Rally the Team: How to Create a Cool Office Culture If you’re a new manager, it’s now your job to motivate and inspire your team to success. Performance reviews, the hiring process, and giving good feedback might be the first things on your mind, but there’s another factor that should rank right up there: team culture. Why? But creating a good culture goes well beyond the typical perks like annual bonuses and Hawaiian shirt Friday (you saw how well it worked in Office Space). The good news is, you as a manager can create this environment for your team. 1. You likely have goals for your team, but if your staff members aren’t bought into (or even aware of) those goals, they can be pretty hard to reach. So take the group out for lunch and brainstorm on what they think it takes to succeed. Then, really listen to everyone’s feedback, and talk about what it’ll take to reach the goals you laid out. A role model for this idea is Zappos.com, which is almost as famous for its culture as it is for its deals on shoes. 2. 3. 4.
30+ List We all need to organize our thoughts sometimes, and there seems to be no better way to do it than in a visual fashion. We've got 30+ mind mapping tools to help you do just that. And since we know some of you are on a budget, we've got free and paid suggestions for you. Don’t forget to check out our post where you can suggest future toolbox topics! (This list, for example, came from one of the suggestions.) Free Bubbl.us - A flash based brainstorming tool that you can share with others and also embed in to your site. Cayra.net - A desktop-only app that runs on Windows XP or Vista. CmapTools - Free to universities, students, federal employees, and individuals for personal use. CompendiumInstitute.org - A free mind mapping and brainstorming tool from the Open University. DebateMapper.com - A bit of a different mapper in that it focuses on mapping out debates, whether they be political or business. Gliffy.com - Draw & share all sorts of diagrams and mind maps. MindPlan.com - Free for personal use.
Text to mind map There are several programs that allow you to produce a mind map, concept map or network from some structured text. Click on the images to see full-sized versions. Text2mindmap Text2mindmap is probably the best known. It makes simple tree-based mind maps from text. Mappio Also the mind maps libary, Mappio has that function. (It's not obvious how to make a map from text with Mappio because the instructions are slightly out of date, saying there is a "Create new MindMap" link in various places, whereas now it's a big orange Upload a MindMap button. Diagrammr Diagrammr can make concept maps or sequence diagrams from text. WebSequenceDiagrams WebSequenceDiagrams makes UML sequence diagrams from text. NodeXL If you have an Excel spreadsheet of data, NodeXL can make a graph from it. Diagramic (seems to be non-functional) Diagramic makes non-hierarchical and colorful bubble charts from text. This has not been working for 3 months.
5 Innovative Mind-Mapping Tools For Education What do you do when you have an elaborate project, assignment, or paper that needs to be quickly organized? Do you fire up Microsoft Word and whip up an outline? Do you pull out a pen and paper and start sketching? What if you could have the best of both options with a free online tool? XMind Definitely one of the easiest ways to embed a mind map into your blog or website. The biggest feature to me is the ‘Pro’ feature which lets you record what an audience (or your classroom) says directly into the mind map as an .mp3. MindMeister MindMeister is a powerful tool that is great for mind-mapping on the go. The software is now at version 6.0 which brought on the ability to ‘theme’ your mind maps so they look all the snazzier. The killer tool is far and away the ability to collaborate, though. iMindMap Sample From ThinkBuzan iMindMap Basic is a free Mind Mapping software which will get you Mind Mapping quickly and easily. SpiderScribe.net Click to enlarge! Google Docs Other Mind Mapping Tools
Transcending the Matrix Control System OpenOffice.org - The Free and Open Productivity Suite 15 Great Mindmapping Tools and Apps Mindmapping is the process of drawing up diagrams that show relations between various ideas, tasks or information. For many of us this shows to actually be a way of taking notes that can be more useful than just writing down keywords or sentences like we do on a to-do list. By drawing mind maps you actually visualize your tasks and how each task can influence each other in a better way, making your brain remember more easily and/or come up with new ideas. The Tools There are various tools for mindmapping out there, both free and paid versions. The ones that require any installation, can be run on all platforms that support Java unless something else is specified. Freemind ↓ I found the application quick to install and very easy to understand, – which is probably why it is one of the more popular. You can download Freemind here. Xmind ↓ Xmind has a more professional business-like look compared to FreeMind. You can download Xmind here. Bubbl.US ↓ Web application. MindMeister ↓ Freeplane ↓ Bookvar ↓
Tech Tools for Teachers: Podcasting By Nik Peachey In the first instalment of his brand-new series, Nik Peachey looks at podcasting and how it can be used to help students develop their listening and speaking skills both inside and outside the classroom. Nik provides a comprehensive overview article on podcasting, a downloadable lesson plan, a video screencast tutorial and a printable how-to guide. Using web-based audio for speaking and listening skills Although the term podcasting may be new to you, and the idea of using a computer to create digital audio for speaking and listening tasks for students may seem difficult, in fact it’s very easy – you can create podcasts in just a few minutes using a range of free websites and software. What is podcasting? What is podcasting? The word podcast is a combination of the two words iPod and broadcast. To listen to a podcast you need: a computer or mobile device capable of playing digital sound filessome speakers or headphones To create a podcast you need: Podcasting tips Drills
the free encyclopedia Free multilingual online encyclopedia Wikipedia has received praise for its enablement of the democratization of knowledge, extent of coverage, unique structure, culture, and reduced degree of commercial bias; but criticism for exhibiting systemic bias, particularly gender bias against women and alleged ideological bias.[13][14] Its reliability was frequently criticized in the 2000s but has improved over time, as Wikipedia has been generally praised in the late 2010s and early 2020s.[3][13][15] The website's coverage of controversial topics such as American politics and major events like the COVID-19 pandemic has received substantial media attention. It has been censored by world governments, ranging from specific pages to the entire site. History Nupedia Wikipedia originally developed from another encyclopedia project called Nupedia. Launch and growth The Wikipedia home page on December 20, 2001 English Wikipedia editors with >100 edits per month[32] Number of English Wikipedia articles[33]
Improving Emotional Health: Strategies and Tips for Good Mental Health What is mental health or emotional health? Mental or emotional health refers to your overall psychological well-being. It includes the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, and your ability to manage your feelings and deal with difficulties. Good mental health isn't just the absence of mental health problems. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. People who are mentally and emotionally healthy have: A sense of contentment. These positive characteristics of mental and emotional health allow you to participate in life to the fullest extent possible through productive, meaningful activities and strong relationships. The role of resilience in mental and emotional health Being emotionally and mentally healthy doesn’t mean never going through bad times or experiencing emotional problems. One of the key factors in resilience is the ability to balance stress and your emotions.
MindStreet TM iMindMap Mind Mapping Software Here’s why our customers love iMindMap. Get started today to unlock your full potential. “Your Mind Mapping software has transformed our business & become a part of our cultural DNA.” Wheaton Wealth Partners, USA “iMindMap’s Mind Mapping software is the most creative piece of technology I’ve ever used.” Graham Cullen, Head Teacher, Porchester School, UK “It helps me immeasurably at work, and keeps me focused managing risks for the international space station.” Trent Keeble, International Space Station, USA “iMindMap is one of the most useful organisational tools that I use on a daily basis. Neil Quiogue, PopCap Games, Ireland “iMindMap gives a professional edge to a creative and fun process. Alison Jones, Accountancy Lecturer, UK “No other Mind Map software affords the ability to quickly gather thoughts, brainstorm, develop and flesh out new ideas. Tom McDermott, UCD Michael Smurfit Business School Here’s why our customers love iMindMap. Wheaton Wealth Partners, USA