How to Use a Mind Map to Solve a Safety Problem

Mind maps are an increasingly common method of problem solving, both among professionals and students. By laying out information in a creative, intuitive way, emphasizing the importance of certain concepts over others, and the connections between those concepts, mind mapping provides a more organic method of problem solving. Mind maps are deliberately more representative of our own brain's mechanisms, compared to a more linear approach, such as writing a list.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Colored pens

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Instructions

• 1

  Write down the safety problem you intend to tackle. If the problem is "overcrowding"', write that word in the center of your blank page and circle it.

• 2

  Free-associate words and concepts connected with your problem. Free-association is the process of letting your mind wander, naturally, without trying to force it down a certain path. Incredibly important at this point is to understand that there is no right or wrong answer. Write down whatever comes into your head.

• 3

  Use a different color pen for each concept that comes our of the central problem. For example, if the original problem were "overcrowding", you may have "too many people" coming off the central problem in red, and "narrow corridors" coming off in green. The initial concepts that come to your mind should remain close to the periphery of your central problem.

• 4

  Start to free-associate ideas connected with your initial concepts. For example, off "narrow corridors" you may have "extension needed" or "free-up space." And coming off "free-up space" might be the idea "remove lockers."

• 5

  Do not try to force a solution. It is likely that the the ideas coming off some concepts link that concept neatly to another one. This process of connectivity is integral to mind-mapping and is similar to the way synapses and connections are formed in our own brains. If you get stuck, go for a walk and come back fresh to the problem.

• 6

  Keep generating ideas until you arrive at a solution. If the page is full and you still do not have a solution, look back at the ideas you have come up with. Pay attention to which colored strands connect with others. The solution to the problem may well be in there, but you need to stand back from your map to realize it. (An example mind map is included in the resources section.)