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Effective Leadership Using Telecommunications
Teleconferences:

Once a COSP member accepts leadership of a committee, subcommittee, or ad hoc work group, it is her/his responsibility to accomplish the work expeditiously and efficiently making use of the most appropriate medium at the right time.

Prior to convening the work group 

  1.      Charge of Work Group: Be sure that you understand the charge of the subcommittee or work group (i.e., what is the reason that the group was established).

2.      Standing Subcommittee or Ad Hoc Group: Determine if the work group was intended to be a standing subcommittee that will exist on an ongoing basis or if it is an ad hoc group that will dissolve upon completion of its task.

  3.      Work Group Structure: Take into consideration the task at hand, give some thought to the work group structure, the number of members needed, the make up of the work group, the scope of the task, and a timeline for completion.  

  4.      Background Materials: Anticipate the materials and information that will be needed by the group to conduct its work and assign someone at the study site to conduct literature searches, obtain articles and background materials, and send these items to work group members at least three days prior to the first meeting of the group.  It is advisable that other staff at the COSP study site support the chair in such activities.

  5.      Preliminary Questions: Generate a list of questions that the work group will need to answer and post these on the listserv at least 3 days prior to the first meeting. 

6.      Agenda: Draft a tentative agenda and post it on the listserv prior to each meeting.

7.      Note Taking: Make arrangements for note taking ahead of time by asking one of the work group members to serve in this capacity or assigning the task to someone at the study site.  

The chair and note taker should work as a team.  The chair is responsible for helping the note taker prepare by providing information beforehand about the purpose of the work group and some of the key terms, jargon, or acromyns likely to be used. (See list of terms and acronyms in appendix.)  The note taker needs to know what should be included in the notes such as names of meeting participants, title of work group, date of meeting, and a record of recommendations and decisions. (See sample COSP notes in appendix.) The chair should provide the note taker with the COSP master list to ensure that names of participants are spelled correctly. (Master list is included in appendix and is updated periodically by the Coordinating Center.)

  8.      Getting Others At Study Sites Involved: Delegate some responsibility to others at the study site.  For example, put a secretary or research assistant in charge of note taking, find someone who can gather and distribute background materials.

  9.      Promptness: Encourage members to be prompt. If the meeting is a teleconference, ask them to call in five minutes before the start time.  If it is a face-to-face meeting, ask them to be there by the start time.  It is especially important that the chair is prompt and prepared to begin the meeting.

During the First Meeting  

    1.      Roll Call or Introductions: For a teleconference, conduct an initial roll call so that the note taker can record names of participants.  Half way through the call, conduct another roll call to pick up the names of late comers. Sometimes late comers join the call and merely listen -- the note taker may be unaware that the person was on the call if a second roll call is not taken. Ask members to state their names before they make a comment, particularly if the note taker is not familiar with participants' voices. For a face-to-face meeting, have members introduce themselves.

  2.      Agenda: Review the tentative agenda and make any needed changes. 

3.      Charge of Work Group: Make sure that all members understand the charge of the work group and the time frame in which the work is to be completed.  

4.      Meeting Format: Agree on how the work group meetings will be conducted.  Will Robert's Rules of Order be used? (See excerpts from Robert' Rules of Order in appendix). Will the group work on a consensus-building basis?  What will be the group's ground rules? Whatever format is used, it is important to record motions or decisions and have them read back to members so that all members are clear on what they are voting on or agreeing to. 

5.      Encouraging Active Participation: Do not allow one or two people to dominate the meeting.  Try to solicit comments from members who have not spoken before calling on those who have already spoken. 

6.      Taking Votes: When consensus can not be reached, and a decision is needed, the chair should alert members that they need to revert to Robert’s Rules of Order and initiate voting protocol. (See excerpts from Robert' Rules of Order in appendix). 

Sometimes it is efficient to identify people prior to the meeting to make recommendations rather than initiate a discussion.  The chair should call for a motion and second before allowing discussion to proceed.  Once the motion is called be sure to read back the exact wording of the motion before the vote is taken.  Use voting log sheets to record all votes.  (See sample voting log in appendix.) 

7.      Decisions and Recommendation: It is a good idea to review at least twice any major decisions that have been made or any recommendations that will be presented by the work group to a larger subcommittee or committee.  Make sure that decisions and recommendations are recorded accurately so that later if a question arises, the written record can be checked. 

8.      Assignments: Encourage work group members to assume responsibility for the various tasks. Instead of asking the same person to take on assignments, try also to engage members who do not readily volunteer. 

9.      Next  Steps: Prior to ending the meeting, identify what next steps are necessary for the work group to progress toward completion of its task.  If possible, identify agenda items for the next meeting so that members have time to prepare. 

10.  Scheduling of Future Meetings: If additional meetings are needed, schedule a time for the next meeting or the next set of meetings.  If some members need to leave the meeting early, schedule next meetings before they do so.  Have a few tentative dates selected ahead of time.  Realize that it is extremely difficult to select times that are convenient for everyone and that you can waste a great deal of meeting time trying to accommodate everyone's schedule.  Sometimes ad hoc groups are able to accomplish their task in one meeting and then finish activities by using the listserv.

