Presentation Software
Whether you're giving a presentation to a handful of people around a boardroom table, or thousands of people in a stadium, mindmaps can help you and your audience better understand and more fully enjoy your presentation. No more fumbling around with 3"x5" note cards or flipping through page after page on a legal pad. Instead, mind maps provide visual cues for your topic that your brain easily recognizes and translates into clear, concise remarks to your audience.
Can mindmapping software rival the most popular presentation software tool - Microsoft PowerPoint®? I think it can. In fact, in my experience, mind mapping software is much better for preparing presentations and presenting information on screen. In addition, mind maps are invaluable printed resources to leave with an audience.
If you're interested in using mind mapping software for presentations, I highly recommend Tony Buzan's Mind Maps at Work. Chapter 7, Presentation Power, is full of rock-solid ideas and suggestions for giving great presentations and keeping meetings on track with mind mapping. Another resource is Mind Map Your Next Presentation (in PDF format), by mindmapping trainer Clive Lewis. Finally, Creating Effective Presentations (p.22) in Chuck Frey's ebook, Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software, is another great resource.
Using Mind Mapping Software for Presentations
So how do you create more effective presentations with mind maps? There are three ways. First, use mindmaps to create the structure of your presentation. Use color, symbols, numbers (or a combination of these) to organize your main topics. From there, branch out to subtopics. Keep everything clear and readable at a distance (larger fonts, bold text, and color/symbols really help).
Second, if you're using a computer with a projector, use mindmapping software to project your presentation map(s) for the audience. It's easy to toggle between maps or, if you want to be really effective, link a primary map to other, more specific maps. As you present, navigation through and sync your presentation with the visuals.
Third, provide printed mindmaps of your presentation to your audience and encourage them to take their notes on these documents. Specifically, encourage your audience to take their notes in relation to the topics you discuss, which will force them to step outside of the linear note-taking mode and start mind-mapping!
I've conducted dozens of business presentations and I've found that using mindmapping software as presentation software is invaluable for me as a speaker and for the audience as listeners. And having the printed mindmaps available for reference at later meetings seems to increase recall substantially.
Presentation Software / Presentation Resources
This list isn't complete - I'm only comfortable recommending resources I've personally used or read and found valuable.
- Mind Maps at Work, Tony Buzan. See Chapter 7: Presentation Power.
- The Mind Map Book, Tony Buzan. See Chapter 26: Presentations.
- Other Mind Mapping Books
- Mind Map Software
- MindJet (maker of MindManager) online mind map gallery for inspiration.
- NovaMind's online mindmap gallery (business, educational, and home use samples).
- Mind Map Your Next Presentation, article in PDF format by mind mapping trainer Clive Lewis, MD
- Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software ebook by Chuck Frey. If you want to learn about mind mapping right now, this is the place to start. Available for immediate download, Power Tips & Strategies is loaded with basic and advanced strategies for getting the most out of your mind mapping software. In my opinion, you simply can't go wrong with Chuck's ebook.