Let’s talk about a game-changer in collaboration: the humble canvas. Perhaps you’ve seen or used one before. A canvas is a powerful visual tool that turns messy conversations into focused, actionable insights—making it the secret weapon in change management.
Tired of going in circles?
Ever been in one of those meetings where conversations feel like they’re going in circles? Or even worse, nobody’s talking? That’s where a canvas can work its magic, giving structure to the discussion and helping everyone contribute their best.
Canvases are more than just pretty templates. Canvases transform how teams engage. They’re one of the best engagement tools we have. And anyone can use them.
Here’s where the magic happens
As well as being more fun (and we all need more of that), canvases:
- Make discussions more focused and meaningful.
- Encourage equal and diverse participation.
- Are collaborative, even in remote settings.
- Spark creativity and innovative thinking.
- Turn complex ideas into clear, manageable parts.
- Create visual, actionable outputs.
- Increase stakeholder buy-in and ownership.
A canvas in action
I was asked advice recently about an online knowledge-sharing forum – a fantastic idea with an enthusiastic group of like-minded individuals keen to collaborate and learn together.
Here is what was happening. In the session someone would raise a question or comment. Discussion would follow. And follow. At some point the discussion would stop. It would then move onto another topic.
The problem? Whilst the group seemed to enjoy the conversation:
- Was this the most important topic to discuss?
- The discussion went on for a long time.
- The same people spoke all the time.
- It was not easy to see connections or themes.
- There wasn’t any conclusion, specific learning, or action.
My advice—a canvas. I recommended PowerPoint as the group was small and it is super easy to use (though Miro, Mural, or Microsoft Whiteboard work just as well). The group loved it! They brainstormed and prioritised discussion topics, time-boxed their conversations, and also started rotating facilitation.
This is what they said in a feedback session (using a canvas of course!):
So what is a canvas and when do you use it?
It’s a structured, visual tool designed to guide discussions, organise ideas, and surface insights. People can write thoughts, place a dot on a slider, or use icons and pictures.
A canvas is ideal in the following situations:
- Planning: Strategic change canvas, define roles, approaches, schedules.
- Idea development: Brainstorming, prioritisation, knowledge-sharing.
- Feedback and input: Pulse-check, feedback, user reference groups.
- Assessments: Stakeholder analysis, business impact assessment, risks.
- Reflection and learning: Retrospective, lessons learned.
Pro tips for canvas success
- Get creative—people love colour and visuals, but keep it simple.
- Duplicate pages prior in case you need more space.
- Store the file in a shared space for easy access.
- Share the link in the session, or before to give people a head start.
- Use timers to keep discussions focused.
- Combine with polls in Teams or Slido to ramp up engagement.
- Keep it open after the session for additional thoughts, with a close date.
Ready to give it a go?
I’ve pulled together a free PowerPoint slide pack of canvas templates to get you started!
Gather your team and start transforming your stakeholder engagement today. Because how you engage matters. It matters to your people, it matters to your change initiative, and it matters to your organisation’s ability to innovate.
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