Siberia

A great KAWA about Siberia. A fascinating country. Clearly presented in a KAWA.

What do KAWA and KAGA actually mean?

KAWA, according to Birkenbihl, is an acronym and stands for: Kreative Ausbeute von Wort-Assoziationen (Creative Yield from Word Associations). But KAWA is easier to remember. Hence the name. KAWAs can be made on any topic that interests you.

How does a KAWA work and why is this technique so effective?

First, you write the topic in large letters in the center. I always turn the paper sideways for this, by the way. In our mind map template notepad, KAWAs are drawn on the left white page. Now, you let your thoughts wander and consider what comes to mind about the term and what is important to write down. The challenge is: what you write down must begin with one of the letters in the center. The smaller the term, the fewer letters you have available, and the more you have to think. Here, it is the lack of letters that makes you think more deeply about a topic than an ABC list would. The goal should be to find a suitable term for each letter. Suppose you want to create a KAWA about your best friend Eva, then you only have three letters available. However, you can use them multiple times. Perhaps E stands for elegant, successful, eloquent; for V, you find her trustworthy, quirky, and in love; and for A, you've associated silly and single. If your best friend had been named Hannelore, you would, of course, have had more letters available. I often take notes in KAWA form during meetings. It keeps me alert, no matter how unimportant or boring a meeting is. And you catch everything. Below you can see some of my KAWAs.