Making advisory committees work well takes both planning and 

 skill. With committees composed of diverse interests, the potential 

 for conflict is great. Committee members and staff may benefit from 

 some training in meeting facilitation and agenda-planning. Further, 

 having by-laws and adopting Robert's Rules of Order generally 

 help the committee function in a businesslike way. 



An essential step in creating an effective advisory committee is 

 taking the time for members to become acquainted. Every business 

 meeting should include some time to converse informally. Meetings 

 must be organized so that all committee members are encouraged 

 to participate, but no one dominates. 



Staffing a citizens advisory committee is a time-consuming, full- 

 time job. If the committee meets four to six times annually, for 

 example, providing direct support will require one to two days a 

 week. Staff work will include organizing meetings, developing 

 agendas, communicating with committee members, preparing 

 background materials, and doing follow-up work. 



Although the committee chairperson can be expected to take some 

 responsibility for these tasks, the staff will need to do much of the 

 work. Volunteer committees can accomplish more useful work if 

 they are supported by strong staff and believe their contribution is 

 worthwhile. People who serve on advisory committees generally 

 have many commitments. If they think their time is being wasted, 

 they will quickly lose interest. A clear charge for the committee and 

 good staffing are, therefore, extremely important. 



Providing direct advice to the program is not the CAC's only role, 

 however. As leaders of a wide variety of interest groups, advisory 

 committee members are the hub of a network that may become an 

 estuary coalition. If one of the public participation program's goals 

 is to help ensure long-term support and implementation of recom- 

 mendations, the advisory committee should be an integral part of 

 the management framework. Selecting members carefully and 

 meeting their needs will increase the likelihood that they and their 

 organizations will remain involved. 



To supplement the CAC's formal advice, the groups they represent 

 will probably want to provide their own input. Moreover, program 

 managers need to recognize that a small committee, regardless of 

 its quality, can never represent every viewpoint. So program 

 managers should be open to input from other citizens. Encouraging 

 broad public involvement means going beyond the CAC. If this is 

 done well, it will facilitate the development of permanent net- 

 works and coalitions that are essential to sustained implementation 

 of resource management programs. 



B10 



