What I do
Before most meetings, interviews included I tend to make mindmaps to make the information I need easy to access. One glance and I get a cue as to what is going on and why. For interviews I create 2 separate maps, one map contains the meeting details and the second one is usually just a bunch of questions that I want to ask. I usually put more interview questions than I need and check off the ones I want to ask either before the interview or during the process since sometimes the questions I have get answered during the process. No point in asking the same question twice.

The Interview MindMap

The Questions MindMap

Get the files:

Customize and use freely. I add relevant information as needed to make it work. This map can be modified to accommodate other kinds of meetings as well. Download MindManager from Mindjet or use whatever mindmapping software you prefer.

(c) iStockPhoto/ayzek

In May, I took the two week course taught by Nancy Ancowitz on Self-Promotion for Introverts at New York University. I had heard Nancy speak on the topic in March as well which is why I decided to take her course. Seminars are great but I like taking longer classes as they give me the opportunity to spend more time on a topic, do more research and ask more questions after I’ve had time to think about the material.
Success is something most of us hope to achieve but without self-promotion we will most likely not achieve our true potential. As an introvert I know there is nothing I hate more than listening to someone brag about their accomplishments. It’s boring and obnoxious which is probably why most introverts hate self-promotion. We are under the misguided notion that self-promotion equals bragging.

It doesn’t.

Self-promotion is a dialogue not a monologue. Most bragging tends to be a monologue of one person trying to impress the other with his/her accomplishments. In most cases they aren’t interested in the other person at all and are dominating the conversation. Trying to sell themselves by any means necessary. Most people hate bragging.

(c) iStockPhoto/robynmac

Self-promotion is about being authentic, creating a dialogue, stating the facts without embellishment and creating connections. To do it well you must know what is holding you back from effective self-promotion. You must understand what makes you unique – your strengths and weakness, even your quirks.

It’s not about selling your soul to the highest bidder. It is about figuring out what you offer the world and letting the world know that you exist. Most people right or wrong prefer to work with people they like. Find out why people have hired you in the past or why they did for your current position. You can use that information in promoting yourself. Figure out what makes you great at your job.

I know there are parts of my job I love and there are others I hate so much I’d rather go to the dentist.

Being a visual learner I created a mindmap of the “Self-Promotion for Introverts” class recently. It contains what I felt were some important take aways. If you want to learn more you can take Nancy’s class in October, read her book – Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead or checkout her blog.

Download Self-promotion for Introverts Class Mindmap

My desktop was a mess. In trying to regain some control I decided I needed a more visual approach to the problem. I’m a very visual person and I hate having to use the menu system to find the applications that I need.

I got the idea of using a mind map for my desktop from the Mind Map Inspiration blog. The author of that blog Paul Foreman uses them on his desktop as well. I decided to give it a try my desktop was a mess anyway. What’s the worse that could happen?

So how does it work? First, you change your desktop image to be image of a mind map. I got mine from Paul’s blog.  Then I put the most often used applications in the center. I have to mention I also use Folder Marker so that I can change the icons on folders to know their importance. I put utilities on the black branch, blue is mostly imaging software, purple and green I’m still figuring out but the brown and gray branches are applications I don’t use that often. I’ve been using this desktop map experiment for a few days and I’m liking it a lot. I will probably need to customize the map more but I figured why do that until I knew if it would be a valuable tool for me.

Download the maps for free at the Mind Map Inspiration blog.

Below is an excerpt from Tony Buzan’s book How to Mind Map: The Ultimate Thinking Tool That Will Change Your Life

Just like a road map, a Mind Map will:

• Give an overview of a large subject or area
• Enable you to plan routes or to make choices, and will let you know where you are going and where you have been
• Gather together large amounts of data in one place
• Encourage problem solving by allowing you to see new creative pathways
• Be enjoyable to look at, read, muse over and remember

Mind Maps are also brilliant route-maps for the memory, allowing you to organize facts and thoughts in such a way that your brain’s natural way of working is engaged right from the start. This means that remembering and recalling information later is far easier and more reliable than when using traditional note-taking techniques.

What do you need to Make a Mind Map?

Because Mind Maps are so easy to do and so natural, the ingredients for your “Mind Map Recipe” are very few:

1. Blank unlined paper
2. Colored pens and pencils
3. Your brain
4. Your imagination!

For examples of hand drawn Mind Maps head over to Tony Buzan’s Mind Map Gallery