When Lesley Morrissey visited The HoBB, she introduced me to mindmapping as a handy tool and now I use mindmaps regularly to  remember stories whilst on stage.

During live storytelling events, I have used props, sticky pad notes, images, word cards and conventional lists, but when my brain has to hold hundreds and even thousands of story threads, it helps me to see a ‘map’ of the whole woven story whilst performing it – a map which includes links, associations and key points.

Mind maps are there to remind me of the bare story bones as I work with audiences to branch out and elaborate on plots. And as every project has its own story, mind maps come in especially useful when organisations need to communicate involved issues over a short time.

Here are four mind maps I produced with the help of friends and volunteers for a local community group: