This document and other Information Services training documents are held online
on our website: https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training
Getting to grips with
MindGenius 2018
A mind mapping tool
MindMapping is a recognised tool for getting ideas, thoughts
and plans into structured reports, essays etc.
Using visual tools to assist in the process, MindGenius will
allow you to convert your mind maps into Word documents and
PowerPoint presentations.
This document is for version 2018 of the software which is the
version available on all University of Brighton’s Windows
computers. Under the terms of our Mind Genius licence, all
staff and students can also use Mind Genius on their home
computers for free.
MindGenius is a
useful tool for
people with dyslexia,
as well as anyone
who wants a visual
tool for processing
ideas and planning.
Last updated
21st June 2018
University of Brighton Information Services
Page | 2 Last Update 14th July 2015
Contents
Workshop requirements ................................................................................... 4
System and software ................................................................................ 4
1.1.1 Mind Genius 2018 .............................................................................. 4
1.1.2 Internet access and a web browser .................................................... 4
1.1.3 Microsoft Office .................................................................................. 4
What is MindMapping? ..................................................................................... 5
The 8 Steps to successful Mind Mapping ......................................................... 6
The Screen Layout ........................................................................................... 8
Create a New Map ........................................................................................... 9
Creating a New Mind Map ......................................................................... 9
Saving a Mind Map ................................................................................... 9
Working with MindGenius files on SharePoint My Department .................10
5.3.1 Saving a Mind Map to SharePoint My Department (Staff only) ..........10
5.3.2 Editing a MindGenius file from SharePoint (Staff only) ......................10
Working with MindGenius files on OneDrive for Business ........................11
5.4.1 Saving a Mind Map to OneDrive for Business (Staff only) .................11
5.4.2 Editing a MindGenius file from OneDrive for Business (Staff) ...........11
Editing and Adding Branches ...................................................................12
Moving branches of a map .................................................................................13
Deleting branches of a map .....................................................................14
Editing the appearance of all branches of the same level ................................15
Saving your styles settings as a templates ...............................................16
6.1.1 Creating a Template .........................................................................16
6.1.2 Using a template for a new map: .......................................................16
Editing Branch Properties ........................................................................17
6.2.1 Saving branch formatting as a style ..................................................17
Adding a boundary ...................................................................................18
Adding Pictures ...............................................................................................19
Add a picture from the MindGenius picture gallery ...................................19
Add a picture from your own files .............................................................19
Change the position and size of branch pictures ..................................... 20
Using the Map Explorer .................................................................................. 21
Collapsing and expanding sub-branches ........................................................ 22
Map Layouts ............................................................................................... 22
Adding Notes .............................................................................................. 23
Adding hyperlinks to websites ..................................................................... 24
Attaching documents .................................................................................. 25
Creating Branch Relationships .................................................................... 26
Numbering branches .................................................................................. 27
Categorising the information ....................................................................... 27
Adding the Categories ............................................................................. 27
Renaming or creating your own categories ............................................. 28
16.2.1 To rename a category: ..................................................................... 28
16.2.2 To create a new category: ................................................................ 28
Creating Filters using your Categories..................................................... 29
Create category view ............................................................................... 30
Creating a Category Map ........................................................................ 31
Exporting to Word ....................................................................................... 32
Exporting to PowerPoint ............................................................................. 34
Using other PowerPoint templates with MindGenius: .............................. 35
Managing Tasks and Projects ..................................................................... 36
More information ......................................................................................... 37
Videos and more ..................................................................................... 37
Mind Mapping.......................................................................................... 37
20.2.1 Further Reading: .............................................................................. 37
More Mind Genius ................................................................................... 37
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Workshop requirements
No files are required for this workshop
Videos to accompany this document can be found at
https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Mind%20Mapping/mindgenius.aspx
System and software
1.1.1 Mind Genius 2018
This document uses MindGenius 2018. MindGenius is not available for Apple Mac.
1.1.1.1 Within the university:
All Windows computers in student pool rooms and teaching rooms have
MindGenius 2018 installed.
Any new university Windows computers have MindGenius 2018 installed.
Most staff Windows computers have MindGenius installed, but some may have an
older version as the upgrade to MindGenius 2018 was not pushed out to
computers automatically.
