Tag Archives: Productivity

Are Mind Maps Effective Coaching Tools?

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I’ve been interested in mind maps since experimenting with them as a teacher in the early 1980s.

Of course it was pencil and paper back then – which made editing colored maps a real pain.

Still, there remains something uniquely creative about the low-tech way and I continue to use it for my own impromptu idea sessions.

Nowadays there are a fair number of free and commercial mind mapping software tools available for use on a PC – with MindGenius as my software of choice for business planning, product creation and some client coaching exercises.

Here’s an example of a very simple MindGenius map I created which outlines a coaching process used by a fantastic business coach, Christian Micklesen:

Your-Career

With face-to-face career coaching, I’ve noticed that a paper or software mind mapping approach can be very effective for those clients who are ‘visual’ and/or ‘kinesthetic’ learners.

For example, we can explore the personal vision and goals the client is most interested in, gather this information in a simple mind map format – and then use that for client fieldwork (fancy name for homework lol!) and follow up.

However, when the client’s on the far end of a telephone is where the laptop or A4 mind mapping approach has a teeny weeny problem…

There are tools available to share mind maps online in real time and the image below is something I created in 5 minutes while checking out http://bubbl.us

Online-Mind-Map-Bubbl-Us

This is not (AFAIK) a collaborative real-time product where client and coach can share and update the same map.

If you know of any online real-time collaborative mind mapping tools, please leave a comment and let me know.

Here’s to exciting times ahead for online collaborative coaching tool!

- Mark McClure

PS – March 2012 Update:
This short video about mind maps and self-coaching may give you some ideas:

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Self Coaching For Career And Life Change

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OK, time for an update on my “invisible target” post.

Thanks to Geoff Roberston over at total self improvement for his vote. I’d dropped the ball on this and forgotten to close comments on 23 February.
Lucky I didn’t!

So the invisible target on my desk now has something to visualize around – and to keep taking action on until the product is physically created and available for customers to purchase.

This is what I see so far:

1- The product is a CD or DVD.

2- The idea is to help people self-coach themselves on the career and life change path they want to follow.

3- This is not a replacement for personal coaching – but a useful and affordable supplement to help people follow through on turning dreams into reality. (now there’s a conundrum..!)

4- The working title is “Self Coaching For Career and Life Change“. If you can think of a better one, just leave a blog comment. I’ll send you a free copy of the CD if I use your suggestion.

5- If you want to be one of 3 “review testers” of the product, just leave me a track back comment on this post from your own blog or web site.

(I will accept most legitimate and relevant sites – my decision is final on whether your site meets that criteria.)

As a review tester I will give you time limited access to an online version of the product once it is in beta stage. In return, you agree to send me constructive criticism and feedback by email within a couple of weeks on how to improve it.

Comments close on this post Friday 9 May.

- Mark McClure

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The 5 Minute Crush

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For the past 10 months my weekday morning routine kicked off with a leisurely breakfast around 8am, followed by a walk in the park with Kuri.

Not so Monday 18th February.

On that morning I wrote the outline of this post while riding the 8:11am train to my 6 month consulting IT gig.

Or rather, it was 8:11am when I thought of what I would be writing about later – because the train was too crowded to do anything but adopt an “upright meditating sardine” pose.

Actually, compared to the 90 minute 1-way commute on 3 different lines back in 1997, this 40 minute shunt’s a doddle.

Standing room only all the way but “sardine time” is a mere 5 minutes between 2 busy stations.

That’s just about long enough to do my current version of Betty Erickson’s light trance exercise.
(Remember to only do this type of self-hypnosis when it is safe to do so – and certainly not while driving or about to drive. I consider riding a train to be low risk!)

Most likely I will give myself suggestions for blog ideas to gestate during the working day – with the plan being to draft them on the homeward journey, and post at least one that evening for future publication.

Looks like the optimal way to continue to honor the intention I set for myself here, and I will be interested to see how it works out over the next few weeks.

Have you had any recent changes in direction, detours, or temporary alterations in your career planning?

Feel free to share and comment below.

- Mark McClure

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Time Choices

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There were 3 questions I left you with from this post on
time management.
Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Q1- What’s on your DoTO list right now?
A1- Setup Al Secunda interview schedule.

Q2- What’s your current IHTD project?
A2- Create an inventory of the software I’ve bought in last 3 years.

Q3- What is your Project1?
A3- Create next info product

How about you?
- Mark ‘Time lord‘ McClure

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Invisible Target

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There’s a plastic stand on my desk, just to the left of my monitor, which can hold 5 CDs.

That’s originally what I bought it for.

invisible target

But after my “giving up” session I had no need for this one and was thinking of recycling it too.

Then the thought came to me that my goal of “publishing 6 information products” in the career coaching market would include a number of physical products.

Two of them are shown in this photo:

  • The Goal Creation Maps CD course
  • The IT Career Engineer’s Special Video Report

The third product is not a physical one – it’s a coaching service.

(Oct 2011 Update: The two CD courses above are no longer available for general sale.)

That leaves 3 products.
And wouldn’t you know it, the CD holder can fit in just 3 more CDs!

So, I have my goal visualization tool sitting right on my desk. All I have to do is to ‘see’ that empty space filled up with 3 more CD or DVD cases.

Of course I want these products to be of tremendous benefit and value to my customers and clients (only a minority of customers become coaching clients, which is as it should be.)

Some ideas for future products are:

  1. Procrastination and Career change.
  2. Self-Coaching For Career and Life Change.
  3. The Spiritual Workplace.
  4. Creating Your Dream Career.
  5. Mid-Life Career Change.

Feel free to leave a comment here with your first choice product from the 4 above – or suggest one of your own.

I’ll start work on whatever gets the most votes – with mine being the casting vote in event of a tie.

Please comment before end of 23 Feb 2008.

- Mark McClure

[Updated - Comments on this post have been closed as of 30 March 2008.]

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