In their new book, Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers and Changemakers, authors Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James Macanufo share a visual technique for improving the outcomes of business meetings called the 7 Ps framework. You can utilize the 7 Ps – which I have adapted into a mind map – as a checklist to help improve the focus and results of your business meetings.

Please click on the image above right to view a larger version of the map, with the branches expanded to show questions you can ask yourself about each aspect of planning your next meeting. You can also create your own 7 Ps map and add subtopics to each first-level topic to document your planning needs for a specific meeting.

The authors suggest that you keep in mind that each of the factors can influence the others – which is why it’s perfect to represent them in a visual format like this. They also recommend that you especially use the 7 Ps framework with recurring meetings, which can often drift from their original purpose over time. It’s a valuable exercise to ask yourself, “Why are we having this meeting?” from time to time.

Why not try this visual model to help you prepare for your next major meeting?