Each fiscal agent receiving a grant to provide Adult Basic and Secondary Education in the state of Texas is required to have an Advisory Committee:

§89.28. Advisory Committee.
At least one collaborative advisory committee shall be formed in each funded adult education program. That committee shall be composed of a broad spectrum of community representatives, including work force development representatives, to review the activities of, and make recommendations to, the fiscal agent in plan-ning, developing, and evaluating the adult education program. The fiscal agent shall be responsible for convening the collaborative advisory committee at least twice each year. Source: The provisions of this §89.28 adopted to be effective September 1, 1996, 21 Tex Reg 5690.

Other adult and family literacy programs may also have an advisory committee or board of directors, either as a requirement of their articles of incorporation or simply because it’s sound organizational practice.

How can program managers build a powerful Advisory Committee and use that committee effectively to support the program’s mission and improve Performance Measures? Luckily, there are many organizations researching effective board management, publishing resources, and providing consultants to help build effective nonprofit boards. The TCALL Clearinghouse Library and the TCALL Web site both have resources for you.

One recent addition to the TCALL Web site is the PowerPoint presentation How to Conduct an Advisory Committee Meeting at the Local, Regional, or State Level. (*PDF) Dr. Richard A. Griffin, consultant for school governance, and Joanie Rethlake, Texas State Director of Adult Education and Family Literacy, delivered this presentation at the annual meeting of the Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education (TALAE) in January 2005.

This first part of a two-part article will focus on planning, structuring, and managing effective Advisory Committee (AC) meetings. Part two, in the next issue of Literacy Links, will examine the ongoing development of an effective AC through strategic recruitment, effective orientation, and clear ongoing communication.

People say yes to serving on advisory committees because they want to expand educational opportunities for others and make a difference in the community. At the end of a successful meeting, participants should feel that they did make an important contribution to the meeting and that they helped the program advance in its mission. But their “potential” effectiveness will end in frustration and loss of commitment if the meetings of the AC are not well run.

Meetings run best when three key people work together to manage the meeting through their separate roles as Leader, Recorder/Scribe, and Referee/Process Observer. As a team, they make sure that all needed materials are in place and that the meeting environment allows engaged participation by following meeting Ground Rules.

Ground Rules guide the decorum of the meeting by asking members to be honest, respectful, creative, and open to ideas of others.Ground Rules establish the expectation that members contribute meaningfully to the meeting and follow through on their committee tasks. Rules can vary depending on the objectives of the meeting or activity. A brainstorming activity, for example, has specific rules designed to promote idea generation; the interaction in a discussion or a decision making process is regulated differently. The leader of the meeting must clarify any changes to the Ground Rules as activities demand during the course of the meeting.

The Leader has the primary responsibility to conduct the meeting and plan the agenda. During the meeting, the leader keeps the group focused on the agenda and encourages appropriate participation by enforcing the ground rules. A good leader keeps the energy of the meeting stimulating, listens carefully, and makes sure everyone gets to contribute. After the meeting, the leader sends meeting notes to all attendees and follows up on any assigned “to do” items.

The Recorder/Scribe keeps a working record of the meeting by jotting down the key points of the discussion where they can be seen by all participants. A simple chart pad and markers will do. Keeping a separate list of items requiring action or “things to do” is well worth the effort and creates a record of each member’s responsibilities.

The recorder frees the members of the advisory committee to concentrate on listening to each other and developing ideas more fully.

Visible meeting notes help focus attention on the task and allow the participants to “see” their ideas and advice recorded. Notes allow late comers to catch up with the discussion and also support the visual learners in the group. The recorder should use the participants’ language and ask for corrections so that the notes record precisely what the members of the advisory committee said. By having someone assigned to the role of Recorder, any decisions made or agreements reached are recorded accurately. No group can function well without clear communications.

The role of the Referee is to make sure that the meeting progresses smoothly by observing the process of the meeting. The Referee is a “second set of eyes and ears” for the Leader and can more closely watch the facial expressions and body language of the participants for any signs of confusion or discomfort. When necessary, the Referee may suggest a short break in the meeting if the energy level drops or if the leader needs to be made aware of some confusion on an issue being discussed. The Referee can also help enforce the ground rules and intervene if the discussion has strayed too far from the agenda. The referee is also the timekeeper and helps hold meetings to their stated timeframe. Overall the Referee frees the Leader to interact with the Advisory Committee instead of just leading the meeting.

Successful meetings follow well planned agendas. Powerful meetings occur when the participants receive the agenda and any relevant readings or other support materials five to ten days prior to the meeting. This gives your committee members time to use their thinking skills and their community networking skills before the meeting. Then, they arrive at the meeting ready to actively participate in the agenda.

Each agenda item should clearly indicate whether the committee will gather or provide information, make a decision, or give advice. Expectations must always be clear so that there are no surprises.

Agenda items can follow an order like this: Announcements, Information (local, regional, or state initiatives; student or employee achievements; performance measures), Items for Discussion, and Items Needing a Decision.

Respect the value of the time your Advisory Committee members donate. If there are agenda items that do not directly involve the AC members, separate those items from the rest of the agenda. Then you can easily dismiss the AC members and discuss the additional items without them present.

For more information, see Library and Free Materials sections of this issue of Literacy Links in the category Advisory Board Development and Nonprofit Management. A great online resource for information on nonprofit boards is http://www.boardsource.org BoardSource even provides a glossary of nonprofit board terminology.

*PDF: If you do not have Acrobat Reader, please download the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader (free) to view, or you can convert PDF to HTML via Adobe's conversion form.