If you don’t have MindGenius installed on your computer, or you find you have an
old version, all staff can request free installation of this on their university Windows
computer by contacting the Service Desk on 4444.
1.1.1.2 Home installation:
All staff and students can also install Mind Genius 2018 on their home windows
computers for free. For more information:
visit https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing and click on the Software link in the
right-hand menu
click on the Discounted software for staff or Discounted software for students link
on the page
1.1.1.3 Mind Genius on iOS devices
The Mind Genius app is available for free from the App Store. Whilst the functionality of
the app is minimal, you can use the app to create the structure of a mind map, which
you can then email to yourself to work on further using the desktop app.
1.1.2 Internet access and a web browser
This is required for adding links to the internet to your mind map.
1.1.3 Microsoft Office
This is required for the export to PowerPoint and Word.
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 5
What is MindMapping?
Mind mapping (or concept mapping) involves writing down a central idea and thinking
up new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre. By focussing on key ideas
written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections
between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you
understand and remember new information.
See MindGenius’ MindGenius' 2-minute video guide to mind mapping for a demo of
what mind-mapping looks like in practice.
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The 8 Steps to successful Mind Mapping
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 7
Mind Maps can be applied to most of life's situations providing clarity of thought and
purpose in whatever needs tackled.
Why Computer-aided mapping?
Both maps above are based on text on the website www.mindgenius.com
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The Screen Layout
Before we begin to work with MindGenius it is important to understand the screen
layout.
1 The File tab is where you will find the key functions such as save and print.
2 The ribbon appears at the top of the screen. The icons on the ribbon allow quick
access to functions in MindGenius. Icons are grouped together on tabs.
3 The Map Explorer appears at the left hand side of the Map Editor and is used to
navigate large Maps. The Map Explorer immediately allows you to focus in on an
area of the Map
4 The Notes Editor is displayed below the Map Explorer. It is a text editor allowing
you to add related notes to any selected branch
Note: You can change the location of the Notes editor by clicking on the
button on the Task Pane. This will move the Notes Editor to the bottom of the
screen (as found in PowerPoint).
5 Below the notes editor is the task pane. This is a series of buttons that give you
easy access some features of MindGenius such as Word Cloud and Picture
Gallery. Clicking on an icon in the Task Pane loads the function into the window
above.
6 The Map Editor takes up the largest part of the screen and is where maps are
created and edited
7 The Templates pane appears at the right hand side of the Map Editor and
comprises a template gallery with many pre-defined templates to get you started,
as well as resources to help you use Mind Genius.
2. Ribbon
3. Map
Explorer
4. Notes
editor
5. Task
pane
7. Templates
6. Map editor
1. File tab
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 9
Create a New Map
So let’s get mapping!
Creating a New Mind Map
Open MindGenius from the desktop.
Click on the File tab and click to select New from the menu or click on
New Blank Map in the Templates Pane.
In the dialogue box type the text for the root branch of your map and click OK.
The Root Branch is the first branch in a map; it describes what the map is about.
Exercise A Create a new mind map
1 Create a new map with the title Mind Map Uses.
Saving a Mind Map
Click on the File tab and click to select Save from the menu.
Specify a location to save the map.
Staff can save to OneDrive or MyDepartment so that the map can be worked on
from home or shared with colleagues.
Students working on university computers should save the map to OneDrive or a
memory stick.
Specify a name for the map and Click on Save.
Exercise B Save your map
1 For this exercise, save your map to your desktop.
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Working with MindGenius files on SharePoint My Department
5.3.1 Saving a Mind Map to SharePoint My Department (Staff only)
If you have mapped the SharePoint document library to one of your computer’s drives,
you can save your MindGenius file to that document library using the steps above in
5.2. It is best then to open the MindGenius file by opening that drive in Windows
Explorer.
For more information about connecting to SharePoint My Department using a mapped
drive, see the SharePoint Introduction to My Department (Windows PC) document on
staffcentral.
If you have not mapped the Sharepoint document library to one of your computer’s
drives you will need to:
Save the MindGenius file to your computer (eg your desktop)
Navigate to the SharePoint document library using a web browser.
Click on Upload to upload the file from your computer to the SharePoint document
library.
See section 5.4 below for instructions on how to open a MindGenius file from
SharePoint (as it’s not as easy as you would think).
