As a team, how do you go about solving big problems?
Brainstorming sessions are great, but sometimes the sheer number of ideas can feel overwhelming. When that happens, it’s important to figure out how to organize your thoughts so that everyone on the team can understand them and contribute to the discussion.
One effective solution is a mind map. A mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information. A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added.
Mind maps are used in business as well as other contexts. They’re useful for ideation, problem-solving, and decision making. They even work well with agile teams that need to respond quickly to changing market conditions.
Visualizing Large Amounts of Data
Mind maps are especially useful when it comes to visualizing large amounts of data because they’re nonlinear—as opposed to outlines, which are linear—and allow you to break information down into more manageable chunks. In a mind map, related pieces of information branch off from one central idea or concept. This makes it easier to visualize how different topics relate to each other and can help ensure that no important details are
Mind Mapping Tools In Teams
As the world of work continues to evolve, companies of all sizes are looking for new ways to align, synchronise, and empower their staff. Sometimes, this means investing in the right tools for enhancing Microsoft Teams’ collaboration.
It’s no secret that hybrid work is the future for many brands. Around 60% of employees say their work-life balance is better since starting hybrid working. What’s more, many brands have seen an increase in both cost savings and efficiency since introducing hybrid work.
One of the most popular tools for enabling hybrid work today, Microsoft Teams is an excellent way to bring teams together. The app allows for everything from screen sharing to video conferencing to synergise your teams. But, what if there’s a specific aspect of collaboration you need to enhance within the Teams space?
For staff trying to bring teams together with mind mapping functionality, a host of easy-to-use add-ons and extensions are available. Here are some of the best mind mapping apps for Microsoft Teams collaboration.
This list is in no particular order
- MindMeister
MindMeister is a popular Microsoft Teams collaboration app that supports teams sharing knowledge and ideas in real-time. You can create and edit mind maps within your existing Microsoft Teams channels. This means taking notes, visualising project plans and coming up with strategies for team success is as simple as possible.
The MindMeister application for Microsoft Teams ensures employees don’t have to jump into separate software offerings to explore ideas with their colleagues. You can also give your employees an individual “personal tab” for their MindMeister dashboard within Teams. Features include:
- Collaborate on mind maps within real-time
- Add icons, videos, and images to map topics
- Add links, files, and notes to maps
- Comment and vote on topics in real-time
- Turn mind maps easily into dynamic slideshows for presentations
- MURAL
Mural takes a slightly different approach to most mind mapping apps on Microsoft Teams. This application focuses heavily on visuals, making it an excellent choice for your teams to use drawing and sketching utensils to get their thoughts across.
The MURAL app integrates with a range of Microsoft 365 tools, including Office, Teams, and Outlook, so employees can easily access their preferred whiteboarding functionality from anywhere. There’s even the option to create Teams in tabs where people can upload their whiteboards for other people to work on. Features include:
- Visual map collaboration in real-time
- Custom and personal tab access
- Notifications bot included
- Messaging extension for notifications
- Mindomo
Another popular choice for modern mind mapping app aficionados, teams visually explore complex ideas and tasks in a structured, easy-to-follow format. Commonly adopted in business, education, and personal development landscapes, Mindomo can support staff in creating creative solutions to a range of problems.
The app is designed to work seamlessly with Microsoft Teams and has various import and export options available. You can customise each map fully with icons and colours. Plus, if some of your mind maps include more sensitive information, there’s the option to password protect them. Mindomo features include:
- Real-time collaboration on customisable mind maps
- A range of import and exportation formats
- Password protection for peace of mind
- Desktop version for enabling users to work online
- Presentation mode with embedded audio and visual files
- MindMup
Simple and effective, MindMup allows today’s teams to create visual ideas using spider diagrams, mind maps, concept maps, and hierarchal charts. If you’re new to using tools like this in a digital environment, MindMup comes with various templates and easy-to-follow designs to get you started.
MindMup combines a simple visual interface with a range of embeddable options for interactive collaboration within your Microsoft Teams channels. You can share mind maps and share them with other team members and download your maps in the format most suitable for you. The solution enables everything from storyboards to project planning. Features include:
- Themes for mind maps and storyboards
- Convenient real-time collaboration on shared ideas
- Structure writing and plan or project management
- Publish and export your mind map
- Share maps easily with the entire team.
- MindGenius Online
Popular among students and teachers in today’s hybrid learning environment, MindGenius Online is an excellent way to get your Microsoft Teams users working together. The easy-to-use and efficient mind mapping software is ideal for everything from project management to help your teams find simple solutions to a complex problem.
The mind mapping environment can be customised to suit your team’s needs, and you can even add branding elements to make the maps you share feel more unique to your business. You can also assign tasks from mind maps to your employees within Teams. Features include:
- Access to Unsplash images for visual mapping
- Easy to download and share your mind mapping content
- Personalised mind mapping environment and task board.
- Access to task assignment within Microsoft Teams
- A range of convenient templates to get you started
- Huddo Boards
More than just a basic mind mapping tool for Microsoft Teams collaboration, Huddo Boards helps to enable all kinds of project management. The convenient and easy-to-use tool integrates with Microsoft Teams to provide a comprehensive way of tracking all kinds of tasks and teamwork. You can create everything from mind maps to timelines and Kanban boards in the same environment.
The easy-to-use service comes with lists to categorise your to-dos and task assignment, so you can get people on the right track within your team right after finishing a mind map. There’s also support for notifications in Microsoft Teams for real-time updates. Some of the features of Huddo Boards include:
- Task assignment, notifications, and tracking
- Mind maps, timelines, and Kanban board layout
- Integration with a range of Microsoft 365 productivity tools
- Team profile icons for drag-and-drop assignments
- Convenient, customisable layout to suit any team
With so many tools to explore and new apps appearing on the Microsoft ecosystem all the time, there’s no shortage of ways to empower your teams with mind mapping tools.
does microsoft have a mind mapping tool
Many of you are already familiar with Microsoft Teams, the Office 365 hub for team collaboration that integrates the people, content, and tools your team needs to be more engaged and effective. But did you know that Microsoft Teams also has a powerful collaborative mind mapping feature? This integrated tool from MindMeister can help you visualize ideas and create plans with your team members, all in real-time within Microsoft Teams.
Figure 1: https://www.mindmeister.com/blog/meister-news/2018/12/14/manage-mind-maps-microsoft-teams/
Mind Mapping in Microsoft Teams
For those unfamiliar with mind maps, a mind map is a simple and effective way to brainstorm thoughts and ideas organically without worrying about order and structure1. Mind maps allow you to visually collect and display all the important information around a topic on a single page, making it easy for you to review and update key points. And with MindMeister for Microsoft Teams, you can create and collaboratively edit your mind maps right inside your Microsoft Teams channels.
This integrated ability enables you to organize and manage all your mind maps without having to switch between different tools. In other words, you can take notes, brainstorm ideas, visualize project plans and outline strategies while you’re discussing the details with your team members in the chat…. all within Microsoft Teams2.
Figure 2: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Teams/Mind-Mapping-in-Microsoft-Teams-with-MindMeister-Tab/td-p/107825
Ready to Get Started with Microsoft Teams?
There are so many great benefits of Microsoft Teams, and the integrated mind mapping capability from MindMeister is yet another example of just how powerful Microsoft Teams can be. If you are ready to get started with Microsoft Teams, just know that our Imaginet Teams experts can help. To find out more, schedule your free consultation call with Imaginet today
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