It has been a number of years since I had initiated putting together a mind mapping conference here in New Jersey, and today I was talking to my good friend and visual mapper Wallace Tait about the possibility of setting up a mind mapping conference so that we convene and share ideas. With the economy in its current state we need to bring innovation and ideas to the work that we do whether it is in the public or private sectors. What better way to kick-start this year then by planning to convene interested participants who want to explore how we can put mind mapping to use in the work that we do.
I have spoken to Wallace about the idea for an Unconference -whereby we pick a time and place and build the agenda the day of the conference based on your needs. This model has worked really well in the educational marketplace and is one that could work well for us. At the Unconference we could learn about new and innovative ways that people are using mind mapping in the work that they do, whether it is academic, personal, or business related. In this spirit, it would be great to have some corporate sponsorship that could take care of some of the expenses and be a host for the day. I for one think that a mind mapping conference is long overdue and hope that some of the leading companies in this arena will find value in this idea and step up to the plate to make this a reality. I know that Wallace and I are willing to put the time in to see that it happens. If you are interested in making this a reality please feel free to contact me. All the best and Happy Mind Mapping!
I had a chance just this week to reconnect with Richard Parslow, the developer of Goalscape, a unique and innovative goal setting and planning tool for the Mac and Windows computers-who shared with me some of the new development that are taking place. Richard talked about Goalscape Connect their new online tool to create goalscapes when collaborating and working with teams. To access Goalscape Connect all you need is a browser and a connection to the internet and a Goalscape account. With an account you can begin to create a new goalscape to help you visualize your goals and subgoals. Goalscape lets you set up a central goal in the center of circle with your subgoals fanning out around the central point. With Goalscape, it is very easy to see your progress and add notes and resources to each goal and subgoal. One of the key points of using Goalscape is that you can rate the level of importance of each goal and subgoal and begin to realize that if you spend more time on one goal you have less time to address another. Once your goalscape is set up you can quickly get an overview of your progress and see what needs to be done.
As humans we are all goal driven and being able to concisely articulate our goals helps us to know how and where we are going. I just started back teaching an advanced graduate course in assistive technology and asked my students to use Goalscape Connect to chart their own goals for the course. Last week I introduced them to Goalscape Connect and we did some hands on work with it. For their assignment, I asked them to use Goalscape to develop their goals for the course to help guide their learning. Understanding the principles of Universal Design for Learning (multiple means of engagement) it is important even for adult learners to have them to identity their own learning goals and objectives to help drive their learning. This week I will get a chance to see what they have accomplished with Goalscape Connect and give them the opportunity to drive their own learning. What can be more motivating that that?
As an extra treat, I have invited Richard Parslow to speak to my class via Skype to share his insights for developing Goalscape- I for one am looking forward to that. If you would like to click here for a trial of Goalscape
About a month ago I had the chance to speak with Richard Parslow from Goalscape about his unique software application called Goalscape which runs on both Windows and Macintosh computers. Having been in the field of psychology and education most of my career I am very aware of just how important it is for us to set goals. Without goals, I know for myself, I am less focused and don't nearly accomplish as much as I know I can. I was just reflecting on a mind map that I created about a year ago that laid out some of my goals for the year. Having my goals visible and spelled out allowed me to see where I was going and what I needed to do to get to my desired objective. When I first set my eyes on Goalscape I was fascinated with the user interface and just how easy it was to use. Goalscape makes a lot of sense as a tool to chart one's goals and to assess one's progress.
I had a chance to interview Richard so that you can learn more about the company and their fine software product, Goalscape. What follows is Part 1 of my interview with Richard Parslow a principal in Goalscape.
BSF: Tell us a little about the Background of your company
RP: Professional sailor Marcus Baur came up with the idea for Goalscape when he was preparing for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He needed a way to communicate with his crewmate and coach about everything they needed to do in every area. Crucially, he also wanted to be able to identify priorities for all the work; and record progress. The original implementation was a hand-drawn version of the Goalscape goal map. Marcus always knew though that he wanted to implement the Goalscape format in a software tool to provide a proper rich display and enable dynamic updates.