5.3.2 Editing a MindGenius file from SharePoint (Staff only)
MindGenius is not fully compatible with SharePoint. One issue is that if you are
accessing a SharePoint document library using a web browser (as opposed to a
mapped drive) you will be able to edit the MindGenius file but will not be able to save it
back to SharePoint. To avoid this, you should follow the steps below when opening
MindGenius files in SharePoint:
In a web browser, navigate to the SharePoint document library where the
MindGenius file is stored
Click on the Library tab (note that this is
only available if you are on the document
library’s page, it will not be visible if the
document library is being viewed as a
web part on a page)
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 11
Click on the Open with Explorer icon.
The document library will open in Windows
Explorer.
Double click on the MindGenius file. You can
then edit the file.
Clicking on File >> Save will save the
updated file back to SharePoint.
Working with MindGenius files on OneDrive for Business
5.4.1 Saving a Mind Map to OneDrive for Business (Staff only)
To work with MindGenius files using OneDrive
for Business, you will need to sync one or more
of your OneDrive for Business folders to your
computer.
Once you have synced at least one folder, you
can then save your MindGenius file to those
folders using the steps above in 5.2, and
selecting OneDrive – University of Brighton as
the location.
For more information about syncing OneDrive for Business to your computer, see the
Set up the OneDrive sync client page on staffcentral.
5.4.2 Editing a MindGenius file from OneDrive for Business (Staff)
If you have synced the OneDrive for Business
folder(s) where your MindGenius files are
stored, you will be able to:
open Windows or File Explorer on your
computer
Click on OneDrive – University of Brighton
Double click on the MindGenius file
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Editing and Adding Branches
Double-click on a branch to edit the text.
To add a new branch:
o click once on the parent branch
o type the text for the new branch
o press the Enter key on your keyboard.
To add another new branch at the same level:
o type the text for the new branch
o press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Exercise C Editing and adding branches to your map
Let’s practice that. We’ll edit a branch or two to start off with.
1 Single click on the branch Mind Map Uses and then type Planning and then press
the Enter key on your keyboard.
The new branch has been added to the parent branch Mind Map Uses
2 Use these techniques to build the map as shown below:
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 13
Tips:
When sub branches are added to a branch the icon appears so that you can
collapse and expand sub-branches in larger maps.
The branch is collapsed. This is a useful tool for students using a mind map for
revision as it allows them to hide the sub-branches for a certain topic and test how
much they can recall.
If your map is too big to read on the screen, try zooming out
using the Zoom tool on the toolbar at the bottom right of the screen.
Moving branches of a map
Now that the map is beginning to take shape we need to know how to manipulate it.
To move a branch, drag and drop with your mouse. The
arrows on the screen will indicate which parent branch you are
moving to:
These move a branch to become a sub-branch of the
branch the pointer is over, i.e.in the example on the right it
would become a sub-branch of Pitfalls of a Team. The arrow
direction changes depending on the position of the branch.
In this case the branch will be inserted at the same level as
of the branch the pointer is over but above it.
In this case the branch will be inserted at the same level
as same level as of the branch the pointer is over but below it.
The no-entry sign is displayed dropping the branch will
have no effect and no move will take place.
Exercise D Moving Branches
Let’s practice.
1 Drag the ‘Note Taking Branch over the ‘Memory Recall branch and drop it when
the drop arrow points to the right.
2 Now try putting it back.
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Deleting branches of a map
To delete a branch,
click to select the branch and then press the Delete key on the keyboard.
A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm the deletion. Click on Yes.
Exercise E Deleting branches
1 Delete the Making Pretty Pictures branch from your map.
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 15
Editing the appearance of all branches of the same
level
What if MindGenius’ default colours and shapes used in a map are not working for
you? Simple: you update the styles used in the map.
Unless you specify otherwise, a new map is based on MindGenius’ default template.
From this template the map inherits styles. The styles determine how the map looks.
That is to say, how each branch at each level of the map is displayed in terms of fonts,
branch shapes, connectors, etc. The styles of a map can be edited at any time.
Exercise F Editing the map style
Editing a style saves you time as if you update the formatting for a certain branch level,
the changes will automatically apply to all branches of the same level.
Click on the Format tab.
Click on the Edit Map Style icon to open the Format Styles window.
On the Style Formatting tab
choose the branch level to update.
