The Five Ps of Preparation
By Michael Wilkinson, CMF
Managing Director, Leadership Strategies, Inc.
As part of our work with a large urban public school system, we were asked to work with a team who had been meeting for several weeks in the design of a conference for principals on academic standards. We were being asked to review the conference agenda in order to add involvement segments into the program to keep people engaged and maintain energy. The meeting was scheduled for one hour.
The committee chair had prepared a very detailed conference agenda and had identified speakers for each segment based on input from committee members in prior meetings. Yet as I read over the agenda, I could not deduce the purpose of the conference from the various speakers presenting. Nor could I determine the outcomes that were going to be accomplished. It was clear that the principals would be more informed about a number of topics as a result of the conference. It was not clear what they were expected to do with the information.
Twenty minutes into the meeting, I raised my hand and explained that I had several questions and asked permission of the group to go through a fifteen minute exercise which I thought would lend additional focus to our efforts. We broke into three teams with a three minute goal of creating a purpose statement for the conference. The statement was to answer, “Why were we holding the conference? What was the purpose to be achieved?” Not surprising, the three teams created three very different purpose statements. Within ten minutes, and after some debate, we had agreed upon the overall purpose. Next, I asked the entire group, “What do we want to have in our hands when we are done? What products, if any should be created at this conference?” While it took a little longer than expected, we were able to agree on the key deliverables: a general statement of approach to standards, key strategies and a high-level timeline.
With this done, I suggested that we might relook at the agenda to ensure that every segment contributes directly to the purpose and deliverables for the conference. I could feel the excitement in the room rise. They had discussed the programs for weeks without a clear guidepost to help them know they were moving in the right direction. With the purpose and deliverables clear, they could make decisions about what did and did not make sense. Nearly half the program was redesigned.
The story ends on a high note. One of the elected School Board members unexpectedly attended the conference and remained for the duration. At the conference closing she explained that when she heard about the conference, she was sure it was going to be a big waste of the schools system’s dollars. She went on to say, however, that she felt it was one of the most productive conferences she had attended in her 20+ years with the school system.
The Secret to Preparing
What does it take to be prepared for a facilitated interaction? Whether you are preparing for running a task force, delivering a presentation or meeting with a customer, the secret to preparation is the same: you must achieve a clear understanding of the “five Ps.”
Why are we holding this session? (Purpose)
What do we want to have when we are done? (Product)
Who will be attending the session? (Participants)
What are the potential problems or issues that may surface? (Probable Issues)
How will we go about achieving the purpose and product? (Process)
Of course there are numerous other steps in the preparation process. However, it is important to be aware of these most important steps. We recommend focusing on these elements to gain a clear understanding of what is to be done and how. In fact, it is important to decide the five Ps in order: purpose, product, participants, probable issues, process.
Purpose always precedes process.
Recall the Principals Conference described above. The committee started with the process. They had created a full agenda before ever getting agreement on the purpose or the product. As a result, they had a conference agenda that was unfocused and potentially very ineffective.
Example of Answers for Managing a Task Force
Let’s take as an example a task force that has been brought together to address problems with the hiring process. Here are answers to three of the five Ps.
| Purpose:
Define the changes necessary to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the hiring process Products:
|
Process:
1. Hold scoping meeting to initiate the project 2. Hold facilitated sessions to document how the process works today 3. Gather transaction counts and cost data 4. Hold facilitated sessions to document problems, root causes and potential solutions 5. Perform cost/benefit analyses on top alternatives 6. Develop and document how the process will work in the future 7. Develop implementation plan with resource estimates and costs 8. Present report of recommendations 9. Review and assess performance |
Define the Meeting Products
The products are the specific items to be produced during the meeting that will define achievement of the purpose. Your desired products from the meeting may cover one or more of what I call the three Hs. You will want to identify what you want people to have in their:
Hands (deliverables)
Heads (knowledge)
Hearts (beliefs)
To identify the products you want to result from the meeting, ask yourself the following questions:
What specific tangible products or outcomes do I want to have produced when the meeting is over?
What do I want the participants to have in their hands, know in their heads, and believe in their hearts?
Three months following the meeting, how will I know the meeting was successful?
Sample Products
An action list indicating the steps to be taken, by whom, and when.
A mission statement, guiding principles, broad goals, measurable targets, and specific strategies for achieving those targets.
An understanding of the steps being taken to address outstanding issues.
Approval to move forward and high expectations of success.
The Sponsor Interview
If you are leading a task force or facilitating a meeting for someone else, it is important to have the five Ps answered by the sponsor. A sample list of questions for the sponsor is shown in the table. Not all questions are appropriate for every session. In fact for some session types, several of the questions are somewhat redundant. Select those questions most relevant to the effort you are facilitating.
| Purpose | 1. Why are you having this session? What is the purpose?
2. What is telling you that this session is needed? What are the problems you are trying to solve? 3. How do you know there is a problem? What are the symptoms? 4. What are the implications of not solving this problem? |
| Product | 5. What is it that you are hoping to achieve from this session? What specific product or deliverable should be created?
6. How will you know you have been successful? 7. If you achieve this kind of success, what would be the benefit to your organization? |
| Participants | 8. Who will be attending the session? What are their perspectives or concerns?
9. Will the attendees know each other? Are there people who are on unfavorable terms? Are introductions needed? 10. Are there participants who are not in favor of holding the session, or who stand to lose something if the session is successful or whose issues or ways of communication I should know about? |
| Probable Issues | 11. What are the potential problems or issues that may surface?
12. What challenges do you anticipate in addressing these issues? 13. Are there specific topics you feel should not be discussed in the session? 14. How should I go about gaining an orientation on the session topics and the issues? |
| Process | 15. What are some of the steps that you feel we should consider taking during the session?
16. What types of facilitated activities has this group undertaken in the past? What were the results? 17. What steps have you taken already to address the purpose and product? |
Interested in learning more facilitation techniques? Check out our course, The Effective Facilitator.
Michael Wilkinson is the Managing Director of Leadership Strategies – The Facilitation Company, and a much sought after trainer, facilitator and speaker. He is a Certified Master Facilitator and a Certified Professional Facilitator. As a past president of the Southeast Association of Facilitators and a board member of the National Institute of Facilitation, Michael is a national leader in the facilitation industry. You can get more tips from either of Michael’s books, The Secrets of Facilitation or The Secrets to Masterful Meetings. You can receive a signed copy through our website.