After the first meeting  

1.      Note Distribution: Make sure the notes are reviewed by the chair and distributed to all members prior to the next meeting.  Notes can be posted on the listserv and corrections solicited. Send a copy of notes to the Coordinating Center for inclusion in the archives.

  2.      Planning for Next Meeting: Begin planning for the next meeting (i.e., sending out any materials needed, conducting research, finding out answers to unanswered questions, preparing an agenda).  Decide on the type of meeting needed (i.e., a reporting meeting or working meeting), and then decide on the best medium for the meeting (i.e., chat, listserv, teleconference).

  3.      Progress Reports: Encourage members to contact you if they are having trouble completing their assignments.  Ask them to be prepared to report on the progress made on their assignments at the next meeting. Keep a list of assignments and tasks and check off the date when they are completed.  Celebrate the completion of milestones.

  4.      Consultants: Consider whether or work group would benefit from the advice of a consultant. The Coordinating Center has established working arrangements with a variety of consultants who may be called upon if needed.

  5.      Time Line: After the first meeting, it is important to have a time line and to update it periodically.  This will provide the Steering Committee with valuable information about when it can expect tasks to be completed and it will give busy COSP members some idea when they will be finished with one task so that they can better manage their time. (See sample time line below.) 

Task:  Development of Project Newsletter

All participants play a role in helping to make meetings productive.  Here are some suggested guidelines for members of subcommittees or work groups.  

Å         Stick to Agenda: If an agenda is agreed to, members should not introduce unrelated topics.  If a new topic arises and needs to be discussed, it should be put on the agenda for the next meeting or posted on the listserv for discussion.  In other words, avoid hijacking a meeting and taking it off into a different direction. 

Å         Avoid Re-Hashing Decisions: Once a decision is made and accepted by the group,  avoid the tendency to re-visit and re-hash the issues, unless it is absolutely necessary.  It is acceptable to propose re-visiting an issue if (1) new information arises that could have serious project-wide implications, or (2) if something changes significantly and to proceed with the previous decision would be detrimental to the project.   

Å         Work Group Recommendations: When a subgroup of a work group is assigned a task, it is obligated to do the best job possible.  When the subgroup presents a recommendation to the full group, members should avoid the tendency to second guess the work that was done and then re-do the work in the larger group.  If the recommendation is not satisfactory, the task should be returned to the subgroup for further work. 

Å         Use of Notes: Notes are used to record decisions and document the efforts of the various work groups.  They can be used to clarify questions about which decisions were made and the reasons, to help keep members who may have missed a meeting abreast of what occurred, and to help keep work groups focused and on task. Notes from the previous meeting should be reviewed prior to the next meeting so that members are prepared to contribute to the discussion. 

Å         Missed Meetings: If you miss a meeting, contact another member of the group to find out what occurred and review the notes of the meeting on the website instead of expecting the work group to re-hash issues for you during the next meeting.  If you anticipate missing a meeting and you have an assignment on which to report, please make arrangements beforehand to have another member report on your progress.  If you are unable to make several work group meetings, decide whether or not it is advantageous to the group for you to remain a member. 

Å         Ask Questions:  If you do not understand what is being discussed, ask questions.

Å         Help to Share the Load: Volunteer to take on tasks to help move work along and complete your tasks in a timely manner.  If you are unable to complete your task, notify the chair immediately so other provisions can be made.  Don't expect the chair to carry the burden for the whole work group. 

Å         Invite Others To Be Involved: If there are others at your study site who have expertise that would be helpful to the work group, invite them to participate in specific teleconferences and listserv discussions.  They might also be invited to serve as a resource on a particular topic in a chat session.  

To help them prepare, distribute the Dressed-down Research Terms: A Glossary for Non-researchers found in the appendix.  This document serves as a quick reference to research terms and acronyms that might be used such as CMHS, GFA, PI. 

Consumers who are invited to participate but are not paid under the study sites' COSP funding may use a toll-free number to join in teleconferences.  Alert the Coordinating Center well in advance if such a consumer is asked to participate so that a toll-free number can be obtained. 

Å         Abide by Ground Rules: Once the group agrees to ground rules and procedures for running meetings and participating in listserv discussions, honor those rules. 

Å         Check E-mail Frequently: Meeting announcements and notes are all distributed via computer.  It is good practice to check e-mail messages frequently in the event that a meeting has to be postponed at the last minute.  If an urgent message needs to be sent project-wide, this is usually done through the listserv.  If possible, during teleconferences, have access to your computer so that you can pull up documents that might be referred to during the call.  

Å         Forgetting Teleconference Call Numbers: Each time a teleconference is held, the dial-in number is different.  If you forget or misplace the teleconference number at the last minute, remember to use the COSP website calendar to get the number.  If you call the Coordinating Center at the last minute, staff will be engaged in the teleconference and will not be able to accept incoming telephone calls. 

Together, all of us can accomplish more than any one of us alone.

  Consumers                                   Researchers  

Introduction
Listservs
Appendix