PowerPoint Tips & Tutorials

Mind Mapping®, developed by Tony Buzan, is a visual method of taking notes and developing concepts. You can use mind mapping to organize your presentation. Mind mapping works especially well for hierarchical presentations. (See my tip on Creating a Web-Style Presentation.) Here's the basic process:

1. At the center of a large sheet of paper, write the main topic and circle it.
2. In different colors, make branches off the center topic. At the end of each branch, briefly write topics (also called "chapter headings"). If possible, add images to these topics.
3. Branch off sub-topics from each of the topics.
4. Draw lines to connect sub-topics with each other.

The result is a visual representation of the ideas you want to convey. Mind mapping can also be used for planning, teaching, and problem-solving. You can also use software to create mind maps. Here are some helpful mind mapping links:

• www.mind-map.com
• www.conceptdraw.com/en/products/CDPMindMap
• www.mindmapperusa.com

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