How to use mind mapping in social care
By Engage

Mind Mapping is a really useful technique in the initial stages of planning any kind of project related to social care services.  Often there are a lot of different factors to take into consideration and its hard to know where to start.

For example, you’ve received funding for a new project so you need to look at how this fits with existing services and what new elements need to be put in place.  Or you’re introducing a new policy or procedure, and you’d like to see how this might impact in different ways, what changes will be needed, what resistance might be encountered.

By using Mind Maps you can quickly identify seemingly random issues and create a visual structure which helps you move forward with the project.  You can see how pieces of information fit together or how unexpected links can be made.

Another benefit of Mind Maps is that they can be effective mnemonics. Remembering the shape and structure of a Mind Map can give you the visual cues you need to remember the information within it – much more effective than taking notes.  Doing a Mind Map can be a  group exercise too, leading to a shared way of working which values everyone’s contribution and assumptions.

Here’s how to draw a Mind Map of your project:

• Write the title of the project in the centre of the page, and draw a circle around it.
• Draw lines out to subheadings related to the project
• For each sub heading, think about further issues and draw lines out from the subheading lines
• Finally for individual facts or ideas, draw lines out from the relevant heading line and label them

These are some suggestions to help develop your Mind Map:

• Use single words or simple phrases for information
• Print words so they are easy to read
• Use colour to separate different ideas
• Use symbols and images – a picture is worth a thousand words
• Use cross-linkages to show where one issue relates to another

Useful reading:

Buzan, T. (2005), The Ultimate Book of Mind Maps, Imago, Thailand

Carolyn Barber, Bsc (Hons), CQSW, is the founder of Wayfinder Associates, a social care training and consultancy business specialising in research, team development and management skills. Carolyn has over 25 years experience in social care as practitioner, trainer, researcher and manager, working across public, voluntary and independent sectors. Carolyn is a GSCC registered social worker.

For more information about research, training and consultancy services, go to http://www.wayfinderassociates.co.uk