Coordinator - Sweet Adelines International

Chapter 1: Team Tools
Regional Management Team Handbook
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Effective Use of Committees
Committees must be empowered in order to do their jobs, and it is the RMT’s
responsibility to delegate this authority. (For related information, refer to the Don’t
Wait, Delegate heading in this section.) Regional committees will be as effective as
you expect them to be, so long as you provide them with the proper tools:
• Clear responsibilities
• Reasonable funding
• Regional resources and support
Reporting
All committees, staffs, chairs, and other appointees should report to the RMT on a
regular basis, which should be stated when the committee is appointed and given its job
description. Reporting guidelines should be provided to the committee chairs, though
due to the different natures of committees, they will not all be able to report in the same
manner. Functioning under the auspices of one of the regional coordinators, the
committees should report directly to that coordinator, who will then make the report
available to the entire team. Committee reports fall under two categories:
Verbal Reports. Made directly to the regional coordinator or to the team,
verbal reports are best when presented in conjunction with a written report. However,
there may be instances when only a verbal report is necessary.
Written Reports. These, too, may be presented directly to the regional
coordinator or to the team, as requested. It is helpful to the RMT if all reports use a
similar format and are distributed in advance to the team members. Written reports are
best for several reasons:
• Written reports require careful thought in order to include all of the information
necessary to recount what happened at the committee meeting.
• Written reports allow team members to prepare properly for the discussion at the
meeting.
• Written reports are historical documents that can be attached to the minutes as a
permanent record.
• Written reports often help keep meetings brief, yet effective, by minimizing
unnecessary conversation and discussion.
• Written reports may prevent your team from “reinventing” what a committee has
already presented.
Reports should include, but not be limited to:
• The committee’s vision
• Financial considerations
• Discussion/decision requests
• Actions/accomplishments
• Future plans
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