72 Trial Monitoring: A Reference Manual for Practitioners to interact with domestic legal actors. Given the time and financial resources required to prepare training sessions, most programmes will have the capacity to schedule their own training sessions for monitors only once or twice a year. A multitude of training courses are organized on a regular basis internationally, both by the OSCE and by other organizations, which focus on specialized themes that may be relevant to a programme’s activities. If budgets allow, managers may wish to encourage monitoring staff to attend such courses. Alternatively, there are also a number of distance-learning courses offered over the Internet that can enhance particular skills and may be of interest to managers and monitors.102 Educational opportunities of these types can be particularly beneficial for local OSCE staff members or partner NGOs, and can help fulfil a programme’s objectives in building domestic capacity. 8.5 Other field support activities and mechanisms Monitoring programmes require a high level of co-ordination and continuous support for monitors who might be working alone in geographically disparate areas. The mechanisms described in this section will help ensure regular co-ordination, consistency and an improved quality of monitoring. These techniques will also help to promote a positive attitude, team spirit and corporate sense of belonging among monitoring staff. 8.5.1 Regular feedback on monitoring and reporting Regular and periodic feedback to monitors on case reports by legal analysts has been shown to improve the quality of reporting, as well as to accelerate the professional development of monitors. Such feedback is critical at the inception of a programme or during a shift in focus, when the potential for divergent analysis and methodology is greatest. It is important that feedback be both positive and critical, and that it identify both good practices and problematic ones. In addition, the requirement of regular feedback ensures that case reports are thoroughly read and assessed by legal analysts. The discussion of case reports helps legal analysts seek explanation on points that may not be clear. The consultation process often reveals additional issues that may not have been included in the original report. 8.5.2 Regular team meetings In larger-scale programmes, another co-ordination tool is holding monthly meetings among all monitors or those in a particular region. To be effective, such meetings should be regularly scheduled and be presided over by a legal analyst or other supervisor. These meetings bring a team together in an informal and constructive atmosphere and serve as a management tool to exchange information, raise issues and consult on plans. They can also identify and discuss specific legal issues and limitations in methodology.103 If feasible, meetings should not always take place at the head offices, but rotate in the field as well. In the case of budget or time constraints, programme managers may examine using other means of communicating, such as telephone conferences or Skype. Meetings of legal analysts at regional and head office levels are also effective ways of ensuring co-ordination at the middle level of management, while meetings between legal analysts and higher management facilitate overall programme co-ordination and keeping abreast of all developments. Some programme managers hold routine morning meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page on 102  See, for example, the Internet-based learning courses by Human Rights Education Associates, HREA. 103  As an example, the LSMS in Kosovo regularly schedules monthly meetings for all monitoring staff. They are used to highlight specific legal issues, re-direct the focus of monitoring, and provide training, as necessary. These meetings allow for sharing and comparing experiences, as well as discussion of national or local legal developments. Meetings also provide an opportunity to build consistent practices.