Increasing your retention rate..

Mind mapping techniques are an effective way to learn anything better whether or not you are speed reading. This article will introduce you to a simple way to begin using mind mapping techniques.

Mind mapping was developed by Tony Buzan as a tool for visually organizing information into an easy to view map. Its widespread popularity is a testament to its effectiveness. Creating a mind map is simple. You can use paper and pen, or there are some wonderful software products available.

The first step to use while speed reading is to quickly preview a chapter in the text. Then determine the main theme or idea covered in that chapter. Next draw a circle in the centre of a blank sheet of paper. Inside the circle write a few words that summarize the main theme of the chapter. Now you are ready to begin filling in your map.

Continue to read the material, and look for the main categories within the main theme. Each category is drawn as a branch coming off the central circle. Draw the name for that category on the line that represents this branch. As you continue reading, look for the main concepts linked to each category. Each of these concepts is drawn as a branch off of the category line. It is labelled with a few words that describe the concept. Then continue drawing branches for each new level of detail.

When completed the map looks a lot like a tree. The main trunk is the theme for the chapter at the centre of the page. The largest branches come directly off the main theme, and have the smaller branches coming off of them.

I love mind maps because they allow you to see how ideas are connected to each other. It makes it easier to write detailed reports when you understand these connections. It also enables you to visually see information as a pattern rather than a list of words and phrases to be memorized.
Since speed reading is highly visual, this ability to see the patterns in a chapter quickly, and then depict them as a picture enables me to retain and recall vast amounts of information both quickly and accurately.

Try it, you are going to love it!

Wayne Mansfield
PowerRead - Speed Reading for Business