Planning Your CAB Meeting

Written by David Mariner, special thanks to Allegra Cermak and Gail Broder

A Community Advisory Board (CAB) meeting is a serious investment of time for everyone involved. CAB members want to know that each meeting will be time well spent. By planning ahead, you can guarantee a productive meeting. Here are some meeting tips based on the Interaction Method for meetings.

Step 1: Establish Ground Rules

Ground Rules are a 'code of conduct' for the group. They answer the question: "How do we want to work together as a group in order to be the most productive?" You may not need to discuss ground rules at every meeting. Sometimes a group may choose to simply list their common ground rules as part of the agenda. New groups, or groups with new members, may decide to take five minutes at the beginning of their meeting to 'brainstorm' a list of ground rules that are important to them. Ground rules fit into two broad categories:

Process: making sure everyone agrees how the meeting will be conducted. Ground rules could include: the group will make decisions by consensus whenever possible; the facilitator will either end the meeting on time, or ask for permission to extend the meeting; the group won't make any major decisions unless a majority of members are present.

Principles: making sure everyone is heard, and everyone's opinion is respected. Ground rules could include: don't interrupt each other; turn your cell phones off when the meeting starts; no sidebar conversations, respect all group members.

Another ground rule that may be important for your CAB is confidentiality. Some CAB members may be concerned that members will make assumptions about their HIV status or trial participation status, or what could happen if they share this information. Also, if you are working with a pharmaceutical company, you may be required to sign a confidentiality statement pertaining to the product that is being researched.

Establishing these ground rules up front will help members feel at ease and more willing to fully participate in the meeting.

Step 2: Establish Roles

All too often, the responsibility for making sure the meeting goes smoothly falls on the shoulder of one or two people, the CAB chair or co-chairs. Your meeting will go more smoothly if this responsibility is divided among several CAB members. Assigning roles at the beginning of a meeting is an excellent way to work as a team. Common roles for group members include:

Facilitator: A facilitator has the responsibility of taking the group through the agenda. Ideally, the facilitator is not someone who strongly inserts his or her own opinion. Rather, the facilitator's role is to draw out knowledge and ideas from different members of a group, to help encourage them to learn from each other and to think and act together. Chances are, your facilitator will be a fellow CAB member who has opinions about the matters being discussed. It's likely (and natural) that at some point in the meeting they will want to step outside of their facilitator role to share their opinion, and that is acceptable. Some CABs choose to have a 'rotating' facilitator, a different CAB member who serves as the facilitator for each meeting. This is a great way to make sure everyone in your CAB is fully engaged, and to build the skills of your fellow CAB members. You might also ask a site staff member to serve as the facilitator.

CAB Chairperson: The CAB Chairperson is the one ultimately responsible for setting the agenda and making sure the meeting goes smoothly. It is common that the chairperson of the CAB will also facilitate the meeting. This isn't always the best plan. There may be issues being discussed at the meeting that your CAB chair has really strong feelings about, which would make it difficult for her or him to be a true facilitator. By giving up the role of facilitator, a CAB chairperson is free to be a full participant in the meeting

Recorder: Trying to remember all of the important points that were raised during a lengthy meeting can make the already challenging job of serving on a CAB more difficult. Recording a meeting lets people know that they've been listened to and heard. It can also provide important information to people who weren't able to attend; and it helps to keep everyone on track. You may have a difficult time getting a CAB member to volunteer to serve as a recorder, because they are worried they won't record the minutes 'correctly'. Honestly, though, there is no correct way to keep minutes; you can do whatever works best for your local CAB. You may choose to simply keep a short list of the major decisions that were agreed on, and action items that were planned. Regardless of how formal or informal your notes are, keeping a record is an important part of the meeting. Before minutes are circulated, ask another person who attended to the meeting to review them to ensure that all important details were captured. You might also ask a member of the site staff to serve as recorder.

Group Member: Each group member plays an important role. It is important that each voice and perspective is heard during a CAB meeting. A good group member also keeps an eye on the facilitator to make sure the meetings flows; and an eye on the recorder to make sure important points are captured.

Step 3: Set the Agenda

When you're busy and rushed, writing up an agenda for a future meeting can seem like a waste of time. It's not. If all participants have a detailed agenda, they will be prepared and know what to expect. It's great if you can send out an agenda a week before a meeting. If this is not possible, however, sending out an agenda even a day before your meeting can make a big difference. There is a sample agenda at the end of this document to help you get started. Your agenda should include:

• Date, Starting Time, and Place: You might want to have two starting times for your meeting. For example, let everyone know that at 6:00 the pizza arrives and they are welcome to come and socialize, but at 6:30 the business portion of the meeting begins. That way you allow time for fun while still respecting participants' time constraints.

• Ending Time: Your meeting will drag on forever if you let it. Having a set ending time helps keep folks focused on getting through the agenda. It also allows people to plan for things like transportation and childcare.

• Background Materials: If you will be discussing a new research study, you can send out information about the study beforehand. Of course, not everyone will read it before the meeting, but if you keep it short, you have a better chance.

• Agenda Items: Each agenda item should include the agenda item, the person responsible for that item, and the amount of time that will be spent on the item. It should also be clear whether there will be discussion on the item, or if an individual is simply reporting on an item.

• Additional Items: You may also want to include the ground rules for the meeting, the name of the facilitator, and a contact person (likely your CAB chairperson or a site staff member) for additional information.

A well-prepared agenda sets the stage for a successful meeting, but even the best agenda has room for improvement. Take some time at the beginning of your CAB meeting to get feedback on the agenda and make changes if necessary. Meeting participants will be more invested in the meeting if they've had input on the agenda.

Step 4: Follow Through

There is nothing worse than sitting through a long meeting and feeling like nothing was accomplished. Here are some ways to avoid this:

• Commit to the Agenda, and Follow Time Limits: For example, if you've planned to get a five minute update on an open study, make sure you stick to five minutes so you have time to address other agenda items. If something about the study update warrants a longer discussion, you can save it for the end of the meeting if time allows, or make it an agenda item at a future meeting.

• Get the Word Out: Notes from your meeting do not have to be extremely long or cleverly written. What's important is that you get out the main decisions and action items in a timely manner. This helps keep everyone on track and moving forward.

• Actively Seek Feedback on the CAB Meeting: Be open to input from participants about how you can improve meetings. This can be as simple as asking someone "So how could I have improved the meeting last night?" You may also want to consider making a short evaluation form for your meeting and asking CAB members to fill it out at the end of the meeting. Doing this quarterly or twice a year will allow you to monitor any improvements that have been made or that are still needed.

• Connect the Dots: When you plan your next CAB meeting, make sure it flows naturally from the previous one. Make sure there are updates on the progress of any action items from the previous meeting. If the group made any decisions or provided feedback on research, make sure to let folks know how that information was communicated to researchers. Ideally, when you send out notes about your last meeting to CAB members, you should be able to include the date, time, and location of your next gathering.

• Get Help When You Need It: Every CAB has natural highs and lows in its development. If you are going through a rough period, don't be afraid to ask for help. Your local research site should have a staff member who serves as the CAB Liaison. This might be a social worker, an outreach worker, or a research nurse. Your CAB Liaison is a great place to start if you need help. Most of the major HIV/AIDS research networks also have full time Community Support staff to help you.

A Sample Agenda