notes in a business meeting works for me.

Thanks everybody for your interesting comments,
I usually mind map the most important meetings I attend.
It focuses my attention and makes time much more productive. I get more inspiration and am more active, with more and better proposals. I recently posted in BURUMAPAK (meaning mind maps in Basque) some lines about note taking: http://burumapak.blogspot.com/2011/04/notak-hartz....

Now I translate the main points:
I feel more and more comfortable mind mapping "life". Practice makes it much easier than it used to be. 4 colour pens are helpful. The radial structure has so many advantages for note takng! Same with images, icons and plain key words.
Then, a quick overview will make me recall the main points and my tasks after the meeting.
Here more hand made mind map examples: http://burumapak.blogspot.com/search/label/adibid...
Best wishes from Bilbao!
Eleder

I've been MindMapping since the '70s but not in meetings or pesentations. There I use NotesTM (see http://clc.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=445... as described in Bobbi de Porter's 'Quantum Learning' 1992.

If necessary I convert my notes to MM format later.

My daughter does the same.