Boards/Committees
Individuals who make the decision to step into the world of municipal politics are to be commended. It's not an easy job and while well placed intentions and great ideas are a good start to actively engaging in one's community, there's a well laid out set of procedures and rules that must be followed. Getting up to speed with everything from 'How to Chair a Meeting', to understanding conflict of interest, governance and procedural decorum is required for basic government navigation. Learning how to follow the requirements of a board or committee position is critical for internal and external communication needs as well as understanding and working within the defined structure of municipal government.
It's not rocket science but it's important for success in realizing benefits to the community.
Training for Chairs
The role of the Chair cannot be understated.
Understanding all of the elements, requirements and responsibilities is a task. It's a learned set of skills and all who are required to act in this role deserve to have a sound knowledge of the basics and solid resources behind them.
Chairs aren't born - they are made.
Meetings 101 for Advisory Committees/Boards
The best thing to bring to a committee or board meeting is the tools and techniques needed to ensure effective meeting management, participation and shared decision-making.
Members take on challenging responsibilities and often require new skill sets so they may fully participate and develop the knowledge to tackle developing motions, understand voting procedures, decorum, roles within the group and the board/committee relationship to Council and staff. Experience is a good teacher but trial and error isn't an option in here. Information well presented promotes confidence and sound outcomes.
Governance Excellence:
Skills & Techniques
Municipal Governance Training equips local government officials, administrators, and stakeholders with the essential knowledge, skills and confidence needed for effective and transparent governance.
The course does a deep dive into governance principles, roles and responsibilities of elected officials and staff, procedural by-laws as well as ethics and integrity.
Specialized training on your municipal procedure by-law and best practices is also available.
Boards and Committee Training
It's all about who does what, when, how and why. The bottom line begins with an understanding of roles, relationships with others (be they Council, other boards/committees, public), regulatory requirements, and procedural norms. Again, this is knowledge that is a prerequisite for anyone pulling up a chair at this level of municipal or community service. Providing a step by step guide to how they can and may proceed is good practice and pays dividends in the advancement of goals and strengthening relationships.