The best ideas are easy to share. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to organize and explain our thoughts. But with a mind map in PowerPoint, it's easy to connect the dots.
How to Quickly Make a Mind Map in PowerPoint With PPT Templates (Video)
What's the best way to learn how to do a mind map on PowerPoint? Watch an expert do it first. With the help of our mind map PPT screencast, you'll learn how to make a mind map.
In the video below, we'll show you how to start with a mind map in a PowerPoint template and then customize it. You'll see that it's easy to create a mind map PPT of your own with a starting design to assist you.
Want to see a written version of our guide on how to make a mind map in PowerPoint? Read on for a step-by-step guide on how to make a mind map with screenshots.
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How to Quickly Make a Mind Map in PowerPoint (With PPT Templates)
A mind-mapping PPT is the perfect way to display ideas. These help you illustrate concepts in a clear, stylish way. The best way to get started is by using a PowerPoint mind map template from Envato Elements.
With many options to choose from, you’re sure to find a winning mind map template for PowerPoint that works for you. Creating a mind map is easier with a template.
Once you've got your mind-mapping PPT template downloaded, open it up in PowerPoint. You’re ready to start customizing. Let’s learn how in just a few quick steps. It’s amazingly easy and delivers unmatched creativity to your work.
Want to follow along? Download the stunning Mindmap PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements now. Let's get started creating a mind map:
1. Choose a Mind Map Slide
The first step of how to create a mind map is to select your slide. A PowerPoint mind map template like this includes dozens of unique slides. Chances are, you won’t need to use all of them.
That’s the beauty of premium templates: you always have plenty of options to choose from. The trick is to find the mind-mapping PPT layout that best fits your specific content.
A good way to do this is by using PowerPoint’s Slide Sorter view. To do that, go to the View tab on the ribbon. Then, click Slide Sorter. You’ll see every slide in the deck all at once. It gives you a top-down view to choose only the slides you want for your mind map PowerPoint.
You can drag the thumbnails around and press Delete to remove those you don’t want. Only use the slides you need in your mind map template PowerPoint. It's how to make a mind map with a template.
When you’re finished, click Normal to navigate to the slide you want to customize. You'll return to a view of the mind map PowerPoint that only includes the slides you need for your design.
2. Customize the Mind Map Text
Now that you’ve chosen your mind-mapping PPT slide, it’s time to start customizing it. The text is the perfect place to start. Working on slide 5 here, you can see that the individual parts of the mind map PowerPoint contain text already.
Each of the colorful shapes is called a node. They combine to form the complete mind map. A node is a standalone idea for a key topic area. Think of it as one central idea that may branch out further in your mind map template for PowerPoint.
To add your own text, click into one of the text boxes in a node or elsewhere on the slide. Select the text inside. Then, type over it using your keyboard. It’s really that simple. Repeat as needed across your mind map template in PowerPoint.
3. Edit Fonts and Styles
Once you’ve added text, you can still customize the fonts! This is the beauty of a premium mind-mapping PPT template. They include beautiful styles and designs, but you still have creative control.
With text selected, go to the Home tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon. In the Font group, you’ll see a series of buttons and drop-downs. You can change the font size and style. Plus, you can add effects like italics, underlines, and more.
4. Remove Extra Content
The true value of premium mind map template PowerPoint designs is their flexibility. You don’t have to use every part of every slide.
Click to select unwanted objects on your mind-mapping PPT and press Delete on your keyboard to remove them. This is how to make a mind map without unnecessary slides.
For example, you might want to remove one of the nodes in the lower right corner. To do so, click on the node to select it. Then, press Delete. The shape disappears. To complete the removal, repeat these steps to delete the gray line as well.
5. Change Shape Colors
Color is perhaps the best way to transform the look and feel of your PowerPoint mind map template. By changing colors, you can call out key ideas. Plus, you can match your mind-mapping PPT slide to your brand’s colors.
To change a shape color, click on one of the nodes to select it. You’ll see a new tab appear on the ribbon: Shape Format. Click it, and then choose the Shape Fill drop-down on the left side.
An array of options is available. Choose from theme or standard colors, along with gradient and texture fills. Find a color you like, and click to apply it. PowerPoint instantly changes the color of your selected shape. Recolor elements until your mind map PPT matches your brand.
6. Animate Nodes
Want to stylize your PowerPoint mind map template even more? Animations are a great way to do it. For example, you can have your mind map appear in a fly-in view. Let's learn how to make a mind map with added animation.
