Provide guidance and ongoing support to new members

Lack of training and support for committee members

Committee members often require mentoring and training in order to participate effectively. Challenges include:

• Long, confusing, or overwhelming getting started guides.
• No guidance for navigating the volume of information and resources.
• Lack of mentoring and peer support for committee work.
• Little or no training on collaboration, teamwork, or technical processes.
• Limited awareness or guidance on accessibility, equity, and inclusive participation.
• No clear pathway to develop skills for becoming a chair or leading working groups.

• Host onboarding meetings before committee work begins
• Provide guidance and ongoing support to new members
• Provide ongoing accessibility and inclusion training
• Provide translation and interpretation for everyone

No clear way to report problems or get help

Some committees do not have a clear way for people to report accessibility problems or problems with how people treat each other. When there is no clear process:

• People may feel scared to speak up because they worry about social consequences.
• New or marginalized members may feel left out or stay silent.
• People may not know who to contact when something goes wrong.
• Complaints may fall through the cracks and the same problems may keep happening.
• People may feel unsafe and decide to leave the committee.
• People may be afraid to ask for accommodations in the future.
• Trust in the system may go down.

• Create a shared support system
• Empower chairs and facilitators to manage conflict
• Provide guidance and ongoing support to new members

People don’t start at the same place

Standards work is often very technical and complex, and assumes people already know how things work. When information is too technical, it is hard for newcomers or people without a technical background to participate. Efforts to diversify participation need to recognize that people have different levels of experience and knowledge. Without proper support, many people will be left out.

• Empower chairs and facilitators to manage conflict
• Ensure all documents are accessible
• Help with information management
• Host onboarding meetings before committee work begins
• Plan for regular check-ins with new members
• Provide a welcome package for new members
• Provide diverse, accessible knowledge-building opportunities
• Provide guidance and ongoing support to new members

Too much background information for new members

New members must learn a lot before joining the standards process, including how the process works, how decision-making is done, what the committee roles are, the standard history and versions, meeting rules and tools, and technical and legal language. This information is often long, complex, and not in plain language. It can be especially hard for people who are new, have learning disabilities, limited digital skills, or come from different professional backgrounds. This can make members feel confused, overwhelmed, or excluded, which may lead them to leave.

• Ensure all documents are accessible
• Help with information management
• Plan for regular check-ins with new members
• Provide a welcome package for new members
• Provide diverse, accessible knowledge-building opportunities
• Provide guidance and ongoing support to new members