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Free (and low cost)
Tools For Thinking

Links to free and low cost software and services that can be used to enhance and expand your mind

...accelerate your learning and focus your decsion making...

Applications that enable you to express yourself and your ideas quickly, in a visual format, include:  the two online services ImaginationCubed (£0) and DabbleBoard (£0), and the two PC based tools InfiNotes (£0) and Microsoft Journal (£0). They are all great for scribbling down ideas, in the way that a famous scientist might on the back of a napkin.

For exploring ideas in more detail, cMap Tools (£0), Bubbl.US (£0), TheBrain (£0) and eDraw Mind Map (£0) are great for using Concept Maps to explore webs of association. And, MindMeister (£0), FreeMind (£0), eDraw Mind Map (£0), iMindMap (£0)and Mind Manager (£200) are ideal for exploring the same kinds of webs of association, using DeBono-like mind mapping,

Software that is useful when the time comes to add detail to your thoughts, and when you want to begin to sequence the steps that you will need to take in order to achieve success, includes: the two online services Gliffy (£0), DrawAnywhere (£0) and the PC-based software eDraw Flowchart (£40) and eDraw Max (£70) for flow charting and UML.  And when it comes time to decide who will do what, where, when and how: OpenProject (£0), Gantt Project (£0), Timeos, Excel planning templates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (£0-£50), JVC Gannt (£90) and MS Project (£400) can all be used to draw Gantt diagrams.

(Here it should be noted that Excel templates can be downloaded for free, but should always be opened on a computer on which the security settings have been set to prevent malicious code from executing. Ideally, only download Gantt templates from reputable sources, where someone has taken the time to ensure that the Excel file that you open has not got any viruses associated with it).

Software that can be used to support group thinking and group discussion includes: Skype (£0), GoogleDocs (£0), Trillian (£0), FreeBrainstorm (£0), BrainReactions (£0),SimpleGroupware (£0), and DimDim (£0). To explain further...Google Docs can provide a collaborative space in which people can add ideas, either in real time or whenever they have the opportunity. Trillian is an installable applet that provides groups with the ability to message in real-time (without the adverts imposed by MSN). FreeBrainstorm enables multiple users to login, brainstorm and rate ideas. SimpleGroupware combines a personal organiser with contact management and some facilities for generating ideas. And DimDim provides fully featured (though slightly limited) online meeting facilities, in the hope that you will pay to upgrade to their more fully featured commercial offering.

Finally, you have identified a good idea, and you have thought through all the details and steps that will be needed to actualise your vision. And you have to explain your conclusions to other people. If you have an appropriate copy of Windows or Office then you may already have the ability to add inked and typed comments to a document. If not, then NotateIt and Meander's Annotator can be used for adding hand written comments to applications that do not normally support ink., NaturalReader (£0) TextAloud ($29) are both helpful, when proof reading, because listening to your words will make you aware of aspects of your text that you do not see, when proofreading visually. And if your computer voice sounds a little robotic, you can download addition free voices from the Microsoft Agent website or buy additional commercial voices from nextup.com ($25) or pay for the commercial version of NaturalReader ($49), which comes with some additional voices of its own.

Want to know more? Then download our other free booklets, which contain many more links for you to access...

If you like what you read...

Feel free to email me and discuss options related to: coaching, consultancy, facilitation, research and / or training.

As you can see from my CV and Resume, I would be pleased to discuss both personal and corporate options from which you can choose.

Myself and similarly qualified colleagues are active in both the UK and in Switzerland (where I now live). So, we can easily access clients in the following major cities: Basel, Zurich, Luzerne, Bern, London, Manchester, Bristol and Plymouth :o))

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