How to lead an accessibility advisory committee

Chairing a committee requires a highly developed set of skills. In this section you will find some guidelines and resources for committee chairs. These will help clarify the role of the chair, reinforce core responsibilities, and support a facilitative leadership style.

Chairing a meeting: Robert’s Rules of Order

The role of chair can be difficult, as Henry Robert found out when he was asked to chair a meeting. He realized he didn’t know how. He turned to parliamentary laws to guide him – only to find out that every part of the country used a different procedure. So, he decided to write the “Robert’s Rules of Order.” The first edition was printed in 1876. There have been many editions since.

Here is a simplified version of the rules. It is adapted from the website of the Social Planning Council of Ottawa:

1. The chair of a meeting shall be allowed to debate on all subjects under discussion. He or she must temporarily turn over the chair to the Vice-chair or other committee member during such debate and any voting that follows.
2. The committee can appeal any decision of the chair. A two-thirds majority vote of the members present is needed to sustain the appeal.
3. Any member appealing a decision of the chair may state his or her reasons for doing so. The chair may then give the reasons for his or her decision before the question is put to a vote. Once the vote has been taken, the matter shall be considered as settled.
4. When two or more members rise at the same time, the chair shall name the one to speak.
5. When a member is called to order by the chair or any member, that person shall at once take his or her seat. Every question of order shall be decided by the chair without debate, subject to rule number two.
6. No motion shall be debated until seconded.
7. Appeals and motions to reconsider or adjourn are not debatable.
8. When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received except to lay on the table, to postpone, to commit to a committee, or to amend.
9. No person shall interrupt another while speaking, except in accordance with rule number five.
10. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, except when another motion is before the meeting.
11. When a motion is made and seconded, the chair may ask the mover to reduce the same to writing and to hand it to the chair. The chair shall read this note before the meeting for debate.
12. Any mover of a motion shall be free to accept changes thereto. If the mover does not accept a change after it has been duly seconded, the chair shall hold a vote on this amendment before the members vote on the original motion.
13. Every officer, on leaving his or her office, shall give to his or her successor all papers, books, documents, and money belonging to the association.
14. The chair, at any meeting, may limit the time of any speaker on any motion or discussion.
15. A Rule of Order may be suspended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any meeting. The suspension shall apply only for that meeting.

The role of the chair

One municipality has summarized the following role of its accessibility advisory committee chair:

1. With the help of municipal staff, determine any special meeting provisions. Determine quorum and call the meeting to order.
2. Identify agenda items. Gauge discussion among members and ensure adequate consideration has been given to each item. chairs generally offer their guidance and ask questions without taking a specific position on a matter.
3. Keep a record and determine speaking order and ensure all members have had an opportunity to provide their input. Ensure any members of staff or the public has an opportunity to comment, where appropriate.
4. Facilitate consideration of main motions, ensuring there are seconders.
5. Rule on procedures with the assistance of staff, as appropriate.
6. Ensure items are dispensed within a timely and fair manner.
7. Facilitate decorum and appropriate behaviour.
8. Ensure all matters of the committee’s business are considered in the work plan.
9. Represent the committee at a yearly presentation to council.

Chairing an accessible meeting

A successful meeting takes preparation. A successful and accessible meeting can take a little extra care and planning. Here are some steps to keep in mind:

At the start of the meeting

• Start on time – stop all side conversations, get everyone’s attention.
• Ask all present to introduce themselves. This includes interpreters and guests. Remind people to identify themselves before speaking for the benefit of those who have a visual disability.
• Inform people of the nearest emergency exits and accessible washrooms.
• Encourage clear speech at a relaxed pace. This will help interpreters, note-takers and others to communicate with people who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.
• Review the agenda. Make any revisions needed.
• Set clear time limits. For longer meetings, indicate when you will have breaks.
• Review action items from the previous meetings.

During the meeting

• Use your leadership skills!
• A chair’s responsibility includes determining speaking order, facilitating motions and ensuring there are seconders. The chair also rules on procedures, keeps order and maintains proper behaviour.

At the end of the meeting

• Confirm the action items: who, when and what?
• Set the date and place for the next meeting. Start an agenda.
• Close the meeting positively. Sum up key decisions.

After the meeting

• Ensure the secretary, clerk or chair sends out meeting notes – particularly the action items.

Ask for feedback

From time to time, the chair should ask for feedback from members on meetings. It’s important because it will help identify what is working and what is not. For instance:

• Are meetings running smoothly? Are they well attended?
• Are meetings getting the desired results?
• Is the committee working well as a group? Is there room to improve?