Format the branch as required
using the icons on the tabs.
Click on OK. This will apply the
changes to the map.
If the changes are not applied to
the map, check that the Style
Assignment tab has the correct
assignments.
Let’s change the look of the Core and the Level 1 Branches:
1 On the Format tab, click on the Edit Map Style icon, then click on the Style
Formatting tab
2 Select Core from the list of levels on the left (this will allow us to change the root
level of the map)
3 Click on the Branch Shape Tab and choose Ellipse from the Shape Style List,
note the sample changing
4 Try changing the font colour for Level 1 to red. Then change the branch fill to be
yellow. Click OK when you have finished.
You can see that editing the style effects as many levels that you have chosen to alter,
at the same time. This can be a good way of quickly applying an appropriate look to a
completed map. We can now use this new style to create a new template.
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Saving your styles settings as a templates
So now you know how to alter the style of a map. What if you have created your own
style and want to use it every time you start a new map? What if you find yourself
creating many similar maps? In this case you need to create a template. A template
can contain more than simply an embedded style; it can also contain content.
6.1.1 Creating a Template
To create a template:
Update your styles as above. If you want the
template to open as a new empty map, without any
predefined content, delete all of the branches from
the map too before you save it as a template.
Click on the File tab and choose Save As.
Click on the drop down in the Save as type box and choose MindGenius
Template.
In the Save in box, choose a file location (staff can use MyFiles or use the default
file location, students should save to their M drive or USB stick).
Specify a name for your template in the File Name box. For this example, name
the template mind mapping
Click on Save.
6.1.2 Using a template for a new map:
In the Navigation Pane on the right click on My Templates.
Navigate to find where you saved your template, select the it and click
Open.
5 For this exercise, navigate to and choose the mind_mapping template we
just created.
The map opens, prompting you to re-name the root branch – you can alter the
name core level.
After clicking OK, note that this new map looks identical to the one you
opened earlier but it is a different map.
It is based on the template you created. Using this procedure you can create
templates for commonly used types of maps. Remember there already is a set of
templates included with MindGenius.
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 17
Editing Branch Properties
It is best to format branch appearance by updating the styles as shown in the previous
exercise as this will apply your changes to all branches of the same level in one hit,
thus saving you time. However, sometimes you may want to make one branch stand
out from the others for emphasis. You can do this by editing its properties.
Exercise G Editing the appearance of one branch
This exercise takes you through just some of the things you can do to format a
branch’s appearance:
1 Click once on the branch you want to edit to select it. For this exercise, click once
on the Planning branch.
2 Click on the Format tab on the ribbon at the top of the screen and use the icons to
format the branch.
3 For example, use the Solid Fill option to
change the colour of the Branch to Light
Green.
4 For more formatting options, click on the
icon in the Branch group on the Format tab
(under the Connector Style icon) to open the
Branch Appearance dialogue box.
5 For example, click on the Branch Shape tab
to edit the style of your selected branch
including the Shape Style, Line type/colour
and Fill Colour.
6 Click on the Font tab to edit the appearance of the text within the branch.
7 Click OK to finish editing the branch.
Try editing Font Colour and Font Size and the Shape Style, Fill Colour and Line
Style of the Thinking branch on your map.
6.2.1 Saving branch formatting as a style
If you format a branch and would like to quickly apply that formatting to other branches:
Before clicking on OK to stop editing the branch style, click on the Save as style
button, type a name for this branch style and click OK.
To apply the style to a selected branch:
Click on the branch to select it.
Click on the icon in the Branch group on the
Format tab to open the Branch Appearance dialogue box.
Choose your style from the list in the Existing Styles box and click OK.
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Adding a boundary
You can add a boundary to an area of the map for extra emphasis and to group areas
together.
Click once to select the highest branch of the area want to add the boundary to.
On the Format tab, within the Boundary group, use the Style and Fill
options to apply a boundary to the selected branch and all of its sub-branches.
Exercise H Add a boundary
1 Add a boundary to the planning node of your map. That section of your map may
now look something like this:
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 19
Adding Pictures
It is believed that the memory's storing and recalling powers can be enhanced through
the use of pictures for emphasis and association.
In other words adding associated pictures to a branch may help you remember the
information held in that branch. So let’s add some pictures!
