Come Up with New Ideas Using the Hub & Spokes Model
Not everyone likes an outline. Charlie, a paralegal in a large law office,
explains, “When I try to outline, I feel as if my brain is in a straight jacket.
I go blank. It just doesn’t work for me.”
Hub & Spokes is an alternative approach. Instead of following a
prescribed organizational format with strict hierarchical rules, Hub &
Spokes allows you to follow your thoughts in an easy-to-track manner.
In the center of a blank piece of paper, draw a circle. Jot a summary
of your objective and your audience in the circle. That’s your hub: the
essence of your communication challenge. Draw lines out from the circle.
These spokes will serve as links from your hub to related thoughts.
Charlie, the paralegal, says, “I love the Hub & Spokes model. It works
well for me. For example, I wanted to go to a seminar, but the firm had
put a hold on all outside training. No surprise. Another example of cost
reduction. The seminar was on document retention, so I knew it would
be useful for our firm. But my boss said no, not now. Check back in six
months. I didn’t want to wait, so I decided to take one last crack at
winning her approval.
“My objective was to have her say yes and authorize the expense. She’s
all Producer, very bottom-line oriented, so I needed to keep my eye on
the ball. I knew a focus on the cost-savings benefit of learning what papers
we didn’t have to retain was key. In terms of formality, well, my score was
nine, so a matter-of-fact memo seemed like a good idea. I thought about
E-mail, but we’re pretty conservative as a firm, and I didn’t think that
an E-mail would convey a serious enough image. Using the Matrix of Persuasion,
clearly my challenge was to persuade.
Create a Draft on Paper (or on Your Computer)