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GRASP A BETTER IDEA Tony Buzan talks about why mind mappins and thinkins creatively is relevant for social service providers

World-renowned inventor of Mind Maps, Mr Tony Buzan, has worked with most Fortune 500 companies in the world during a career spanning over 30 years, but he has a soft spot for the social service sector.

Some of the pioneer mind mappers on the planet were special-needs students I was teaching in the 1960s in London," said the ex-teacher, who had first tried out

, the memory method on his students.

B k ^ . , Mr Buzan was the keynote • 1BP '•• speaker at the NCSS Members

C o n f e r e n c e o n 7 September 2011. He inspired over 500 people f rom the sector to maximise their brain power and creativity. Considered one of the foremost experts in the field of creativity, brain

development, innovation and thinking, Mr Buzan talked to Rapport after

the full-day event, during which he gave two addresses, one on innovation and the other to introduce the GRASP model. He was also one of the judges of the NCSS Pitch for creative ideas and solutions proposed by VWOs.

He was particularly impressed with one of the winning pitches by the ADA, which proposed using iPads to stimulate the minds of those with dementia, via games, photographs and various applications. Senior citizens in its day-care centres view photographs and play co­ordination games.

Said Mr Buzan: "One of the hallmarks of a brilliant creative idea is that after it has been invented, discovered or created, it seems obvious and simple, leading to the expression, "Why didn't anybody think of it before?" Using iPads to stimulate the minds and lives of people with Alzheimers was inspiring."

One way of harnessing great ideas is via Mr Buzan's GRASP model. "G* for generative thinking which helps people to seek alternative ideas to problems, 'R' for reactive thinking which Mr Buzan stressed should be proactive and not reactive. 'A' for analytical thinking, 'S' for selectively thinking about which ideas generated are the best and 'P' for pro-active thinking which does not assume that there must be a problem before people put on their thinking caps.

"The GRASP model teaches participants how to use Mind Maps to stimulate and generate thinking in order to seek alternative solutions, to transform analytical thinking models into Mind Maps and make more effective use of (these) strategies," explained Mr Buzan.

Mr Buzan has observed that those in social services are keenly interested in the brain because of the conditions they work with - from dementia to autism and ageing to self-abuse - are mental in nature. Mind Maps, he said, can be used to "enhance thinking about anything that a social organisation needs to think about", from brainstorming to project management to negotiation.

It could also play a role in altering perceptions. For instance, Mr Buzan noted that the word "elderly" is often used in the same breath as "disabled, weak, disadvantaged, under­privileged". He said: "Age is clustered with all the ills and ailments of body and mind in society. And what we think is what we become."

Mr Buzan noted that in the past, however, the elderly were thought of as the elders, wise and revered for their knowledge and wisdom. "The whole society is out of joint. What they should be doing is mining all that experience," he said.

It would be safe to say he is living proof of that.

EXAMPLES OF MIND MAPPING IN SOCIAL SERVICES Interestingly, Mind Maps have proven to be very effective with the social service organisations he works with. He said: "It improves the academic performance of dyslexics, engages and frees from prison many autistics."

1) Teachers teaching children with autism in Australia have used Mind Maps to communicate with them. In one instance, a 12-year-old girl who had not communicated for 10 years "talked" about a vacation with her family via a Mind Map which she had just learnt to draw on the computer. "Her mother was in disbelief when the headmistress informed her," said Mr Buzan. "That was the first time in 10 years the girl had ever communicated anything to anybody. The words and vocabulary used in the Mind Map were high-level and it showed the girl with autism had been absorbing everything. She continued to communicate through Mind Maps and eventually began to talk," Mr Buzan added.

2) The Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) uses digital Mind-Mapping software as a brain-storming tool. Learners with dyslexia often have difficulties with writing, planning and organisational skills and this tool simplifies this process for them. Within minutes, the software allows learners to encapsulate their ideas in a colourful map with attractive graphics without having to be too concerned about other complexities of writing such as spelling and grammar. The software increased their chances of producing a beautiful piece of writing. Indirectly, their self-esteem is also raised.