The 7 Best Mind Mapping Software Tools for Better Brainstorming

Let us look at a list of all the items a CEO of a business might focus on, on a day-to-day basis and consider how a long list of responsibilities such as this can be managed and executed.

Sales/Marketing Department

Marketing Plan Update

  • Issue 1
  • Issue 2
  • Issue 3
  • Issue 4
  • Issue 5
  • Upgrade of Website
  • Training of New Sales Staff
  • Sales Performance Vs. Projected
  • Margin Analysis

Purchasing Department

  • Pricing Issues
  • Alternative Sources of Supply
  • Bankruptcy of Supplier X
  • Substitutes
  • Lead Times Vs. Desired

Distribution & Logistics Department

  • Inventory Control
  • Delivery Performance
  • Customer Service Levels
  • Costs Vs. Projections
  • New Transport Vehicles

Finance Department

  • Credit Control
  • Purchases Ledger
  • Receivables Ledger
  • Payroll
  • Financing Mix

IT Department

  • New Telephone System
  • Accounting System Upgrade
  • Introduction of Mobile Technology for Sales Force
  • Server Solution & Backup Routines
  • Staffing & Holiday Issues

CEO-Key Account Management

  • Major Client 1
  • Major Client 2
  • Major Client 3
  • Major Client 4
  • Major Client 5

CEO-Product Innovation

  • Testing New Product 1
  • Testing New Product 2
  • Sourcing New Product 1
  • Rolling Out New Product 1
  • Rolling Out New Product 2

CEO-Financial Management

  • Banking Relations
  • Investor Relations
  • Cash Flow Management
  • Financial Reporting
  • Staff Salaries & Industrial Relations

CEO-Supplier Management

  • Major Supplier 1
  • Major Supplier 2
  • Possible New Supplier 1
  • Possible New Supplier 2
  • Possible New Supplier 3

CEO-New Market Development

  • Analysis of Export Market 1
  • Analysis of Export Market 2
  • Acceptance Testing of New Market 1
  • Acceptance Testing of New Market 2
  • Negotiation of Terms for New Market 1

Business Planning

Board Meetings

Management Meetings

Management & Use of Information

How on earth can one individual deal with so many things on an ongoing basis and not drop the ball occasionally? Mind Mapping provides the answer.

Now take a look at the same information shown in a Mind Map. Which is going to be easier to manage at a glance?

Now the owner has an ordered list of all that is moving and shaking in the business on one single page. It allows him to actively manage every single key initiative and interact with his direct reports to ensure nothing slips by him. Every time something happens with any of the tasks or initiatives, the owner simply adds an additional item to the Mind Map but one step removed from the original item. A printed Mind Map like this one should constantly sit on the business owner’s desk to remind him of what is important and what requires attention in his business.

There really is no limit to the uses of mind mapping in business. Take a look at some examples below:

Business Planning

If you don’t have a background in running your own business or have a business degree you may attempt to start your business without a clear idea of where exactly you are going, or how you’re going to get there. This is probably the single most common mistake made by entrepreneurs. If you want to travel from Boston to New York by car it would seem reasonable that you would consult a roadmap to show you the most effective way to get there before starting the journey. Without the roadmap, it is possible that you may head west rather than south and end up adding hundreds of miles to your journey and perhaps never reach New York at all. Running your business without a roadmap is equally futile because you are likely to continuously take the long way round and there is a high possibility that you will never reach the destination you had in mind.

Mind Mapping allows you to approach business planning in a structured way. You can look at each individual component of the business plan as a separate exercise to be brainstormed by you and your team.

Business Health Check

Have you ever wanted to know how well your business is doing from the perspective of an outsider looking in? Do you know the things you should be asking yourself about how well your business is really performing? Do you want to pass a barometer over your business without the huge expense of getting a professional in to do it? Now you can, using Mind Mapping

Communication

Rightly or wrongly, poor communication is often cited as a major issue within business – it leads to incorrect assumptions, misaligned expectations, apathy and general disquiet. Employees feel left out, claim to be unaware of what is going on and generally lose enthusiasm and motivation.

Poor communication is often blamed on the time required to continually keep everyone informed. However, it also results from failure to:

  • Recognise the different needs of each target audience
  • Recognise the most appropriate communication mechanism
  • Align the message to each target audience
  • Substantiate claims made, with credible backup
  • Provide timely and regular information
  • Test assumptions of how information is interpreted and communicated

Mind Mapping helps make communication a strength within your business – it allows you to quickly and easily assemble all facts and information relevant to the communication need, explore its relevance to each target audience and determine how best to convey your message.

Mind Mapping allows you to rapidly develop content which can be communicated as maps, or easily formatted as Microsoft® PowerPoint® or HTML files as appropriate – minimising the time and effort required to provide regular briefings. In addition, Mind Mapping provides the ability to interact with Microsoft® Outlook® or to send maps by e-mail.

With Mind Mapping, employees have an ideal mechanism to feedback information in a format that is easy to review and assess their understanding of the communication and the impact on staff.

The use of Mind Mapping in communicating provides a mechanism that with little effort provides the basis, justification and content of your message and a methodology to maintain excellent dialogue with the audience – overcoming one of the most significant challenges facing business.

The list of business uses for this amazing tool is endless.

  • Planning
  • Project Management
  • Presentations
  • Meeting Management
  • Problem Solving
  • Brainstorming
  • Workload Management
  • Report Writing
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Business Process Development

Mind Mapping has literally hundreds of different applications and it can turn you into a structured thinker as well as supercharging your business performance.

XMIND

XMind is the most professional and popular mind mapping tool. Millions of people use XMind to clarify thinking, manage complex information, brainstorming, get work organized, remote and work from home WFH.

  • New From Library
  • Set Password
  • Print
  • Fold/Unfold All Sub-branches
  • Find/Replace
  • Map Overview
  • Topic Count
  • Quick Entry (Mac Only)
  • CJK Font
  • Shortcuts
  • Multi-branch Color
  • Topic Free-positioning
  • Topic Overlap
  • Quick Style

MINDMEISTER

Create, share and collaboratively work on mind maps with MindMeister, the leading online mind mapping software. Includes apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.

  • Mind maps structure information
  • Mind Maps improve memory
  • Mind Maps foster creativity
  • Mind maps facilitate collaboration

BUBBL

Bubbl.us makes it easy to organize your ideas visually in a way that makes sense to you and others.

  • Browser-based
  • Save as image & print
  • Easy sharing
  • One-click presentation
  • Distraction-free editing
  • Team work

AYOA

Discover the power of Mind Mapping, Visual Task Management and Collaborative Chat in one place: Ayoa. Making team innovation simple & productive.

  • Brainstorm and Generate Ideas
  • Planning Projects
  • Presenting Information
  • Taking Notes
  • Finding Solutions
  • Learning and Recalling Information

IMINDQ

iMindQ is premier mind mapping software, which inspires innovation by stimulating creative thinking, brainstorming, organization and presentation of ideas.

  • Add Topic Elements
  • Presentation Mode
  • Project Planning Mode
  • Research Panel
  • Import & Export Maps
  • Mind Map Styles
  • Mind Map Templates

MINDGENIUS

Capture Information In A Mind Map Brainstorm thoughts and ideas or take notes with features which allow you to capture and break down information quickly and easily.

  • Capture Information In A Mind Map
  • Bring Maps To Life
  • Organise & Prioritise

ZENMINDMAP

Create mindmaps, concept maps, brain mapping with our Free Online Mind Map Maker Software.

  • Mind Map in Seconds
  • A Zen Workspace
  • Minimal & Modern UI
  • Style with Emojis
  • Ready to Present

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