Did you know... "CSI Los Angeles" used a Mind Map in a recent episode.

The ThinkBuzan Training Centre is running a number of programs

• ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructor Pathway,
• iMindMap Leader Workshop
• iMindMap Advanced Instructor
• Advanced Creativity and Innovation Workshop
• Applying the Innovation Toolset
• Mind Mapping One-Day Workshop
• Memory One-Day Workshop
• Speed Reading One-Day Workshop
  
  Check out current programs, dates and costs at  www.thinkbuzan.com

iMindMap 5

Do you want to share Mind Maps with the Team?

Are you graphically challenged?

Love Mind Maps but your hand-drawn ones look crappy?

Get ready to master the all new iMindMap 5 - the only Official Mind Mapping software endorsed by Tony Buzan. 

Jennifer was in Dubai this year working with Tony and the ThinkBuzan team and is now fully accredited in iMindMap 5. 

At her hands on "iThink therefore iMindMap' workshops coming up in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth Jennifer will be giving participants all the hints and tips to get the most from iMindMap.

If you're ready to master Mind Mapping with software, be sure to get along to these courses now.  

Get iMindMap 5 now. 

Start Today to become a Buzan Licensed Mind Mapping Instructor

The next Australian/NZ Brain_Camp for people wanting to become accredited in Mind Mapping (hand-drawn and iMindMap) is being finalised

Did you know ... Your training and personal development begins as soon as your register,

You get immediate access to online material, and a Tony Buzan book to read and Mind Map. 

You can attend the Mind Mapping and iMindMap foundation courses in your closest capital city for free.

You also get personal feedback from Buzan Master_Trainer Jennifer Goddard on the Mind Maps you prepare for the Brain_Camp.

This ensures you come to the Brain_Camp fully prepared to become an outstanding_trainer in Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping and his iMindMap software.

More information on how to become a professional Mind Mapping Instructor through the Buzan Licensed Instructor program.
 
Gold_Coast, Australia -  2011 - Hurry, only 4 places left.

Contact Jennifer now (jennifer@buzan.com.au) to ask any questions and see how you can get started.
 

Thinking and the Brain are core to Business.

There are more and more covert and overt signs companies want you to think, be more creative and innovative.

 

CPA Australia have branded all their material "Think + Create"

The Happiness & Its Causes Conference 2011  cries "Think and be Happy".

To apply, you undertake a series of brain challenges before submitting an online application.

These challenges have been designed to demonstrate the skills they are seeking from applicants and are fun brain training in you have a few minute spare.
 

It feels like a new Mind Map program comes out each week - all with a different look, feel and usability.

We get many emails asking about the differences and if you have one product can you upgrade to another?

The core programs are :

iMindMap - the Official Mind Map Software from the inventor of Mind Mapping Tony Buzan. The only tool that fully and accurately replicates Tony's process that has proved so effective for over 250 million individuals in 150 countries.

It is available in three editions Home, Professional and Ultimate - offering flexibility in pricing and features.

This example of iMind Map is on how to speed read more...

www.imindmap.com.au

MindGenius - business mind mapping software that helps individuals and teams work with their information and ideas, gain understanding and turn it into knowledge before getting on with the required action, whether its projects, presentations, reports, meetings or problem solving. Launched in 2001 it has both a education and business version.

www.mindgenius.com.au

MindManager - Developed in 1994, Tony Buzan views MindManager as an early proforma type of Mind Mapping. Not recommended for true Mind Mappers due to the very linear nature of the program and its price.
 

Each program is developed by a different company and, with all software, you can't upgrade one because you have the other.

Usually, if you have purchased the software within a month or two of a new release you can get a free upgrade or pay a small upgrade fee.

Any questions ... info@buzan.com.au

TIPS FOR PROFESSIONAL MIND MAPPERS

iMindMap 5 is now available in four versions as well as fully online.

In preparation  Buzan Master Trainer Jennifer Goddard was recently in with Tony Buzan and Chris Griffiths, CEO of ThinkBuzan, to present the ThinkBuzan Licensed Instructor program.

Participants spent 4 days working with iMindMap 5, learning new features and how to effectively train others to get the most from the new software.

