PERSONAL BRANDING Mind Map/Infograph
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Personal Branding
Let’s start with this premise:
Everyone should consider themselves to be Self-Employed!
There are very few “Lifetime Jobs,” positions taken with a company when you graduate, and retire from thirty or forty years later.
Lifetime Jobs existed generations ago. Those days are gone, and unlikely to return. Today’s reality is we must consistently hone the skills we have, and add new ones to that inventory. The goal is to become, and be recognized, as an EXPERT!
• We like to work with EXPERTS.
• EXPERTS command more money for their products, services, and skills.
Hand-in-glove with being an EXPERT and Self-Employed means we need to promote ourselves.
Personal Branding is one of the main ingredients in this effort.
The above InfoGraph depicts the many ways Self-Promotion/Branding should, and can, be done. These are my Branding Efforts, and the template can be used for yours.
This Mind Map/Infograph, is explained on one of my other websites, HERE
I do a lot of Mind Mapping, and use it for a variety of tasks.
- Strategic Planning
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making
- To-Do Lists
- Vacation Planning
- Developing, Practicing and Delivering Presentations
- Coaching Business Clients and a Host of Brain Related Activities
I have found the expression, “Two heads are better than one,” really does apply when using Mind Mapping for some, if not all tasks. The main reason for this is that you’re too close to your own work. You are emotionally involved and it’s tough to stand back and ask yourself tough questions. It’s hard to ask yourself new questions, also.
Here’s a personal story that illustrates this:
I was sitting at my computer one day and received an email from a good friend asking a question. I can’t remember the question, but I knew the answer so I typed it into the email and clicked the “Send” icon.
Several minutes later, I received a one word response from him: “WOW!”
I looked at that for a moment and thought to myself, “What’s WOW?” I typed that into the email and sent the question back to him.
Probably ten minutes later I received his answer, which had a profound effect on me. It read:
“Sometimes you’re so close to your own knowledge base, that is so wide and so deep – You don’t know what you know!”
Think about that statement: “You don’t know what you know!” It’s true for each and every one of us!
The fact is,
“Your everyday could be someone else’s payday.”
“Your everyday could be someone else’s Ah Hah! moment.”
If you’re Mind Mapping alone, you probably won’t keep probing with questions to yourself like, “What else?” and statements such as “So what.” Another person, if they’re trained to, will keep digging at you to literally and figuratively get everything on the same Mind Mapping page. They’ll see qualities, good and not-so-good, in you that you can’t see looking in the mirror.
I always tell prospects and clients that if We Mind Map together, We will develop the maximum number of ideas and solutions to their opportunities and challenges.
What are you so close to that you don’t see?
Mind Map Your Dream Board and. . .
By · CommentsAchieve those Dreams!
One cool use of Mind Mapping is the Development of your Dream Board.
A Dream Board can be considered a visual representation of goals. Often people will get a large sheet of poster board and paste pictures from magazines and other sources that represent goals. Mind Mapping software makes this activity really easy.
“Seeing is Believing” and seeing those objects of our desire embeds the impression in our sub-conscious and, with repeated exposure to the Dream Board, increases the odds we’ll “see” ourselves reaching those goals.
The objects don’t have to represent material goals. In the Dream Board below, I’ve included volunteer work, giving, and spiritual objectives.
A good friend mentioned Vision Board, another term for Dream Board, to me recently.
That reminded me of one I’d done a few years ago. I found it and posted it here. Read More→
Mind Map: The Fear of Public Speaking –
By · CommentsNuggets to Neutralize the the Fear NOW!
Click on Mind Map to Enlarge
This Mind Map was developed for a Presentation to be delivered to an Open House at a Toastmaster Club.
Read it by starting at 12:00 and going clockwise.
“See” how much easier it is to look at an icon vs. black and white text. I “know my stuff” so I just need a reminder of each nugget.
I won’t go thru the entire presentation, but here are a few “Nuggets.”
1. You are not alone! 75% of the population suffers from glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. It is a word, not a disease, and it can be controlled!
2a. You really never want to get rid of the butterflies in your stomach. A little nervous energy is good. You want those butterflies to fly in formation!
2b. Never, Never, Never tell the audience you are nervous. They will be looking for it and it could become a self-fulling prophecy.