BSF: How did you get started?
RP: We produced an initial Java prototype and used it to generate interest in some key markets: sports coaching, business consulting, life management. We sold enough copies to pay for the next stage of development (AS2 version) and progressed from there to the current implementation (AS3 on AIR).
BSF: Who are the principals?
RP: Marcus Baur, Richard Parslow, Emmett Lazich and Malav Shroff
BSF: What re their respective backgrounds? RP: Marcus Baur Managing Director, Germany Marcus is an Architecture graduate. He sailed the 49er skiff class professionally for 12 years, representing Germany at two Olympic Games. He also won 3 European Championships and medaled twice at World Championships.
Emmett Lazich Head of Development, Australia Emmett is another ex-professional sailor. He coached the 49er Olympic Gold Medalists at Sydney 2000 and has twice coached World Championship winners. He is also a software expert and built fault-tolerant systems for Hutchison Telecom in Australia.
Richard Parslow Marketing Director, UK Richard has a background in financial markets and corporate software. He is another World Champion sailor and coached the Team GBR 49er squad from 2001 to 2006, during which time two different teams won World and European titles.
Malav Shroff Director, India Malav was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and joined McKinsey as a consultant. He is a past President of the International 49er Class Association and is now a successful entrepreneur with several strings to his bow. He also competed at the Athens Olympics.
BSF: Tell us about your position at Goalscape?
RP: I work closely with Marcus on all aspects of the marketing: messages; customer communications; website and presentation text and images. I also negotiate deals with our major corporate customers, play “user from hell” in product tests and do first-line customer support.
BSF: Tell us about how you got started with Goalscape
RP: Marcus showed me the original Goalscape prototype at a 49er World Championship where he was competing and I was coaching. I had worked on software development and other projects and I immediately recognized the power and simplicity of the Goalscape display. Shortly after that we set up a company to develop the concept and market the software.
BSF: Who are the intended users?
RP: Anyone who has ambitious or complex goals! Individuals, companies, consultants (in any field), sportsmen, coaches, clubs and federations… even politicians (should they dare to be clear and transparent!).
The degree of motivation in any project depends on the quality of the goal. Putting goals at the center of attention and making them available for discussion increases the quality of such goals.
Good goals make you money, great goals make you happy, compassionate goals help others, but the best goals do all of the above.
BSF: What is the market you see for such a product?
RP: Goalscape is ideal for providing a visual breakdown of any information structure or project, so it is inherently a cross-market tool… Since human beings are inherently goal-achieving creatures, the market is everyone! For now though, we are focusing on Consulting and Executive Mentoring; Sports and Life Coaching; and Presentations.
BSF: Please share with us about the latest release of Goalscape
RP: Goalscape Desktop standalone software (on download) is on version 2.2.1582.610; and Goalscape Connect (for online collaboration) is on version 2.2.1596.173.
Features
Features common to both Goalscape Desktop and Goalscape Connect include:
• Visual model of any information hierarchy, with unlimited number of levels and nodes (goals)
• Clear display and easy adjustment of Relative Importance (size of slice) and Progress (shading)
• Project work planning: Responsibilities, Timescales, etc
• Shows the overview in a single, easily understood image
• Captures detail as Notes text or attachments (any file format)
• Simple to understand, easy to use (no training or even manual required)
• Full video tutorials embedded as “infopoints”
• Simple restructuring using drag & drop
• Color-coding
• Standard hotkey shortcuts
• Smart Search function
• Spellcheck
• User-definable text fields
• Full support infrastructure: as well as the integral ‘infopoint’ video tutorials there is a full online Help package and a very active customer forum.
It has been a number of years since I had initiated putting together a mind mapping conference here in New Jersey, and today I was talking to my good friend and visual mapper Wallace Tait about the possibility of setting up a mind mapping conference so that we convene and share ideas. With the economy in its current state we need to bring innovation and ideas to the work that we do whether it is in the public or private sectors. What better way to kick-start this year then by planning to convene interested participants who want to explore how we can put mind mapping to use in the work that we do.