Add a picture from the MindGenius picture gallery
Click once on the branch that you want to add
the picture to.
Click on the Picture Gallery icon at the
bottom left of the screen.
Scroll down to find a relevant picture.
Double click on the picture to add it to the
selected branch.
Exercise I Add a picture from the MindGenius picture gallery
1 Click on the Thinking branch of your map
2 Click on the Picture Gallery icon at the bottom left of the screen.
3 Scroll down to find a relevant picture.
4 Double click on the picture to add it to the Thinking branch.
Add a picture from your own files
Click once on the branch that you want to add the picture to.
On the Insert tab click on the Browse for a Picture icon.
Locate the picture file on your computer, click once to select it and then click Open.
Exercise J Add a picture from file
1 Add a picture to the Note Taking branch. Look in the My Pictures folder or library
on your computer and choose a picture file to add.
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Change the position and size of branch pictures
Click on the branch containing the picture
Click on the Insert tab
To change the size of the picture use the Size icons and
To change the position of the picture within a branch, use the
Position icon.
To delete an image from a node, click on the Remove icon
Your map may now look something like this:
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 21
Using the Map Explorer
A complicated topic can seem overwhelming. Focusing on one area at a time helps you
to concentrate better and retain information. You can use the Map Explorer on the left
of the screen to display only that topic in the Map Editor window.
Click on a topic in the Map Explorer to select it.
The Map Editor will display only that topic and
the sub-branches associated with that topic.
Click on the top level in the Map Explorer to
show the entire map again.
Exercise K Focusing on a particular area using the Map Explorer
Let’s have a go:
1 In the Map Explorer, click on the to expand the branch list.
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Collapsing and expanding sub-branches
You can also collapse the map to only display selected levels. This is a useful
technique when revising a topic or if you do not want to display the lower-level detail of
the map. To do this:
Click anywhere on the blank background of the map to ensure that no branches
are selected.
On the Home tab click on the Display Levels icon
Click to select the level you want to display
The map will only display only the selected
level. denotes that a branch has children.
Click on the symbols in the map to expand
branches and show detail.
Tip: Once expanded, holding down the SHIFT
key and then pressing the right or left arrows on
the keyboard will collapse the children of a
selected branch
To display all levels again, click on the Display Levels icon on the Home tab
Click to select All from the list.
Map Layouts
The standard settings in MindGenius will default to create a mind map that has an
Output tree layout, i.e. the root at the left and the branches to the right, as we have
seen. Sometimes, depending on the use of the map or your personal preferences, this
may not be the best layout.
To change the layout of your map:
On the Home tab, click on the Map Layouts icon.
Select a layout from the gallery of layouts.
For more layouts (including a change in the default order of the position of
branches, click to select More Layouts and click on Map Diagram.
Exercise L Changing the map layout
1 Have a go at changing the layout of your map to see which layout you prefer.
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 23
Adding Notes
When creating a mind map, the text on your branches should be short and sweet:
ideally only one or two key words.
When planning, especially for essays, theses and assignments, you may want to
capture additional text related to specific branches for your topic. These may include:
References for key passages in a book or journal that you want to reference in relation to the topic
Paragraphs of text that you may want to include in a larger document
Notes help you elaborate when presenting a topic
You can add this information to individual branches of your MindGenius map using the
Notes Editor
When exporting to Word, notes will appear as Normal text.
When exporting to PowerPoint, notes will appear as speaker notes.
Click to select the branch you want to add notes to.
In the Task Pane, click on the icon to display the Notes Editor.
Above the notes pane, click on the icon to dock the notes panes below the
map and to make more formatting options become available.
Click inside the Notes Editor and type your notes
Click anywhere on the map. An icon will appear on that branch to indicate that
there are notes associated with the branch. To view the notes you will need to click
on the branch.
Tip: You can copy and paste text into the Notes Editor documents using CTRL+C and
CTRL+V as normal. You can also format the notes using the toolbar above the Notes
Editor.
Exercise M Add notes to your map
1 For this exercise add the following notes to the Lesson Plan sub-branch.
Think about the different learning styles when planning a lesson:
Visual
Kinaesthetic
Auditory
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Adding hyperlinks to websites
When planning, especially for essays, theses and assignments, you may want to
capture additional information related to specific branches for your topic. For example,
you may want keep track of any websites you have used when researching a topic.
