January 2023

becomes ineffective. Boards are wise to stay focused on the type of meeting and its agenda and stay “out of the weeds” on issues that should be handled by management or one-on-one with an individual homeowner. The following are some additional suggestions for effective association meetings: • Board Meetings: Prepare your agenda well ahead of the meeting and set limits on the time you’ll spend on each issue. In advance of the meeting, review all material sent to the board that supports agenda items to eliminate redundant discussion. Be transparent in your business meeting. Discussion in an open meeting among board members and approval of agenda items provides for a better understanding of the “why” by homeowners. Bear in mind that board meetings are not membership meetings. While many associ ations provide opportunities for homeowners to address the board, avoid the pitfall of allowing owner questions or comments to become a long dialogue or debate. Make sure that proper minutes are taken and made available to homeowners so that they are able to understand the context of board actions over time. • Annual Meetings: Ensure you’ve developed a compliant process for con ducting elections and a procedure to expedite the counting of ballots and announcing the results of elections. Stick to your agenda and include reports from officers and committees that will inform homeowners who do not regu larly attend board meetings. Allow adequate time for interaction with home owners, but once again, have a policy in place that limits the time any one homeowner can speak. Refer individual issues to management or designated board members to handle outside of the context of a meeting. Publicize min utes of annual meetings for owners to access. • Town Hall Meetings: Sometimes a community simply wants to schedule a meeting for owners to interact with the board on either a specific topic (such as soliciting community input in anticipation of a major project) or general discussion without restriction. Set a timeframe and stick to it. Produce minutes that inform those in the community who were not able to attend. Board Communications: Perhaps one of the most important elements of effective community association leadership is having a communications plan to keep owners informed. Clear, frequent communication creates transparency and an informed community. The absence of communication with the community often gives rise to rumors and misinformation, both of which can erode trust and morale in a community. The following simple steps can bolster effective commu nication in a community: • Newsletters: Ideally, newsletters will be produced on a scheduled basis and provide important, timely information such as an overview of community activities, maintenance work to be aware of, or reminders of safety tips. Remember that not everyone is proficient in the use of email or the internet, so know your members and ensure that the newsletter reaches everyone, by hard copy and/or electronic means. CONT I NU E S ON PAGE 52

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