The Doctrine Scratch Pad
The shortest path from “I have a meeting” to “I know exactly what I’m going to say.”
This is the content half. The Room Map is the people half — use both for the same meeting. Five minutes of real thinking, not five minutes of filling in boxes.
When to use it
- Any meeting where you’re presenting a recommendation, not just an update
- A conversation you’ve been putting off preparing for
- Whenever the Stakeholder Meeting Tearsheet says Tier 1
What it gives you
- One sentence you can say without looking at a page
- The three questions you’d otherwise be caught flat-footed by
- A named outcome instead of a vague hope the meeting goes well
Altitude tip
Who are you communicating with?
Pick an audience to see how this tool changes for them.
How to run it — Five minutes
- 01
Find the answer
Write the one sentence you’d say with thirty seconds on the clock.
90 seconds
- 02
Rank questions
The three things they’re most likely to ask, in the order they’ll ask them.
90 seconds
- 03
Name potholes
What could derail this, and the one line you’d say if it does.
90 seconds
- 04
Set the outcome
The specific decision or action you want when you leave the room.
30 seconds
The trap
Treating this as a form to fill instead of a rehearsal. If you can’t say your answer out loud without looking at the page, you haven’t found it yet.