Hyperlinks can be added to a branch and will appear as clickable links when hovering
over a relevant branch.
Click on the branch that you want to add a link to.
On the Insert tab click on the on the Add Hyperlink icon.
In the dialogue box that opens up type the
details of the website and then click on OK.
You will see an or icon has appeared on the relevant branch, (the icon will
depend on what your default internet browser is).
If you add more than one website address the icon will
change to a paperclip . Hover over this icon with your
mouse to display the web sites you’ve just added. To visit one
of the sites simply click on the title.
Exercise N Add hyperlinks to your map
1 Add the following websites to the Presentations branch on your map:
Business Balls www.businessballs.com/presentation.htm
University of Brighton www.brighton.ac.uk
Remember that it is faster to copy and paste web addresses rather than type them
manually.
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 25
Attaching documents
Sometimes you have other documents that are relevant to your topic. For instance, you
may have written up some lecture notes and stored them elsewhere on your computer.
You can attach files to branches of your map. Clicking on the attachment will open the
file.
Note to staff and researchers: If the file you want to attach is stored on SharePoint,
copy the URL of the SharePoint file and use the Adding Hyperlinks technique above to
add the URL to your map as a hyperlink instead of an attachment.
To add an attachment:
Click on the sub-branch that you want to add a link to.
On the Insert tab, click on the Add Attachment icon.
In the Add Attachments dialogue box, type the description of the file in
the Description box.
Click on the Browse icon.
Locate the document file on your computer and double-click to select it
Click OK.
An icon will appear on your selected branch to indicate that an attachment has been
added. For instance, if you add a Word document, you will see the logo. If you add
multiple attachments to one branch, the icon will change to be a paperclip .
Exercise O Add a link to a document to your mind map.
1 Try adding a word document to the Meeting Minutes.doc as a file attachment to
the Essays branch.
If you can’t find any files on the computer you are using, open a new word document,
save it to your desktop with a memorable file name and then try adding it as an
attachment to your map.
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Creating Branch Relationships
In some cases branches of a map may be related to each other but this relationship
cannot be directly shown because they are located in two different places on the map.
If it is important to highlight this relationship in the map then Mental Connections can
be used.
To add a mental connection:
On the Insert tab, click to select the Mental Connection icon
The cursor will change to
Point at the first branch in the connection and hold your left mouse button down.
Without releasing your mouse, drag and drop the cursor to the second branch in
the connection.
Type a label for the connection in the pop-up box and click on OK.
The connection will appear in the map. To change its position, click once on the
Mental Connection’s label and then drag and drop the label to the required place
on the map.
Exercise P Creating a mental connection
Let’s try it:
1 Insert a mental connection between
the Meetings and Note Taking
branches of your map. Call it
Support Staff.
2 Drag and drop the connection’s label
so that it is clearly visible.
Your map should now look something
like this:
Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018
July 2018 27
Numbering branches
To add a numbering scheme to the map branches:
Click on the Format tab and click on Numbering.
Categorising the information
MindGenius lets you categorise branches of the map into logical groups. You can then
filter the map on these categories. You can also create a:
Category Map that will change the layout of your map, grouping all branches of
the same category together in a hierarchical map structure.
Category view that will change the layout of your map, grouping all branches of
the same category together in columns.
To some extent this is already done by branch level and position in the map; however,
further categorisation may be required useful in certain situations.
Let’s say, for example, you use MindGenius to organize and prepare for a presentation
within a group. Some of that information may need your input, some the other
members of the group. By creating categories for each member of the group, and
applying them to different branches of the map, you could easily filter to see who is
working on what for the presentation.
Adding the Categories
MindGenius comes with a variety of pre-set categories ready for you to use, as well as
allowing you to create your own categories. First we will use the ones already
available.
Select the branches that you want to apply a category to.
o To select an entire branch and its children,
click and drag with your mouse to draw a
box around the branches that you want to
select.
o To select multiple branches or areas of the map, hold down the CTRL
button on your keyboard whilst you use your mouse to make your
selection.
Click on the Analyze tab and click on the to display
the categories gallery.
Click on a category to select it, or to display all of the available categories, click on
More Categories.
