Learning. Visual Note Taking Tips for creating Cap Maps for Journals and Learning. http://glenncapelli.com/

1. GLENN CAPELLI’S
12 HOT TIPS FOR
CAPMAPS
VISUAL
NOTETAKING
SYSTEM
#1 THERE ARE NO RULES
Capmaps are not about making ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
notepages. Words, pictures, symbols and colours can be
used in any combination. Whatever helps you capture
and remember information best is ‘right’.
#2 WE ARE ALL ARTISTS
Remember if you can draw a dot, a line, a squiggle and
write your name, you have all the drawing skills you
need to Capmap.
#3 PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS
Just because you don’t do it ‘perfectly’ at first, doesn’t
mean you stop doing it. It isn’t about success and
failure – it’s about learning. Taking pride in your work
can help erode dangerous ideas of ‘perfection’.
#4 START ANYWHERE – JUST START
It doesn’t matter where you start or finish on the page or
what direction you take. Some topics will work best
travelling left to right, others in quadrants, sometimes a
central mind map is useful, or you might try columns
down or across the page. Use your imagination, what you
like best will work best for you. Don’t worry if you don’t
fill up the whole page.
#5 SET THE EXAMPLE
If you’re not a great artist and draw anyway you give
everyone else permission to have a go – there’s no better
gift for a youngster or peer than being an example of
endeavour.
#6 COPYING IS NOT A CRIME
You don’t have to invent everything from scratch. Get
into the habit of ‘looking’. When you read the newspaper
or magazines, look for symbols, shapes, writing styles
and simple line drawings, particularly in the comics,
puzzles, entertainment and advertising pages. Notice
billboards, window displays, even packaging of
supermarket items. There are ideas everywhere. Copy or
cut out anything that ‘stands-out’ and build up your
own Capmaps library. You’ll find it useful if you’re
looking for something specific or just inspiration.
Copying ideas (with respect) from other notetakers is also
a great strategy for building your Capmaps repertoire.
#7 BIN THE INNER CRITIC
Nothing undermines your confidence more than the
nagging voice of the inner critic saying ‘this is stupid’
‘you can’t do it’ ‘that looks terrible’. Practice shutting out
the critical voices that paralyse you – even great artists
started somewhere – we’re all on our Kaizen road.
#8 THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A
MISTAKE
If your notes don’t look ‘right’, keep going – most people
stop when their notes don’t look ‘good’. Persistence can
turn nothing into something – keep drawing, you can
always turn a ‘mistake’ into a plate of spaghetti, a ball of
wool, a bowl of noodles or a lumpy pancake!
#9 DRAW TWICE AS FAST
People will think you could have done better if you’d
taken more time! Working quickly also helps some
people to lose the ‘deliberateness’ of drawing.
#10 DRAW TWICE AS BIG
Most people think if they can’t draw ‘well’ they should
draw small, apologetically and cautiously. A big loose
drawing builds confidence.
#11 MAKE YOUR OWN MEANING
Capmaps are a personal notetaking system – they doesn’t
have to make sense to anyone else. You might already be
using your own ‘shorthand’ system, build it up with new
pictures and symbols. The beauty of Capmaps is that the
process of transferring information from one mode to
another requires you to think about and understand the
information in order to represent it as visual notes. With
Capmaps you can’t just copy down information by rote
without really learning it.
#12 BE CREATIVE – EVEN IF YOU
THINK YOU’RE NOT!
Imagination and contemplation often take a back seat in
today’s fast paced, techno driven world. Capmaps help
restore the balance by drawing out our neglected creative
spirit through an integrated process of left and right
brain activity.
CAPMAPS ARE
CREATIVE ARTISTIC NOTETAKING
YOU CAN DO IT • LEARN AND ENJOY!!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, DVDS AND
RESOURCES ABOUT CAPMAPS GO TO
www.glenncapelli.com