Mapping Connections Framework

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Produce a visual map showing how external people and groups relate by proximity and sector to a target audience.

Use it when: Use during project kickoff, service design, or strategic planning when a team needs an agreed picture of who is involved and where their focus should go.

Skip it when: Skip when the project scope is entirely internal, or when the team already has a detailed, validated map of external partners.

Group arrangement: Small working groups of 3 to 6 people around a shared concentric map

Timing: 15 minutes matching the upper end of the 5 to 15 minute source window

Materials and tools

• 1 large sheet of paper with concentric rings and sector wedges per small group
• Sticky notes (one pad per small group)
• Fine-tip markers (one per participant)
• Wall tape or table surface

Before participants arrive

1. Draw concentric rings on large chart paper for each group, divided into 3 to 4 sector wedges (e.g., Public Sector, Community, Funders, Delivery Partners).
2. Provide sticky notes and markers at each table.

Say this to open

In this activity, we will map the people and organizations connected to our work. We start with our core beneficiary or user in the center ring. Then we add partners, regulators, or community groups into the outer rings, sorting them by sector. The closer someone is to the center, the closer they are to the primary audience.

How to run it

1. Identify the center and sectors 3 minutes

   Form groups of 3 to 6. Decide on the specific target audience (users, clients, or beneficiaries) and write it in the center circle. Agree on 3 or 4 sector labels for the pie slices, such as Community, Government, or Suppliers.

2. Brainstorm and place initial entities 4 minutes

   Working individually or in pairs, write one person, group, or organization per sticky note. Place them on the map. Put direct, daily contacts in the inner ring, intermediate partners in the middle ring, and distant or indirect influences in the outer ring.

3. Review and reposition together 5 minutes

   Look at the map as a whole group. Talk through each sticky note. Move notes if the group agrees an entity belongs closer, farther out, or in a different sector wedge. Mark key relationships or critical gaps with a star or circle marker.

4. Debrief priority connections 3 minutes

   Have each small group identify one key relationship that is strong and one connection that currently needs extra attention. Hear one highlight from each group.

Debrief questions

• Which relationships sit closest to the center, and do they match where your time actually goes?
• Where do you see empty sections or unexpected gaps on your map?
• Which single connection on the outer ring needs to be brought closer in the next phase?

Finished output: A concentric diagram showing key external entities grouped by sector and ranked by proximity to the primary audience, with flagged focus areas.

Remote

Use an online whiteboard with a pre-drawn concentric circle diagram split into sectors. Participants add color-coded sticky notes simultaneously, then use cursors or audio to discuss and reposition items.

Hybrid

Assign in-person and remote participants to shared digital whiteboards using individual laptops, or pair each remote member with an in-person buddy who moves physical sticky notes on the wall chart based on remote input.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may dictate names to a partner instead of writing
• Participants may choose to observe silently during the repositioning discussion rather than speaking publicly
• Participants may place notes with role titles instead of named individuals if identities are confidential

If the session gets stuck

Groups spend all their time debating sector names instead of placing people

Provide pre-set standard sectors (e.g., Delivery Partners, Funders/Regulators, Community/Users) and instruct them to use those labels directly.

Participants cluster everyone in the inner circle

Limit the inner circle to a maximum of 4 sticky notes, forcing decisions about who has direct, everyday involvement.

Terms used here

• Concentric circles: A series of nested circles that share the same center point, used here to show proximity to the core user.
• Sector wedge: A pie slice dividing the circles to group organizations into distinct fields or interest areas.