What is an advisory committee meeting?

What is an advisory committee? 

Advisory committees are where a group comes together (usually with a particular skill set) to share their opinions, study issues and offer recommendations to an organization.

Their ultimate aim is to solve an issue a company is struggling to do on its own. By taking a step back they will hear opinions, research facts, review reports and make recommendations on a path forward.

An advisory committee can provide advice on a specific project, such as a company rebrand, or look at something bigger, for instance, restructuring. They are usually time-limited, typically disbanding once they accomplish what they need to do.

A great advisory committee should have its members drawn from experts in a particular area. Recommendations it makes are going to be used to make important decisions, so they need to come from people with the knowledge to make them.

What happens in an advisory committee meeting?

When they gather for a meeting, it’s a chance for the advisory committee to review their findings and decide on their next steps. Their ultimate goal is to provide recommendations to the company that hired them, so meetings should always be moving their work in that direction. 

Advisory committee meetings will often be attended by a number of stakeholders, so it’s always good to start with a round of introductions. Some people there might not know each other. Also, make sure someone is taking minutes, so they can be referred to in the future. 

These meetings will normally be updates on work being done by the committee, so the relevant people should deliver their findings and be prepared to answer questions. The chair of the meeting can ensure these stay on topic. Any important prep work should be sent out beforehand.

Once the important points have been discussed, be sure the meeting has action points before ending. Until an advisory committee concludes its work and disbands there will also be action points between meetings. Even if it’s just to review the previous meeting’s minutes. 

How to schedule an advisory committee meeting 

With lots of different stakeholders to think of, trying to arrange a time via email is going to be impossible. Doodle makes this easy. 

Using Group Poll you can send out a selection of times to participants and find the best time to meet in a matter of minutes. 

Doodle Professional also lets you add a professional look to your invites, removes ads, lets you send reminders and add your favorite video conferencing tool.

If you are holding your meeting virtually, video conferencing links are automatically added to the email that’s sent when a time is selected. Plus, if you connect your calendar the event will be added automatically so you’ll never get double-booked. 

Doodle makes it easy for you to get your advisory committee together in minutes without rounds of email back and forth. No matter if the meeting is for five or 500 - you’ll easily find a time for everyone. Try it for free today - no credit card required.