Working template

Preparing the stakeholder meeting

Arrive with a clear purpose and leave with an agreed next step. A short working brief for preparing the argument, the evidence and the questions.

Meeting briefs and seating cards being prepared for an institutional discussion.

One9Six / Working notes

A map of roles, evidence and timing

Start with the formal decision and the process that produces it. Record an institution’s remit separately from your assessment of its position. Do not turn an unverified assumption into a label that follows a person through the project.

Implementation reference
FocusRecordPractical check
Decision ownerFormal authority and relevant procedureVerify through official remit and published process
ContributorTechnical input, consultation role or implementation dutyIdentify what information this party needs and can provide
Engagement recordPurpose, evidence, open question, owner and next dateRecord agreed actions separately from your interpretation

Apply this to your next project

  • Review the map when responsibilities or consultation deadlines change.
  • Keep contact details and meeting notes within agreed access permissions.
  • Make the meeting request specific without implying a guaranteed outcome.

Make it practical

A useful place
to start.

Use this guide with the colleagues involved in the work. Note what you know, what needs checking and who will take the next step.

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  1. Decision: what specific issue or decision does this engagement relate to?
  2. Stakeholder: what is their formal role and how do they influence the process?
  3. Interests: what priorities are evidenced, and what are still assumptions?
  4. Objective: what should the interaction clarify, enable or resolve?
  5. Position: what is your argument in three clear sentences?
  6. Evidence: which facts, examples and documents support that position?
  7. Questions: what do you need to understand from the other party?
  8. Timing: why is this the right moment and what constraints apply?
  9. Record: what was discussed, agreed and left open?
  10. Follow through: who owns the next action and when will it happen?

What comes next
for your business?

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