Some just don’t ever break free from the basics do they?

Some just don’t ever break free from the basics do they?

Some of our friends and colleagues whom we’ve introduced to the tools, methods and mind set of mind mapping at the basic level and through to graphical knowledge mapping at the intellectual extreme; well they frustrate the friggin hell outa me at times.

The basics of anything is a natural process though; isn’t it? And as much as their discovery of a new tool, and that deer in the headlights look many of us have when we see it for the first time; unbelievable as it is, many simply don’t break free of the basics at all.

I recall my first dip into the mind mapping pool, donkeys years ago; it was quite the experience and I had to get my water wings on.

The genesis; that beginning to our journey in and through and without a doubt becomes a maelstrom we must learn to navigate regarding tools, methods and the melding of mind sets.

Many we introduce; some (very few) become experts, even thought leaders, and many are stuck like the needle of a record player in a groove of their own making. That groove seems to be their comfort zone of repetitively reworking their maps to make them look even prettier. And the maps?; OMG they are an expression of how much they may have misunderstood how to use their tools and the potentials for getting past information and moving into knowledge mapping/management.

As I write this blithering article I am scanning some of our colleagues who publish mind maps. BTW I use the term mindmap as it’s a convenient term that is a mistaken yet mainstream understanding of an expression of graphical mapping (yes it’s an SEO curse). 

Some mind maps are damn impressive information overviews; yet most are like a plate of frigging spaghetti.

I really don’t get it regarding why some who obviously have the ability to understand aggregated data and to make it into a mind mapped graphical expression, only to lose the intention of clarity by presenting a plate of spaghetti to you, me and the world is a challenge to the intellect.

The number of WTF moments and sighs of “shit here we go again with the charts stuff” when I hear and see audience reactions to one of those plates. There’s even a place where you can join and share the hell out of your information overviews. I left that nonsense approach some time ago.

I get; the need for some of our colleagues to be loved within the pseudo arena of mind mapping and to be recognized as some kind of expert, guru and even thought leader within the mind mapping arena (not a real one btw).

But the continual repeat, repeat of formats and overcrowded mind maps that defy an understanding that enables a user to get past mere information overviews and into the knowledge management area (a real arena btw) is just bereft of meaning to me.

BTW; This phenomena of creating overwhelming, confusing and contradictory graphical expressions isn’t in reality a newbie thing at all. We have some of our seasoned visual mapping colleagues who use multiple formats of graphical expressions; and the overwhelming, confusing and contradictory presentations come from them too. I’ve even made up a few WTF maps.

So getting past the newbie phase is one challenge; yet the bigger challenge is to progress and navigate beyond the maelstrom of newbieizm (I know it’s not real word). That further challenge of a tendency of presenting overwhelming overviews that just, well; overwhelm. It is a conundrum to be solved.

Have you also experienced this phenomena of perpetual newbieizm that is seen in so much of the work of those we’ve introduced the tools, methods and mind set of mind/visual mapping to?

Have you assisted your well meaning colleagues to break free of that maelstrom of basicizm (yup another unreal word)?

It is a riddle (conundrum) to be solved; yet it is interesting in a psychological sense to understand and study why you, me and everyone else either continue to do this or used to, and have broken free of this practice.

I look forward to your particular take and experiences.

Feel free to blither and if you’re as good at blithering as me; it may be even be interesting.