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Renaming or creating your own categories
To create your own categories or rename existing categories:
Click on the Analyze tab and click the to display the
categories gallery
Click on Create/Rename Categories
16.2.1 To rename a category:
Click on the category and click on Rename
Type the new name and press ENTER.
To create your own category group:
Click on Create a new category group link at the top of the window
Type the name of the new category group (e.g. days of the week) and press
ENTER.
16.2.2 To create a new category:
Click on the category group to which you want to add the new category
Click on Create a new category
Type the name of the new category and press ENTER.
Click on OK when you have finished and assign the categories to the map as
before.
Exercise Q Categorise your map
Let’s practice that.
1 Rename Category 1 to be Student and Category 2 to be Staff.
2 Hold down your CTRL button and click to select the Dissertations, Meetings and
Exam Revision branches.
3 Assign the Student category to those branches.
4 Assign the Staff Category to the Meetings and Presentations branches in the
map.
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July 2018 29
Creating Filters using your Categories
Now we can filter the map based on your categories. This will mean that you can
emphasise the information for the category you have filtered.
Click on the Analyze tab and click on the drop down under the Quick Filter icon.
Click to select the category you want to filter by.
The colours on the map will change. All branches will be grey except those
assigned to the category you have selected.
To only display the branches matching the filter, click on on the
Analyze tab
To remove the filter, click on the Analyze tab and click on
Exercise R Filter your map by category
Let’s try that with our map.
1 Click on the Analyze tab and click on the drop down under the Quick Filter icon
and click to select or the Student category.
2 Click to select
3 Your map will look something
like this:
4 Clear the filter.
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Create category view
The category view displays all branches assigned to a category, in columns. You can
then drag and drop branches from one category to another if you need to change the
category assignment.
Click on the Views tab
Click on the Categories icon
The view will change to show all nodes listed by category:
To switch back to map view, click on the icon.
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July 2018 31
Creating a Category Map
Another alternative to using the Category view is to create a Category Map. Assigned
categories become parents with qualifying branches as children.
Whilst you may prefer the layout of a category map, the disadvantages over using the
Category View are that:
Category views are within the same MindGenius file and you can switch easily
between map view and category view, with updates happening automatically
Category maps create a new MindGenius file which does not update automatically
if you change your map. You must create a new Category Map if your original map
changes.
To create a category map:
On the Analyze tab, click on the Category Map icon
Click OK in the pop-up window.
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Exporting to Word
Mind Maps can be exported to MS Word. Your map forms the structure of the
document.
This is especially useful for people with dyslexia or dyspraxia, who may struggle with
planning documents. You can plan the structure of a report or essay in Mind Genius
and then flesh it out in Word.
The MindGenius branch levels will be converted into different heading levels in Word,
thus providing a skeleton for your report or essay. Rather than being faced with a blank
page and trying to write 2000 words, the task is broken down into manageable chunks
The export works as follows:
Higher level branches are exported as Heading styles*
Notes, links, pictures and lower level branches are exported as Normal style text*
* Don’t know what Word Heading styles or templates are? For more information about using
Word more efficiently see our documentation about working with long documents on our
website: https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Word/longdocs.aspx.
Note: To avoid errors, close the MS Word application before trying to export from
MindGenius to MS Word.
Save your map.
Click on the Export tab on the ribbon and click on the Word icon.
In the Save As dialogue box that appears,
choose the location to save your file to, e.g.:
o staff can save to OneDrive,
o students using university computers
should save to your One Drive (O:) or a
USB stick
Give the file a name and click on Save.
If you want to use your own Word template*,
click on the : icon and browse to find the
template you want to use.
Branches will be converted to Heading styles
in Word. Use the Branches below level drop down to indicate which branch levels
in your map are converted to Heading styles and which are converted to Normal
text.
If you do not want to include an image of the map in your Word document, click to
deselect Insert an Image.
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Click on the Include Options tab for more options.
If you have used the map explorer to focus on a
specific area of your map (see Using the Map
Explorer), only the branches displayed in the map
editor will be exported.
If you want to export the entire map, click to select
Entire Map.
Use the checkboxes to specify which elements of your
map you want to export.
Click OK.
Word should now open with your new document, ready for you to expand upon your
initial preparation and research.
If you get an error message saying that the call was rejected by the rejectee, it may be
that you have Word open in another window. Close Word and try to export your map
again.
