Presentation Exchange

The intuitive interface of ConceptDraw MINDMAP and the Functional Tools overview below will guide you in creating and demonstrating powerful mind map presentations. There are different demonstration capabilities for viewing, editing, or simply playing the presentation. You will learn that the software can deliver the presentation not only by projecting a mind map on a screen, but also by sharing it via e-mail, via group interaction, and even via social networks. ConceptDraw MINDMAP presentations may also be exported to and finished in third party applications, which contain additional tools for collaboration. The final section of this overview will help you decide which method to choose for presentation delivery.

I. Creating a Presentation

Adding new slides and pages, sequencing them, and deciding on the best document view in ConceptDraw MINDMAP is easy. With the help of the Slide Navigator, you may choose the most suitable slides for the presentation, preview, and edit them. Page Navigator allows you to create several mind maps on different pages, which in turn makes it possible to select slides from these pages that are particularly important for the audience and then ignore the rest. When you only have a short amount of time to prepare for a presentation, you may choose to use the default presentation. Finally, there are various tools for selecting the best document view based on the audience and the occasion.

Slide Navigator

Adding Slides

By clicking on Create View, you can “build” slides containing:

• all the visible objects in the current view;
• slides with selected topics; and
• slides with all of the subtopics relating to the selected topic

Collapse/Expand

You may collapse the mind map to the level of the main topic and then expand the whole mind map by clicking expand, or progress in increments of sub-tree levels, by clicking on Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. Collapsing/expanding is convenient for it minimizes the map to fit the screen. You can create slides with collapsed and expanded branches by using the Create View tool.

Slide Navigator ribbon (window or panel)

Slide navigator ribbon on the bottom of the screen allows you to:

• preview the slides;
• sequence the slides by dragging and dropping them to the appropriate positions on the ribbon;
• delete the unnecessary slides by clicking on the cross on the selected preview;
• name the preview by double clicking on “Slide-1” and typing the appropriate name of the slide;
• take a picture of a view by clicking on the “camera” icon on the preview

All of the above tools are also accessible from the right-click menu on the preview.

Default Presentation

If you have little time to decide on specific slides for the presentation (zoomed in views, collapsed/expanded) and their sequence, click on Create Default Presentation and the entire map is ready to be shared. When you start the presentation, your first slide will show the whole map, and your second slide will be the main topic zoomed in, and then followed by each subtopic with its corresponding branches.

Topic Types

If you want to create a structured mind map, add project milestones, tasks, and embed documents, use “intelligent topics” (topic types) and edit them in floating dialogs on the right side of the screen. Each topic type supports a specific set of information relating to the contents of the topic.

Page Navigator

Adding New Pages

Using Page Navigator, you can add pages containing mind maps, diagrams and charts from ConceptDraw PROJECT or Pro, and information copied and pasted from other information sources. To add a page, right-click on the blank space inside the page navigator ribbon and select Add page. Pages you have added appear as thumbnail previews on the page navigator ribbon.

Select Slide from Another Page

Page and Slide Navigator combined give you options for quick and convenient slide creation from multiple pages. Once you have added all the pages for the presentation, you may create slides from selected pages and leave out unnecessary information. The presentation will play only the slides found in the Slide Navigator, and not from Page Navigator.

Multi-Paging in Default Presentations

If you have decided to use a default presentation created automatically by ConceptDraw MINDMAP, the pages will appear in the same order as on the page navigator ribbon and not from the views. For example, if you have several pages with mind maps, your first slide will be the whole map, followed by each subtopic with its corresponding branches from the first page, then from the second, and so on.

Document View

Map/Outline

There are several document views available in ConceptDraw MINDMAP. You may show the presentation with map only, outline only, or both map and outline side by side. If you are a linear thinker, outline view may work better; if you are more visual, chose “map only.” It may be a good idea to use both map and outline modes side by side if you are going to present to a group.

One-Click Navigation

When viewing and editing the map in Full-Screen Mode, you may zoom into any topic or subtopic of the map by clicking and holding down the left mouse button. When you release the button the map returns to its original view.

Full-Screen Mode

Full-Screen Mode is practical when you want to edit and view your mind map from the standpoint of the audience with no toolbars, control panels, and windows that occupy limited screen space. Keyboard shortcuts, right-click mouse options, and floating dialogs give you access to the editing capabilities of ConceptDraw MINDMAP. These specific tools are described in more detail below.

Keyword Filtering

To quickly “underscore” certain words on the mind map, use the keyword filter. Click inside the search edit box in the top right hand corner of the screen and simply enter a word or phrase that you are looking for. I will be highlighted in the map. Enter or press the Filter button to hide the other topics.

Presentation Themes

Selecting the Right Theme

Themes available under the Layout tab are grouped under three broad categories: Brainstorm, Analyze and Presentation. They are classified according to the needs of various mind map presenters. Brainstorm themes use simple formatting and represent topics and subtopics as cloud tags. Analyze themes are more structured in terms of hierarchies and use more comprehensive formatting. Finally, Presentation themes “tell the story”; they are structured in a way that will speak best to the target audience.

II. Demonstrating a Presentation

ConceptDraw MINDMAP presentations may be demonstrated using Full-Screen Mode or Presentation Mode. To decide on the appropriate delivery mode, compare and contrast them by reviewing the functional tools described below.