Screencast: Drawing Mind Maps with SmartDraw

Published 1 May 8 4:0 AM | Paul

One of the best ways to organize your ideas and produce tangible results from brainstorming sessions is to use a mind map. A mind map is simply an organic way of growing your ideas from one central topic to many related subtopics; this branching process helps you step down from an initial, abstract concept down to more specific and concrete ideas.

This screencast shows how to draw mind maps using SmartDraw.

Download a free trial of SmartDraw here.

Learn More

If you'd like to learn more about this topic then be sure to read our companion PDF - Working Smarter with Mind Maps.

Filed under: How To, Screencast, Mind Maps

Comments

# Serene said on May 4, 2008 2:43 PM:

I just watched your ScreenCast for mind mapping - wow, really nice. It was most helpful and very easy to follow. More ScreenCasts, please...thanks.

Serene.

# Greg said on May 14, 2008 12:05 PM:

GREAT training and introduction to the features of Smart Draw - more screen casts would be perfect. We use several other features inn Smart Draw - it has become the "standard" in our office for presentations, drawings ideas - and, with this - now the project planner!!

# Luiz said on May 14, 2008 2:07 PM:

Hi Paul,

Excellent Screncast. Excellent product!

Congratulations.

# Henry C.H. Lau said on May 14, 2008 2:43 PM:

Three of the most important features in mind mapping construction to make it so different from conventional organization chart is the use of different COLOR, SHAPES of objects and LINES, as well as the combination of the three to reinforce the map image in the human brain. The features introduced in the Smartdraw screen cast is very nice, it will be SO MUCH BETTER if the above three features can also be incorporated into the software, for instance the adjustment of box, line colors and the possibility of replacing regular shaped boxes by handdrawn shapes after the basic organization chart like construction process.

# Chris Rhodes (UK) said on May 15, 2008 12:57 AM:

WOW, love the idea of the change into chart from mind map, great tool.

well done Smart Draw A+++++

# Peter Hughes said on May 15, 2008 4:42 AM:

Hi Paul

I enjoyed your mind map tutorial. Very powerful tool indeed. The conversion to project plan is really useful.

# Aaron Stannard said on May 15, 2008 11:16 AM:

@Serene,

We just published our Project Charting Screencast this morning if you'd like to watch that. We're planning on publishing several more screencasts over the next months. The feedback has been VERY positive!

Thanks for the feedback!

# Paul said on May 15, 2008 11:30 AM:

Henry:

You can change the colors and shapes.

To change color, select a shape and use the Quick Styles menu on the ribbon, or the Fill menu. To change line color use the Line menu.

To change a shape's outline, right click on it and choose Change Shape from the right-click menu.

The nice part about doing this, is that SmartDraw remembers the change. If you change the appearance of the first sub-topic you add in a group, then all the other sub-topics in the same group will adopt the same appearance. It essentially duplicates the properties of the previous shape.

# Richard Graham said on May 18, 2008 7:46 PM:

Very useful. I create many projects in my job. I have updated from SmartDraw 2007 and this program is one that I have requested of our IT people look into. The ease of use and savings of time in the creation of many type of charts and Yes cost effectiveness because you don't have to buy modules and enhances personnel productivity.

# Aaron Stannard said on May 20, 2008 8:30 AM:

Hey Richard,

Glad to hear that you've had a good experience with our software, and thanks for passing on the word to your IT department!