Genogram Builder vs Miro

How to adapt the Miro genogram template on a board

Miro publishes a Genogram Template on its template page. Its genogram maker page says the template comes with pre-made shapes, connection lines and text boxes, and that colours, shape sizes, line thickness and font can be changed. The steps below follow those pages and the Miro help on templates, checked on 5 November 2026.

A Miro board makes room for discussion

Start with the Miro genogram template and replace the labels and connections. Leave space beside the chart for questions, evidence and observations. A group can annotate that space while the diagram stays visible on the same board.

In Genogram Builder, enter the known family connections and then add the lines that describe the quality of a relationship. The chart key tells the next reader what those lines mean. This workflow suits a chart that will be printed or edited without the surrounding workshop notes.

Board access and edit limits affect the handoff

Miro keeps the three most recent boards editable on Free. Miro Starter lists private boards and high-resolution exports. Before inviting someone to a board, check who can see it and whether the invitation gives viewing or editing access.

Genogram Builder keeps edits in the current browser and offers an account copy when you choose to save there. For a handout, export a file with only the names and notes you intend the recipient to see.

Keep the board context beside the exported chart

Export or capture the chart frame and keep the original board. Transfer the family and its relationship labels separately. If the board also includes an outside support network, preserve it as a separate ecomap so the readers of both diagrams can tell which lines mean what.

Use a whiteboard to review a family

Try a fictional family with three generations and a clear question about who takes care of a child after school. Put the grandparents across the top and the parents and their children on the rows below. Give one grandparent a caring role that belongs in a note beside the diagram. Put the same fictional names, birth years and relationship facts in both tools so the comparison has a fixed starting point.

On the Miro template, check the symbols and connectors before typing into the example. Place the family in one area of the board. If you need to keep notes from the discussion, give them a separate area and mark which details still need to be confirmed. If two participants have different interpretations of a relationship, keep their observations apart until you have agreed on what the chart should show. Use the key to explain any line style that you change.

Build the same family in Genogram Builder. Create each person, connect the partnerships and children, then add the relevant relationship lines. Use a note for the after-school arrangement if it helps explain the chart. Ask a reader to trace the child to both parents and point out who provides pickup support. The two trials tell you whether a visual workspace or a dedicated family editor better fits the way you review a chart.

Plan how changes will be approved

A shared whiteboard can make it convenient to keep a diagram beside discussion notes and reference material. Set aside a space for suggestions and decide who will make changes to the working chart. If someone moves a person to a different row, review the connections before accepting the change. The board should show when a name, date or connection is confirmed and when the group is still discussing it.

A genogram can also be reviewed from an exported copy. Send the picture for review and ask the reader to identify the line or label they want to change. Apply confirmed corrections to the editable chart and export it again. This pattern fits a group where one person maintains the family diagram and the others review it. Agree on which copy is current before using it in a report.

Try the same revision in both tools. Add a new child or a year of death. Check what has to move, who has access to edit it and which information remains in the key. Use fictional data until you have checked which sharing settings and account terms apply to your work. Decide which notes actually belong in the final version before inviting a wider audience.

Export the chart apart from the discussion

Before publishing a board or exporting an image, identify the exact area a recipient should see. The chart, heading and key should fit inside that area. Keep drafts and working notes outside the final selection. Confirm that the intended viewer can open the link or file with their actual account and check the plan terms if PDF export matters.

For a report, place the exported diagram where it will be read and check the smallest name at normal size. Try black and white if your assignment will be printed. A connector that depends entirely on color may need a label or a different pattern. Compare the resulting picture with the diagram in the editor to see whether any marks were hard to read after resizing.

Keep the editable board or project for the next revision. If a colleague is joining after the discussion, tell them which file holds the working family and which file was submitted. A dated caption helps when there are several revisions. Choose Miro if the family needs to sit inside a collaborative workshop, and a genogram editor if the recurring task is maintaining the chart itself.