Jennifer will introduce participants to Version 5 in our iThink therefore iMindMap  programs in  Sydney (13 Apr), Brisbane (11 May), and Perth (6 June).

iMindMap 5 is a significant new version of the only Official Tony Buzan Endorsed Mind Mapping software, and this is your chance to learn from a Master on how to get the most from it. 

Bonus - attend Jennifer's Mind Mapping workshop in the morning, and book a seat on the iThink therefore iMindMap that afternoon for only $99 (normally $259).
 

Why not give Mind Maps a try now and compare
– 7 day trial Mind Mapping software Free

Download Trial

Download a 7 day free trial, with the full iMindMap Ultimate feature set, and when the 7 days are up you will have a free license for iMindMap Basic!

A small gift from ThinkBuzan to the world…

Check out iMindMap 5  and  get details on our public programs

Planning a Conference or Major Staff Event?

Want to make it highly Memorable and Action Oriented so everyone gets long lasting benefit from it - even those who couldn't attend?

We plan, organise speak at, facilitate and even MC conferences and events of all types, AROUND THE WORLD.

Last year we did all that for the Queensland Business Improvement In Government group, whom we are proud to worked with for several years now.

As MCs and Facilitators, we worked with the team to plan a truly memorable conference - they wanted all 200+ participants actually participating. 

Our solution was to have everyone explore and generate ideas to solve pressing issues with a series of short collaboration sessions using Zing Technology. 

Twenty groups of 10 participants brainstormed thoughts and ideas for instant capture and review. How? Each table had a Zing Keyboard.

Thousands of entries were made, with many hundreds of ideas generated.
 

Following the workshop, we worked with the conference organisers to produce an eBook on the conference, complete with the key issues and ideas captured via Zing as well as Mind Maps of every speaker (done by Jennifer using iMindMap). 

See this BIIG Conference eReport/eBook online for ideas on how to turn a good conference into a fantastically memorable and action oriented event. 

And if you'd like us to help with your next conference email bill@buzan.com.au,
we'd love to share ideas with you.
 

Ask him about the Speaking Insights we deliver at conferences. 

STUDY SKILLS TIP

Your ability to study and learn is without doubt the most important skill - yet it is amazing how few people understand even the basics of good study.

Students are acutely aware of the pressure to study, mostly just to pass exams, but few have more than rudimentary skills. 

Most adults believe when they leave school the pressure to learn is off, but nothing could be further from the truth. 

In fact more learning is needed in the 40+ years of work life, than is done in 16 years at school.

The Learning to Learn Skill Set involves a number of basic abilities:

• Reading - with purpose and an approach and speed appropriate to the content being read.
   
• Comprehension - understanding what you are reading, as you read it.
   
• Recall - retention and being able to recall information when needed.
   
• Information Organization - arrange new information in a way that makes it memorable and useable.
   
• Information Formatting - compiling information coming in/out of your head into assignments, business reports, blogs, emails, books etc.

How do you rate your ability with these 5 core areas?

Read Blog...

NEW EDITIONS OF TONY BUZAN'S MIND SET

One of the most common questions is "Which of Tony Buzan's 100 different books would you recommend"?

There are four 'must have' books which have been reviewed, revised and released - really!

• The Speed Reading Book
• The Memory Book
• The Mind Map Book
• Use Your Head

Special offer - buy all 4 books for only $99 (15% off)

One way to get your kids to think more is to involve them in simple thinking activities at home on stuff that interests them.

E.g. Planning a long weekend (such as a Public/Bank Holiday or Easter) with the family.

Here are two simple things you can do :

1. Do a group Mind Map on all the options, ideas, tasks etc

2. Give everyone post-it notes and a felt tip pen and give everyone a few minutes each to write down at least 10 things they want to do - 1 idea per post-it note. 

Because there will be some overlap, you then put up all the post-it notes on a large window or on the table and group them to similar themes (an affinity diagram).

More detail and Download Free Mind Tools Poster

Great e-book for kids

Mind Map used to set up a Rotary Interact Club

Use Mind Maps as much as possible in your normal day-to-day thinking and planning. This will not only save you time and enhance creativity but will increase your skill and show those around you many everyday applications for Mind Mapping. 

Here is a quick Mind Map that Jennifer created summarising a 50 page manual on how to start an Rotary Interact Club at our local High School / Secondary School.

Drawn in iMindMap it took less than an hour and was used to brief all stakeholders (parents, students, teachers, rotarians etc)

Download this week's bonus Mind Map

Have you done your Personal/Professional Development plan for 2011? 
 
Take 5 minutes now to think about all the areas you wish to develop and the things you would like to learn. A Mind Map is a quick way to dump all the ideas as they come to you - in any order.

I JUST TOOK MY OWN ADVICE AND SET MY IPHONE TIMER TO 5 MINUTES AND THIS IS WHAT I CAME UP WITH... Jennifer

Honestly only 5 minutes ... it took longer to include it in this website. .. Jennifer

The dates have been set for the 2011 Buzan Centre: Aust/NZ public programs - in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.

Continuing our popular half-day format the six programs focus on giving individuals the thinking and learning skills to be truly successful, and to support the growth and success of their organisations and in their lives.

These range from a new program called Computer Enhanced Thinking to stalwarts such as Mind Mapping and Speed Reading.

Check out the programs on  Buzan Centre Open Programs  and start planning your professional development for 2011.
 

World Memory Championships

For many months, across twenty countries, more than one hundred of the world's top mnemonists are practicing the ten disciplines that made up the 21st World Memory Championships  in Beijing, December 2011, There is no other test of memory so thorough and inspiring anywhere in the world.

This is the toughest and most international competition ever held. China, the largest team, are again the hosts for 2011 Competition, courtesy of the New Mind Team.

Germany are expected to field 12 competitors and Norway, India, South Africa, USA, Malaysia and UK will be represented.

Why a memory competition? you ask! It is our human nature to be competitive and strive for improvement.

Our own Jennifer Goddard, Buzan Master Trainer and Senior Arbiter, World Memory Championships, guided a group of volunteers who ensured things ran smoothly.

The 2011 World Memory Championships saw the re-released a series of 10 online videos to provide insight into just what they get up to in a Memory Championships.

These 3-4 minute videos are for those interested in competing, volunteers who adjudicate, journalists and others interested in how a memory championships is run.

To get insight into this fascinating mental Sport, go to http://www.fuzz2buzz.com/en/node/1054 .

To follow the event search #WMC or http://twitter.com/wmemorychamps

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Computer Enhanced Thinking

- iMindMap, MindGenius and Zing

While the development of Deliberate Creative Thinking skills is a main offering, we always look for new ways to enhance thinking with technology.

Of course, as the Buzan Centre: Aust/NZ we love Mind Mapping, and are pleased to see that both MindGenius and iMindMap have released new versions.

We use both products all the time for different projects and they really enhance productivity.

MindGenius 4

We first discovered MindGenius www.mindgenius.com.au  in 2001 when Jennifer was working in the UK. Bill and Jen met the developers in Glasgow and became big supporters of the software.

With the principles of Mind Mapping at its core, MindGenius 4.0 is a must have productivity tool to organise random thoughts, stimulate your creativity and create/share insightful information that you can share in a Mind Map, Organisation Chart (yes, even a List) or easily export to more comprehensive MSWord, PowerPoint, Project and Excel documents.


iMindMap 5 has taken Mind Mapping software to a whole new level.

The iMindMap gang have developed features that truly work with your brain, and allow you to export it in so many ways that even your toughest presentation are professionally completed.

You can organise thinking, create, learn and be empowered. We particularly like iMindMap for publishing great looking Mind Maps for conferences, strategic plans etc.

Even if you have a passing interest in Mind Mapping (there are now an estimated 250M people mapping worldwide) then you will want this software.

iMindMap's Instructional videos ensure you get optimum use very quickly. www.imindmap.com.au

Special Pricing for Upgrades available for international and Australian/NZ subscribers email us info@buzan.com.au  or in Australia: call 1800 060 982

ZING

Put an end to typing up endless butchers paper or post-it notes with ZING

What on earth is ZING??

Zing Portable Team Meeting systems are designed for real-time meetings anywhere. Utilising wireless keyboards, participants enter their thoughts on any topic enabling shared understanding, creativity and innovation.

We facilitate a variety of sessions including:

Business - Strategy development, problem solving, innovation, cultural change, project management, process innovation, requirements gathering, training and knowledge management.

