Agenda - 09-16-1997 - 9d - Laserfiche WebLink

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i 20 County Managers and eight department heads and staff with • major writing or presentation responsibilities. In preparation for the workshop, Dr. Smith had attended several Board of Commissioner meetings and also had discussed with several Commissioners and staff the Orange County communication process in relation to the agenda process. The workshop met its objective of testing the draft guidelines and providing training to enhance skills. Structures for Communication In addition to meeting the guideline and training objectives, the workshop discussion as well as Dr. Smith's observation and interviews identified a number of"structural" aspects of the Orange County communication process which impact on communication. These also may be areas which could be restructured to improve the communication process as well as prepare for the televised meeting environment of the future. Examples of such "structures" include the agenda development process, timetables, and the agenda abstract itself. In follow up to the workshop, Dr. Smith reviewed with Commissioner Brown, the Manager and the Personnel Director the suggestions from the workshop and her own feedback. Next Steps The staff wished to report to the Board on the writing and presentation training to date and seek the Board's direction on: • Whether it wishes to pursue as a Board discussion of any of these structural aspects of the communication process, and • If the Board wishes to pursue such discussion, in what format does it wish to do so. Attachment 2 outlines the types of structural questions which the Board may wish to consider as part of the communications initiative. In summary, these begin with the Board's assessment of what it wishes to accomplish in Board of Commissioners' meetings and, from that, identifying how the agenda process, including timetables and abstracts may be best structured to accomplish the Board's specific goals.