Canvas: The 7Ps of Meeting Planning
The purpose of this canvas is to help you plan a meeting with focus, intention, and clarity of purpose.
The 7Ps are super flexible and can be applied to all kinds of contexts: meetings, workshops, events, and more.
Fill out this canvas completely for a strategic approach to meeting planning, or choose just the sections that are just right for your meeting. In my experience, the most transformative elements of this canvas are Purpose, People, and Product/Payoff.
I find that answering the questions helps me uncover insights that lead to a dramatically better experience for meeting participants – and better outcomes for the meeting sponsor.
Why it Matters
Tired of wasting time in meetings? As a host or facilitator, do you wrap up a session... and not have any real clarity about what you accomplished? Or maybe you have a meeting on the books already but you don't know how to begin planning it. 7Ps to the rescue!
Use this framework to keep your meeting's purpose at the front and center. You'll also get intentional about the results you want to create for your participants: what you want them to know, how you want them to feel, and what you need them to do at the end of your meeting.
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The 7Ps Canvas also offers prompts for designing the agenda, setting ground rules, clarifying practical details (like when and where), and identifying preparatory activities.
The 7Ps of Meeting Planning:
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Purpose
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People
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Product & Payoff
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Process
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Pitfalls
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Practicalities
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Preparation
The Canvas Format
Ok so what's a "canvas"?! In short, a canvas is a user-friendly worksheet that provides a visual structure for thinking through an issue.
Each canvas is divided into a number of boxes – the critical components – containing supporting questions for each component. The questions help prompt your thinking (if you're working alone) or guide your conversation (if you're completing the canvas as part of a team).
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A canvas is effectively a guided thought process (or discussion process) that results in a written (and therefore shareable, repeatable, revisitable) record. There are no predetermined right answers going in, but by thinking through and answering the questions, you'll clarify your thinking and distill your most important thoughts and decisions.
Choosing a File Format
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PDF: Useful for printing if you like to brainstorm on paper.
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Fillable PDF: Fill in your answers right on your screen.
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Doc: Outline format if text is more your style. It's more difficult to see where there are gaps in your thinking, but can be easier to fill out in a hurry.
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PNG: Image file of the canvas, good for to use as a background on virtual whiteboards like Miro or Mural. You can also use it in Word – just add text boxes or virtual sticky notes on top of the image.
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Process order graphic: The image file with guidance on the order I've found most helpful. Start with Purpose, People, and Product/Payoff, and you'll already have tremendous clarity about the big picture for your meeting!