Events - Conference plenary and break-out sessions, seminars, workshops and retreats. Send everyone home with everything captured in a document.

Education - Whole classrooms or small group work from K-12, teacher professional development, university tutorials, business syndicate meetings.

We have been using Zing technology in facilitation sessions for ten years and the latest hardware and software make it a powerful collaboration system.

Learn more about Zing http://bit.ly/zingtech 

See Zing in Action http://www.screencast.com/t/eBFfRoVe

For more information on any of these great computer enhanced thinking systems simply email info@buzan.com.au or call 1800 060 982
 

Tony Buzan DVDs - Master Class and Age-Proof Your Brain

Be sure to check out the Tony Buzan DVDs we created when Tony was in Australia.

The Age-Proof Your Brain is a 5 hour fully edited version of the fantastic full-day seminar Tony and Jennifer did at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and provides incredibly valuable insights into how you can stay sharp as you age - and aren't we all getting older faster (or so it seems)?

The Master Class set is 3 hours of Tony sharing the stories of how he started his lifelong passion to create a world that is truly Mentally Literate.

This is a timeless recording of Tony speaking directly and personally to a group of his trainers, and is like being a fly on the wall as one of the world's leading thinkers and teachers shares his insights with you.

More information...

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Tony Buzan in Australia

The Buzan Centre: Aust/NZ will again be bringing Tony Buzan to Australia in November 2011 as part of the Mind and It's Potential Conference

During this time Tony will work with organisations throughout the country.

To see how The Buzan Centre: Aust/NZ can work with you and make a real difference to your staff, please e-mail bill@buzan.com.au or call 1800 0600 982.

Here are just a few comments from his recent tour:-

"I could listen to Tony all day - in fact I did! Excellent event Thank you."
Carla Simpson, Brisbane

"Enlightening, amusing and attention grabbing"
Graeme White, Dept Health, Brisbane

Tony will only be available for a very limited number of corporate and government engagements so if you are interested, get venturous and contact us right away. E-mail bill@buzan.com.au now.

Leadership in Times of Crisis - thoughts by Tony Buzan

How can we develop leadership in times of crisis? Here are some thoughts by Tony Buzan in the lead up to his Australian Tour in May 2009 (more information)

"2009 is being proclaimed as the year of crisis, and if you read the business pages of any newspaper or magazine, and indeed some of the rushed-out books, two of the most common words in the headlines and the text are 'Panic' and 'Fear'.  If you look at all the different forms of capitals and currencies, you will find that they are all declining... The Currency of land - declining; Property - declining;  Oil - declining;  Stocks and Shares - declining.  

"There is one Capital which has never declined, and one currency that always increases if you invest in it: Intellectual Capital and the Currency of Intelligence.  2009 is going to see a paradigm shift in the way the world thinks about business. 

The shift will be from the old industrial models to the realisation that it is Intelligence - and by this I mean the Multiple Intelligences - that are going to be the focus and indeed the creators of future wealth. Among those Intelligences, Creative Intelligence is likely to be the prime survival mechanism.

"Many great fortunes have been made - not, surprisingly, in times of boom; they have been made in times of bust.  How can this be so?  In the following way:  during a time of crisis, many new opportunities arise.  While the Bulls and Bears are stampeding in panic and fear across the financial plains, those who can THINK can overview the situation and see where those opportunities are being exposed.

"Once again we return to Intellectual Capital and the use and application of the Multiple Intelligences to take advantage of what is on offer. Again, only those who can THINK will be able to work out the strategy by which they can actually grasp those opportunities.

"Another relevant metaphor is that of an ancient forest destroyed by a major hurricane.  While it is disturbing to see the destruction, that very destruction allows the ground beneath the uprooted trees, for the first time in 200 or 300 years, to receive the energy of the sun.  This energy almost instantaneously gives rise to an entirely new growth from the seeds that have been in darkness for so long, now exposed to the energy which allows them to grow.

"In times of crisis, opportunity is there for everyone.  It is only those who can lead, and who are thought-leaders, who will be able to grasp the many opportunities that crises offer."

For more information on Tony Buzan touring in Australia, contact bill@mindwerx.com

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