A review can be a few minutes at the end of a regular meeting. Or you can set up a meeting to conduct a longer review. This can be a time to acknowledge successes. It is also a chance to make changes – ranging from the way decisions are made, to the kind of food served.

For a more formal review, you may need to do follow up, one-on-one interviews with participants to learn more. A formal review would also warrant a detailed report.

Regular reviews will help to make sure that your meetings are effective. This in turn will help your team achieve its goals to make your community inclusive and accessible.

Leadership styles

While the chair plays many roles, none is more important than being an effective leader. Leaders fall into two main camps: the traditional and the facilitative leader. Here are the main differences.

Traditional leader

• Assumes leadership
• Provides structure and control
• Directs
• Uses control (uses personal power, makes decisions)
• Expects uniformity
• Uses authority to get things done.

Facilitative leader

• Shares leadership
• Provides direction
• Asks questions and listens
• Involves others (builds consensus, shares in setting common goals, recognizes differences in a group)
• Empowers others to get things done.

Facilitative leaders recognize the value and efforts of the whole team. They are most likely to get the best from the group. Here are some tips on how to be a facilitative leader^{footnote 1[1]}.

Five tips to be a facilitative leader

1. Return a question or comment to the person in the group who raised it. Do not provide all the answers.
   Example:
   Team member: “I don’t like the approach we’re taking here.”
   Leader: “What do you think we should be doing?”
2. Make sure everyone is working on the same content, using the same process, at the same time.
   Example:
   Leader: “Let’s stay focused on identifying the problems.”
3. Name something that isn’t working. Get it out in the open where it can be worked on.
   Example:
   Leader: “It’s very quiet here. What does the silence mean?”
4. Prevent lengthy arguments and battles about the “right” way to proceed.
   Example:
   Leader: “There are many approaches that will work. Let’s decide on one so we can keep moving forward.”
5. Use body language to support your words. Ask questions with palms open. This shows you are open to hearing from the group. Write on a flip chart to focus the group on the problem. Repeat what you are writing, so people who are blind or have low vision also know what is being written.

11 tips for effective meetings

As a member of an accessibility advisory committee, you will be working with a mix of other people and other groups. It’s important to keep meetings on track.

Here are 11 tips for leading an effective meeting^{footnote 2[2]}:

• Stay neutral on content: Focus on the process roles. Avoid the temptation to offer opinions about the topic under discussion. Use questions and suggestions to offer ideas. Never impose opinions on the group.
• Listen actively: Look people in the eye. Speak in their direction. Use attentive body language. Use eye contact or other agreed-upon signals to let people know they can speak next, and to prompt those who are quiet to participate.
• Ask questions: This is the most important tool. Questions test assumptions. They invite participation. They also help you gather information and probe for hidden points. Effective questions allow you to delve past the symptoms and get at the causes.
• Paraphrase to clarify: Repeat what people say to let them know they are being heard. It also lets others hear their points a second time and clarifies key ideas.
• Synthesize ideas: Get people to comment and build on each other’s thoughts. Ensure that any ideas the group records (for example, on a flip chart) in fact reflect the collective thinking. This builds consensus and commitment.
• Keep on track: Set time guidelines for each discussion. Appoint a timekeeper or use a timer. Call out milestones. Point out when the discussion has veered off topic. “Park” off-topic comments and suggestions (see step 11 below).
• Give and receive feedback: “Hold a mirror up” from time to time to help the group see itself. For example, “Only two people are engaged in this discussion, while three people are reading. What’s this telling us that we need to do?” Also, ask for and accept feedback about your role as leader.
  For example, ask “Are we making progress?” or “How’s the pace?”
• Test assumptions: Bring any assumptions people are operating under out into the open. Clarify them, so they can be clearly understood by everyone. Challenge them where needed.
  For example: “On what basis are you making the comment that…”
• Collect ideas: Keep track of emerging ideas and final decisions. Make clear and accurate summaries on a flip chart so everyone can see. Read them out for the sake of people who have no or low vision. Keep notes brief and concise. They must reflect what was said, not what you think was said.
• Summarize clearly: Listen attentively to everything that is said. Then offer concise and timely summaries. Sum up when you want to revive a discussion that has ground to a halt, or to end a discussion when it seems complete.
• Label and park sidetracks: The facilitator is responsible for letting group members know when they’re off track. Tape a flip chart sheet to a wall to record all sidetrack items. The group may decide to pursue the sidetrack. Or, they may stop the current discussion and get back to the agenda. Sidetrack items can be included in a future agenda if the group wishes.