To add an animation, click on your mind map to select it. Then, find the Animations tab on PowerPoint’s ribbon. Click on it, and you’ll see a gallery drop-down with a wide variety of options. Click Fly In, and watch as the animation previews on the slide.
4 Mind Map Creation Tips
You've learned how to create a mind map in this tutorial. This is a truly powerful way to share key ideas with your audience. Learning how to make a mind map connects key ideas graphically.
If you're looking for more mind map presentation tips, we've got you covered. Here are five tried-and-true design techniques for creating a mind map. With these tips applied, you'll know how to create a mind map that resonates.
1. Make Your Mind Map Presentation Interactive
Creating a mind map can take many forms. That includes an interactive presentation where a node serves as a link to other slides. If each idea needs more detail, consider linking it to another slide in your presentation.
To do this, select a node. Then, use the Insert > Links menu. You can use Place in This Document to set that node as a clickable link to another slide.
This technique is ideal for mind map presentations that include a great deal of detail. Instead of cramming everything on one slide, use hyperlinks to connect multiple slides.
2. Use Mind Map Template PowerPoints
You saw this brought to life in the tutorial section above, but I can't stress it enough: you should start with a mind map template PowerPoint download.
Mind map presentations take time to build. My view is this: why start from scratch? There's nothing wrong with using expert designs that already have the basics done for you. You just fill in your own details, and you'll have great mind map presentations.
Check out some top mind map template PowerPoint options below:
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3. Use Color Coding For Meaning
In this tutorial, you saw that it's possible to shade your mind map nodes using the Shape Fill drop-down. But it's important to remember that color shouldn't be used at random. Instead, it should apply meaning and give visual context.
Every design decision you make in your mind map in PowerPoint is noticed by a viewer. With these subtle design cues, you can enhance understanding in your mind map presentation.
4. Add Audio and Video for Further Explanation
Here's the thing: mind map presentations only have so much room. They contain important content and ideas, but you can't always fit everything you need on the slide.
I've seen messy mind map presentations with far too much text crammed on a slide. At a corporate strategy session, I felt myself going cross-eyed while trying to follow each branch into the next one.
Here's a better idea for how to make a mind map: add multimedia for more explanation. A voiceover or video clip explaining the idea could be the perfect balance. Learn how to add audio in the tutorial below, then practice it with a mind map presentation.
More Envato Tuts+ PowerPoint Presentation Tutorials
Learning how to do a mind map on PowerPoint is just the beginning. We've got many more tutorials that teach you to master PowerPoint so that you can create the perfect mind-mapping PPT.
Learn more in our PowerPoint tutorials and quick video tutorials on Envato Tuts+. We've got an assortment of PowerPoint material to help you work better with images and more in your presentations:
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More Top Templates For Microsoft PowerPoint
At Envato Tuts+, we love PowerPoint templates. You've already seen how to do a mind map on PowerPoint with a template, but this is only the beginning. We catalog the very best PowerPoint templates and share them with readers. We've got great templates for mindmap PowerPoints - and every other category imaginable!
With a few tweaks, many of these templates also work as mind map template PowerPoint designs. Check out even more designs that'll work perfectly for mind-mapping PPTs.
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Make Great Presentations (Free PDF eBook Download)
We also have the perfect complement to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.
Download our eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.
Best Mind Map PPT Templates on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)
If you watched the video screencast, you already know the secret to mind map PPT designs: start with a template. The best source for mindmap PowerPoint templates is Envato Elements. It's an all-you-can-download library for creatives.
When you're working to learn how to make a mind map in PowerPoint, it helps to have other resources at your disposal. On Elements, you get unlimited PowerPoint templates, graphics, custom fonts, and more.
Even better? Now, there's an AI-powered assistant to help you find everything you need. Simply enter a conversational prompt, and the assistant finds the perfect collection of assets. It's the easiest way to start your project!
Elements is an offer that you just can't beat.Join today to get everything you need, all for one flat price.
Create Mind Map In PowerPoint Designs Today
In this tutorial, you learned how to make a mind map in PowerPoint. Crafting a mind map PowerPoint helps you to map out your thoughts and share them with others.
Remember that PowerPoint mind map templates give you by far the best options to create one of your own. With a mind map template PowerPoint design, every block and object you need is already created for you.
Grab a mind map PowerPoint, add your details, and you'll be finished before you know it! In no time flat, your ideas are ready to share.
Editorial Note: This tutorial has been comprehensively updated, and a video has been added by Andrew Childress.
