Meeting canvases · Ideas
A mind map for meetings, drawn live from what people say
A mind map for meetings is a one-page diagram with the meeting’s question in the centre and a branch for each topic people raise, with the ideas under each in a few words. Talk jumps between subjects, and a map that grows in every direction follows it better than line-by-line notes, showing what has been covered and what is still open.
Troopa draws the map for you during a call on Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet. Say “Hi Troopa, let’s do a mind map of the launch ideas”, or press Troopa’s suggestion when ideas start piling up, and the branches fill in as people talk, so nobody has to hold the pen.
14 days free, no card. Then $15 per seat, per month. Cancel any time. Last checked against the product on 16 October 2026.
Why brainstorming on a call goes wrong
- Somebody has to type while everyone else talks, and the person typing stops listening and stops taking part.
- A meeting does not run in a straight line, so line-by-line notes end as a wall of text nobody reads again.
- On a shared whiteboard the half-sorted map is on everybody’s screen from the first sticky note, before anyone has had a chance to tidy it.
- The best ideas end up in a photo of a whiteboard or a chat thread, and nobody turns them into next steps.
- Big maps get unwieldy, and people stall deciding where an idea belongs before they will write it down.
How to mind map a meeting with Troopa
Step 1: Ask, or say yes
Say “Hi Troopa, let’s mind map the clinic launch”, or type it. When ideas pile up on one subject, Troopa offers a mind map in a box only you see.
Step 2: Talk, and the branches grow
Troopa sorts what people say into main branches, at most seven of the room’s own and an Other ideas branch, with the ideas under each, while the conversation carries on.
Step 3: Ask Troopa what is missing
Say “what are we missing?” and Troopa adds three to six ideas of its own, marked as Troopa’s, for the room to keep or drop.
Step 4: Fix it on the card
Click an idea to rename it, drag it to another branch, or delete it. Or say “put pricing under channels”: what you change stays as you set it.
Step 5: Present, download, keep
Present it when the room should see it, then download a picture, a PDF, an outline for a mind-mapping app, or Excel. It stays with the meeting’s notes.
A worked example: planning a new clinic
The operations team of a physiotherapy group is planning a new site on a Google Meet call. Sam is running the meeting, with Troopa open on her laptop.
- Sam“Hi Troopa, let’s do a mind map for the Leeds clinic launch.”
- Priya“Staffing first. We need two physios and a receptionist in post before we open.”
- Tom“The booking system has to go live a week early so we can test it.”
- Priya“For referrals, the GP surgeries and sports clubs nearby are our best bet.”
- Sam“Hi Troopa, what are we missing?”
- Troopa, on your screen“Added three ideas under Premises: parking, an accessibility audit and signage.”
- Tom“Good call on the audit. Keep it.”
How teams in different industries use a meeting mind map
Agencies and consultancies
A client discovery call mapped as it happens: goals, audiences, channels, constraints and open questions, each on its own branch. The map goes back to the client the same afternoon as the kick-off summary, in the client’s own words.
Healthcare operations
Planning a new site or moving a service: staffing, IT, premises, training, suppliers and how patients are told, each a branch, so the operations lead sees which workstream has no owner yet. Planning, not clinical decisions, and no patient details.
Product and software teams
A discovery workshop that maps the problems users describe, the ideas for each and the risks. In fintech, compliance gets a branch of its own, with know-your-customer checks, licensing and data, so it is in the room from the first meeting.
Education and the public sector
A course team designing a new module, or a working group sorting what a consultation heard into themes. The map becomes the outline of the paper the group writes next.
Legal teams
A deal team’s first call on a new matter, mapping the parties, documents, deadlines and open questions before anyone writes the structured memo. The outline downloads straight into the team’s working notes.
A mind map template for meetings, with or without Troopa
This is how to mind map a meeting with nothing but paper, a whiteboard or any mind mapping tool. Put the question in the middle, keep each idea to a few words, and add branches as topics come up rather than deciding them all first.
Centre: [the meeting’s question, e.g. “How do we open the Leeds clinic by March?”] Branch 1: [a topic or theme] - [an idea, in a few words] - [a fact, an option or a worry] Branch 2: [a topic or theme] - [...] (4 to 7 branches: more than that gets hard to read) Parked: [good ideas for another meeting] Questions to answer: [what we need to find out, and who will] Next steps: [what happens next, who does it, by when]
Questions that grow a good map
- What are we trying to decide or solve? Write it as a question in the centre.
- What do we already know, and what are we guessing?
- Who is affected, and what would they say is missing?
- What options are there, and what worries us about each?
- Gather ideas first and judge them after: a map that is judged as it is drawn stays small.
- Read it back within a day or two and turn the branches into next steps while people remember why.
Questions about mind maps
What is a mind map used for in a meeting?
A mind map is used to gather ideas around one question and see how they group, which suits brainstorms, project kick-offs, discovery calls and planning sessions. It follows a discussion that jumps between topics better than line-by-line notes, and it shows at a glance which topics have plenty of ideas and which have none.
How do you run a meeting as a mind map?
Write the meeting’s question in the centre, add a branch for each topic as it comes up, and put each idea under its topic in a few words. Keep a branch for parked ideas and one for questions still to answer, and finish by turning the branches into next steps with names and dates.
Can AI make a mind map from a meeting?
Yes. Troopa builds an AI mind map from what is said during a call on Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet, and when asked it adds ideas of its own, marked as its own so the room decides whether to keep them. The map is ready during the meeting rather than after it.
Who invented the mind map?
The mind map as a named method is credited to Tony Buzan, the British author who popularised it as a way of representing ideas visually. Diagrams that branch out from a central idea are much older, but the term and the rules most people follow are his.Australian National University, Academic Skills: Mind mapping →
What is the difference between a mind map and a concept map?
A mind map grows out from one central topic as a tree of branches and sub-branches. A concept map links many ideas to each other with labelled lines, such as “causes” or “is part of”, so it can show relationships across branches that a mind map cannot.
Can I take meeting minutes as a mind map?
Mind map meeting notes work well for ideas and discussion, but formal minutes need sentences: what was decided, worded as agreed, and who does what next. Many teams use the map during the meeting and write the minutes from it afterwards.
Sources
- University of York Library, Mind mapping (note-taking guide)
- Australian National University, Academic Skills: Mind mapping
Read on 15 October 2026, by the people who make Troopa.
Try it in your next meeting
Install Troopa on your Mac, Windows PC or Ubuntu computer, join your call on Teams, Zoom or Google Meet as you always do, and ask: “Hi Troopa, let’s do a mind map for the Leeds clinic launch.”
14 days free, no card. Then $15 per seat, per month. Cancel any time.