Training and knowledge building

Empower chairs and facilitators to manage conflict

• Encourage all members to learn active listening, empathy, and respectful disagreement before starting every meeting.
• Train chairs on how to handle conflicts, help the group agree, and run meetings in an accessible way.
• Give chairs tools and resources to run discussions, especially when power differences exist.
• Teach chairs when and how to step in if someone is dominating or others are being left out.
• Take short breaks if discussions get heated.
• Show chairs how to allow disagreement while still finding agreement where possible.
• Pay attention to whether people feel included, excluded, or uncomfortable. This will avoid conflicts from happening.
• Let people share concerns or complaints in writing or chat if they don’t want to speak out loud. Make sure these concerns are acknowledged.
• Keep records of how conflicts were handled and lessons learned from past meetings.
• Allow anonymous reporting when needed.
• Offer follow-up one-on-one conversations for sensitive issues.

• Develop clear conflict policies for meetings
  • Have written rules about professional conduct, respect, and how conflicts are handled.
  • Make these rules visible to all members and revisit them regularly.
• Train facilitators and chairs on conflict resolution.
• Update conflict resolution training as new techniques or challenges arise.
• Create a permanent mediator position to help with disputes during meetings.

• Lack of training and support for chairs and facilitators
• Communication styles default to Western norms
• Default meeting language is English
• Dominant “expert” culture
• No clear way to report problems or get help
• People don’t start at the same place

Provide chairs with practical support and tools for accessibility

• Give specific staff the job of supporting other staff and chairs with accessibility needs, so they don’t have to figure it out alone.
• Provide templates for chairs, such as accessible agenda formats, email invitations, and meeting scripts.
• Collect feedback after meetings about what worked and what didn’t for accessibility, and act on it.
• Offer expert support, like an accessibility advisor or help desk, that chairs can contact quickly during meetings.
• Pair new chairs with experienced chairs from other committees as a mentorship system.

• Lack of organizational support
• Lack of training and support for chairs and facilitators

Provide diverse, accessible knowledge-building opportunities

• Support new members in building the skills and knowledge needed to contribute meaningfully through a variety of accessible learning formats
• Create workshops and training sessions, offer both foundational and role-specific training.
• Partner with educational institutions to co-create learning modules.
• Offer interactive tools like quizzes, videos, and step-by-step guides to cater to various learning styles.
• Ensure all content is accessible
• Provide learning content in multiple languages

• People don’t start at the same place
• Too much background information for new members

Provide ongoing accessibility and inclusion training

• Embed training into participation workflows. Training should be part of how committees operate, not a separate activity that people might not attend.
• Avoid generic training. Start with what people will actually do in the process.
• Provide training based on the skills and tasks associated with the roles and responsibilities
• Provide accessibility training regularly, not just once. Update it as best practices change.
• Offer regular training for staff and chairs on:
  • Accessibility and human rights laws
  • Disability inclusion
  • Different access needs (for example: D/deaf, blind, mobility, learning, fatigue)
  • How to speak and work respectfully with people from different backgrounds
  • How to arrange accommodations (like captions, interpreters, accessible documents, or extra time)
  • How to manage conflict during meetings
  • Using plain language during speaking

• Lack of training and support for chairs and facilitators
• Lack of training and support for committee members