3a. Arrive early at the event to Meet & Greet people who will be in the audience. You will be amazed at how much easier it is to present to people you’ve already met.
3b. Name Tags make the Meet & Greet much easier. They close the gap between people by reaching out and pulling you in.
More information at “No Sweat Public Speaking!
WHY a Mind Map rather than PowerPoint?
By · CommentsHow about This: Simple and Easy to Understand!
34 Power Point Slides or 1 Mind Map. You Choose!
Here’s a perfect example of why you might consider Mind Mapping your presentation to an audience rather than using slide after slide.
I just consulted with a company that was announcing it’s New Vision to all employees. They had prepared 34 slides, with graphics, that explained everything in the New Vision.
The slides were not great, but OK. (The branding on practically all the slides added clutter. Clean & Simple is the mantra for slides. Very little text – Good! Few bullet points – Yea!)
One of the challenges with the slide show was that it wasn’t easily understood how the entire plan fit together. There was not a picture from above showing all the relationships.
Mind Mapping the presentation shows the BIG Picture. This is important to all concerned so they see how all the pieces of the New Vision fit together.
The main parts of the Mind Map are shown in sequence, then the accompanying subsets. When the next component is show, the other subsets disappear so attention is drawn to what is being discussed.
The final Mind Map slide shows how it all fits together!
A Beautiful WORD CLOUD of Mind Mapping
By · CommentsA Word Cloud is a neat way to look at Mind Mapping!
This visual, showing some of the many use of Mind Mapping, was made with Wordle. Try it!
My Mentoring Minute Mind Map –
Getting Back to Basics
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I’m in a MasterMind Group that meets once a week.
Each week, one of the members delivers a ‘Mentoring Minute of the Week‘. It was my turn today, and I developed this Mind Map for that purpose. (My description is below the map.)
CLICK to Enlarge
“Let’s get Back to Basics”
in our personal dealings with
Prospects, Clients, and Business Associates.”
- Return phone calls
- Reply to Emails.
- Even if it’s just ‘Thanks’, reply to each legitimate Email you receive.
- Write ‘Thank You’ Notes. Make them the old fashion kind that are actually hand written by you, placed in an envelope, and mailed to someone who did something to benefit you.
- Confirm Appointments the day before they are scheduled.
- Get to all appointments early. (If you’re not five minutes early, you’re late!)
- Thank people who give you referrals and update them on the progress of those referrals.
- If it turns into business for you, consider sending a gift card with your ‘Thank You’ note.
- Pay invoices in a timely manner.
- Limit the amount of ‘Free Consulting’ you give and you ask for.
- This is how many of us make money. Our time and advice is our stock in trade and those giving it should be compensated.
All of the above seem obvious to many. But, trust me, you will stand out from others when you do them!
Use a Mind Map to Show Those Relationships!
Click to Enlarge
People learn differently, and there are three learning styles.
- Some are Auditory Learners.
They need to hear something. - Others are Kinesthetic Learners.
They need to feel something. - Many are Visual Learners.
They learn better by seeing something.
Usually a person’s learning style is a combination of the above, with an emphasis on one of them. The more learning styles your message communicates, the more likely the recipients of that message will Get It!
A Mind Map visually shows those relationships. Even if someone you’re communicating to is not primarily a visual learner, the use of this visual will reenforce your message and increase the odds they will Get It!
Looking for ways to make a Good Mind Map –
Better?
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There are Lots of Ways to enhance your Mind Map.
- Color
- The lines and objects can be color coded. This makes it easy to differentiate between the different sections of you Mind Map.
- For instance, I use the following coding for many maps
- Blue – Personal
- Red – Problem Areas or Potential Problems
- Green – Opportunities (Green – the color of money!)
- Black – Business
- That simple coding has served me well for many years. It allows me to see those four large aspects of each day on one map. Read More→
- For instance, I use the following coding for many maps
- The lines and objects can be color coded. This makes it easy to differentiate between the different sections of you Mind Map.
Make a Personal/Professional – Life/BusinessMind Map!
We live in busy times. Most of us have lots going on in our personal and professional lives.
Click to Enlarge
A Mind Map allows us to:
- See the BIG Picture of everything that’s going on.
- Prioritize tasks.
- The ability to √ check things off as they get completed.
- Plus add tasks to be done as they arise.
All of that ‘stuff” in one place keeps us Read More→
