One of the most popular learning techniques for reading books and understanding the content is the MindMaps Technique. Developed and Popularized by Tony and Barrry Buzan, it urges the reader to use right and left brains for note-taking / note-making. In umpteen situations, we take notes / make notes and in all such instances, the mindmap offers a technique to understand, retain, recall and communicate effectively.

For example , if one was about to read a book, the Mind Map technique urges the reader to go through the following steps
1.  Browse the Book and create a mental image of the book and place the image at the center of the MindMap ( 10 Minutes )
2.  Set time and amount of material that one wishes to read ( 5 Minutes)
3.  Draw a quick-fire mind map on your existing knowledge on the book (10 minutes)
4.  Defining and MindMapping the goals ( 5 minutes)
5.  Overview  : Add main branches of the tree
6.  Preview : First and Second Levels
7.  Inview : Fill in the map details
8.  Review : Complete the MindMap

The aim of creating a MindMap is not to duplicate the author’s thoughts in the form of MindMap, but it is a question of organizing and integrating his/her thoughts in the context of your knowledge , understanding , interpretation and specific goals. Hence the Mind Map should included comments, thoughts, creative realizations arising from what you have read.