It may never be the new rock and roll but for many people professional study is probably more important.

Of course many of us are required to study – and to keep on studying. CPD, for example, is here to stay and is mandatory in most professional membership bodies. Furthermore, if you are working in a fast moving industry, you will be required to take those qualifications that equip you to work safely and efficiently in that environment. But many of us also take on formal learning voluntarily. We know that qualifications give us an edge and we want to develop a wider portfolio.

So what’s the best way to study? I don’t mean the best way to get through exams. I mean the most efficient way to capture and recall knowledge as well as the best way to juggle all the priorities we have.

The answer is Business Mapping which not only provides professional students with a way to manage their work/life balance, but which ensures that essential new learning has the best chance of sticking. As to how it works, there are two distinct elements to this process, planning and action, and although Mind mapping is clearly integral to this approach, it isn’t the only aspect that needs consideration. The techniques of speed-reading also play a major part here.

Planning your study

In his recent book,’The Extraordinary Reader’, Clive Lewis brought together the most powerful aspects of speed-reading with Mind Mapping, to help people in business who consistently have a large amount of reading and learning to complete. Such a method is of course particularly relevant to those who are engaged in formal learning and here is an outline of what Clive has proposed:

• Set clear objectives. Too many people try to cram their studies or squeeze them into a day which is already over-crowded with activity. This is not an effective way to study. Instead, students need to be clear at the outset about how much time they will need to study, the amount of material they can expect to cover in the time given’ and the breaks they will need along the way to help them maintain concentration and consolidate what they have just been reading. 
• Step two according to Lewis is for students to Mind Map what they already know about the topic they are studying. This initial Mind Map sharpens the mind and prepares the brain to attach the new information to what the student already has, thereby aiding understanding and memory. 
• Step three is for the student to conduct a Rapid Pre-read of the material he or she is covering. This could be a book, a report or any sort of study aid. The technique is for the student to allow themselves ten minutes to view every page, marking the sections that are most relevant. It’s also important for the student to avoid going over those areas that they already know, sections which are weak or material that doesn’t apply – but rather to spend their time on areas in which they want to build their knowledge. 
• Finally the student then goes back to their Mind Map and builds on it – adding any key themes or associated ideas that build a more complete picture.

Into action

The planning activities above are, on their own, a powerful catalyst for learning. Studying is a multi-layering process and in this approach that is reflected by applying a series of techniques which build up knowledge and consolidate understanding:

• The action phase of this approach encourages students to pre-read the material again – but this time to pay particular attention to results, conclusions, tables, statistics, sub-headings, dates, italics, capitalised words and graphs. This ensures that the big themes are covered and that supplementary perspectives are given attention. 
• A quick skim read is next, whereby the student flicks through the material looking for additional information not covered in the pre-read. In this skim read the student is especially looking to build on the data they have assessed as important, so that they have a clearer view of the overall context of the material. 
• The requirement is then to speed read the relevant parts of the material. However speed-reading isn’t about rushing through the pages. Rather it is about varying pace so that when detailed understanding is required or technical information needs to be absorbed the student can slow down their reading - but when they are going over ground they already know their reading speed can be increased. The key here is for students to ensure that they have covered any problem areas and answered any questions. 
• Finally, the student then completes their Mind Map as their review vehicle to which they can refer in the coming days and weeks.

This then is the core of the process for formal learning but there is a further application of Mind Mapping which is of specific relevance and benefit to those people who are required to take exams.

Mind Mapping is quite simply the easiest way for students to gather their thoughts and represent them on one page. This of course is ideal when you only have a short timescale, as in examinations, when you have to structure your thinking clearly – and indeed many examination boards award extra points to students who show their answers have been planned. And such structuring will also help those who need to plan their time under exam conditions, because it can identify at a glance what themes need to be covered.

So if it’s true that we are all eternal students, then here at least is a way to take the grunt out of the process. Indeed whether it’s in the study phase, or under exam lights, Business Mapping should allow people to tackle new learning with more confidence and perhaps even give them more time to rock and roll.

Our Advanced Thinking and Learning Workshop (Mind Mapping, Speed Reading and Memory Techniques) provides you with the strategies and skills you require to master information. This is available in London and Manchester or as an in-house course. Find out more here.

You can learn more about our Mind Mapping courses, workshops and seminars here.

Find our more about Speed Reading training here.

Mind Map® and Mind Maps® are trademarks of the Buzan Organisation.
INSEAK® is a registered trademark of Illumine Limited.

Tags: Business Mapping (Training), Effective Speed Reading™ (Training), Learning and Studying, Mind Mapping, Speed Reading

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Assimilate, Illuminating Newsletter Features, Learning and Studying, May 2008 - Learning at Work Day Special (Business Mappi, Memory, Mind Mapping, Speed Reading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.