Brainstorming diagrams illustrate topics in a hierarchy. Topics are usually connected to other topics, but they can also exist alone.

A topic that is subordinate to and connected to another topic is called a subtopic. You can have multiple levels of subtopics. Topics at the same level in the hierarchy are called peer topics.

You can work with topics in your diagram directly on the drawing page or in the Outline Window. Also, you can change the shape types used for topics in your diagram, which is useful in distinguishing levels in the diagram hierarchy.

You can also create custom properties for topics if you want to store data in topics for later use.

Notes

• Connectors between topics appear as solid lines. You can show additional relationships between topics by using association lines, which are dashed, not solid.
• If you export brainstorming data to a Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, or XML file, any associated custom property data, hyperlink data, and topic associations are included in the export.

Create a brainstorming diagram