Mind Mapping is the art of presenting your idea visually. This diagram has many use cases and applications in different fields of life, especially education and business. While many people know the term, not everyone knows how to draw this diagram.
A mind map diagram consists of three essential factors: a central idea, associations, and relationships. Drawing it is pretty straightforward, especially with a capable application like EdrawMind. This guide will teach you everything there is to know about mind mapping. Without any further ado, let’s start!
4 Biggest Benefits Of Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is a fruitful skill with many benefits. Here are some of them explained in detail to provide a clearer picture:
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Makes Learning Fun
Learning new concepts can be boring sometimes, especially if the content is just plain text. A mind map can make it exciting with visual presentation. It includes colors, symbols, shapes, lines, images, icons, and other graphical elements. All of these aspects enable a person or group to learn more effectively.
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Boosts Productivity
The central idea of a mind map is generally compounded. It is a larger subject that includes many topics and sub-topics. This diagram aims to explore all these associates to solve the bigger problem. Thus, it brings out the best of productivity and creativity in an individual.
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Effective Memorization
If you see a topic presented in a diagram and text, which form will you remember better? The answer is simple; diagram. A mind map makes for better memorization of complex topics. At the same time, it allows you to test your prior knowledge on that specific subject.
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Empowers Collaboration
The best part about mind mapping is that it can be a group project. Some diagrams require more hands on deck. You can solve these problems with your group or individually, depending on your requirements. More members mean more ideas, making the main subject easy to break down.
How To Make A Mind Map? Easy 5-Step Guide With EdrawMind
EdrawMind is an easy-to-use tool for drawing mind maps. It has features that suit beginners and experienced individuals. Let’s look at how to make a mind map with EdrawMind.
The first thing is to open the EdrawMind desktop or web application. The latter is more accessible as it requires an internet connection and browser. The desktop app is more feature-rich, requiring installation. After opening the application, log in with your social account. If that’s not feasible, you can create a new Wondershare account for free.
Once done, follow the steps below:
- Click the New tab from the left toolbar. Then, scroll down to the Local Examples section, and pick any template. For this guide, let’s go with Project Plan.
- Next, let’s customize the template. Select a component you do not want, right-click it, and select Delete. You can also select a part of the diagram and hit the delete key from the keyboard to remove it.
- Similarly, click a component and change its properties from the hovering menu or right toolbar.
- To add more components, click your Main idea or Main topic. Go to More in the hovering menu, and click Topic or Sub-topic.
You can also insert a Topic Before, Floating Topic, Parent Topic, or Multiple Topics at once. - After finalizing your diagram, click File at the top-left corner to save or export your project.
Note that the EdrawMind app allows you to export your file in HTML, PPT, Excel, Word, PDF, SVG, Graphics, MindManager, and TXT formats. Plus, you can decide whether to save the file in default or transparent background.
5 Key Tips To Become More Effective at Mind Mapping
Drawing mind maps is valuable, but you can improve it. Try integrating some helpful practices in your diagrams. These tips will make you effective at mind mapping, especially if you are new. Here are those 5 key tips you should remember:
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Don’t Lose Focus
It is highly recommended to start your learning process with simpler diagrams. But as you gain more experience, you will draw more detailed mind maps. These are highly complex and contain tons of associations. For a beginner, getting lost in topics and sub-topics is pretty common. But the key is to focus on the bigger picture, which is your central idea. Try to minimize the diagram by removing the unnecessary components.
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Simplicity and Flexibility
A simple diagram is easy to follow, readable, and understandable, regardless of the audience. The same can be said for a mind map. Simplicity in mind mapping refers to keeping the drawing organized, with each component having a distinctive identity.
At the same time, flexibility plays a crucial role in making an excellent mind map. It allows you to use the same structure in future diagrams. You can also update it as you get more ideas about associations.
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Don’t Paint It Black
Avoid making a dull diagram with no colors and unique symbols. These are the aspects that can make or break your mind map. An ideal diagram consists of vibrant colors to distinguish its components. Moreover, it uses characters and symbols to create eye-catching visuals.
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Uplift it With Images and Icons
A general rule of mind mapping is to avoid plain text. Instead, you can use images and icons to elaborate on a topic or relationship. Using this practice of integrating pictures and icons into your diagrams is highly recommended. They convey the information more effectively and make the presentation easier for you.
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The Role Of Keywords
Keywords are commonly used in mind map diagrams to shed light on a component. You can even go one step further and use phrases. But the rule is to keep it short, crispy, and understandable.
Conclusion
The biggest benefit of a mind map is to convey your idea more efficiently. It is beneficial for both presenter and the audience. You can learn this skill quickly by practicing with different diagrams. Try with smaller ideas that do not have many associations. Then, you can move to more complex themes and create highly detailed mind maps.
When drawing a mind map, use your creativity. Implement different ideas and remove the ones that do not fit. The only thing to worry is to keep your diagram simple and flexible.
