Mind Mapping For Dummies

Step 2: Recalling background knowledge

You may often read textbooks on subjects you already know something about or have already worked on in the past. It’s rarely the case that you know absolutely nothing about the subject concerned.

You should try to recall this background knowledge in these two preparatory steps. The aim is to put your thoughts and knowledge of the subject down on paper and to reactivate your knowledge in this way. This will make reading the book and establishing new mental connections easier. It goes without saying that you can use a Mind Map when putting this material on paper.

So, take a fresh sheet of paper and marshal your thoughts in a Mind Map, just like I demonstrate in Chapter 5.

You don’t need to produce a perfectly structured Mind Map on your topic at this stage. So, don’t worry too much about its precise structure but try to recall what knowledge you have and put it down quickly onto paper or screen.