Each branch of your map will be assigned a heading style according to its level. Using
styles in Word will save you a lot of time when working with long documents, such as
essays, theses and reports, as they allow you to:
Save time formatting long documents
Produce professional-looking documents
Create tables of contents easily
To learn more about styles, see our documentation about working with long documents
on our website: https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Word/longdocs.aspx
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Exporting to PowerPoint
Mind Maps can be exported to MS PowerPoint. Your map forms the structure of the
presentation.
This is especially useful for people with dyslexia or dyspraxia, who may struggle with
planning. You can plan the structure of the presentation in Mind Genius. The export
works as follows:
The Core node will export as the title slide of the presentation.
An introduction slide is created with the Core as the title and all Level 1 nodes
shown as bullet points.
One slide per Level 1 node is created, with sub-branches appearing as bulleted
text.
Notes are exported as speaker notes.
Note:. To avoid errors, close the MS PowerPoint application before trying to export
from MindGenius to MS PowerPoint.
Save your map and then Click on the Export tab on the ribbon and click
on the PowerPoint icon.
In the Save As dialogue box, choose the location to save your file to, e.g.:
o staff can save to MyFiles,
o students using university computers should save to your One Drive (O:) or a
USB stick
Give the file a name and click on Save.
If you want to use a different PowerPoint template,
click on the icon to select it.
Use the drop down to specify the maximum number
of bullet points per slide.
Specify which levels in your map will be converted to
the titles of slides in your presentation.
With the default setting of Level 1 and Page Break:
o The Core node will export as the title slide of the presentation.
o An introduction slide is created with the Core as the title and all Level 1
nodes shown as bullet points.
o One slide per Level 1 node is created, with sub-branches appearing as
bulleted text.
For larger maps, you may want to change this.
See next
section for
more
information
about using
PowerPoint
templates
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July 2018 35
Click on the Include Options tab for more
options.
If you have used the map explorer to focus on a
specific area of your map (see Using the Map
Explorer), only the branches displayed in the
map editor will be exported.
If you want to export the entire map, click to
select Entire Map.
Use the checkboxes to specify which elements
of your map you want to export.
Click OK.
With the default settings:
the root branch has become the title of the slideshow
each level 1 branch has become a slide header
sub-branches have become bulleted points on the slide
notes have become the speaker notes of each slide.
to get rid of the MindGenius branding, click on the Design tab and choose an
alternative design for your presentation.
your slideshow is practically ready!
Using other PowerPoint templates with MindGenius:
Your template should be saved with a .pot extension (97-2003 file type).
Currently templates with the 2007/2010 .potx extension cannot be selected.
The University of Brighton template can be downloaded from
https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/mac/Pages/Home.aspx, but you must then save this in
the older format before using it with MindGenius.
If exporting using the University of Brighton template, after export, the slides will
look like the template has not been applied. You will first need to:
o Click on a slide or slides in the slide sorter (use CTRL + click to select
multiple slides at once).
o On the Home tab, click on the Slide Layout icon.
o Click to choose the template slide layout/style you want to apply.
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Managing Tasks and Projects
Mind maps are useful tools for planning projects, revision or tasks and Mind Genius
has tools to help you:
Gantt chart view
Tools to assign people, due dates, statuses and priorities to branches, turning
them into tasks
Links to Microsoft Outlook tasks
Export to MS Project
For more information about using Mind Genius for project planning, see the Project
Planning section of our MindGenius page on our website:
https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Mind%20Mapping/mindgenius.aspx
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July 2018 37
More information
Videos and more
Videos to accompany this document can be found at
https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Mind%20Mapping/mindgenius.aspx
Here you will also find more documentation on using MindGenius for:
Revision
Essay planning
Project planning
Mind Mapping
Having explored the functionality of MindGenius the software you may want to delve deeper into
the world of MindMapping.
The internet provides a whole host of information and you may want to visit the following
websites to find out more:
http://www.buzan.com.au
http://www.mindgenius.com
http://www.biggerplate.com/
20.2.1 Further Reading:
Buzan, Tony. Use Your Head.
Rico, Gabriele Lusser. Writing the Natural Way.
More Mind Genius
In addition to these, the help section of Mindgenius is very good. To access this:
Open MindGenius from the desktop.
Click on the Tools tab.
Click to select Help & Resources.