Effective HOA Board Meeting Tips

HOA board meetings should be positive and productive and in most cases, conducted in two hours or less. Below are some tips for running an effective board meeting and get back on track toward achieving your mission.

Review all meeting materials prior to the board meeting.

Email your community manager your questions PRIOR to the board meeting.  This helps to expedite the business of the board and keeps the agenda flowing from month to month rather than old items stacking up because they were not dispensed with effectively.  To be effective, it has to be a two-way street. Being unprepared can waste time if questions are asked about items already addressed in the board materials.

To Review the Agenda and Follow it. 

Do not stray off topic. Dispense with the business at hand to keep moving forward.  Remember, if it is not on the agenda, you cannot take action so it just becomes idle conversation taking away from the business at hand.  If you would like to see a topic added to the next board agenda, present your suggestions to the board and management at the end of the meeting.

Listen.

It’s essential to listen to the people in your community. Remember, you were elected to represent those who voted for you. As the policy-making body, it is critical to listen to your community to understand their perspectives; do not operate in a vacuum.

Be polite.

Being professional and polite is important, but it is equally important to be friendly.  You are in a leadership role in your community and the folks that attend the meeting are your neighbors.  It is a delicate balance, but when done well, helps to create a truly winning, harmonious community! 

Hold open meetings, where all owners can attend.

Owners may attend the entire open meeting of the Board unless the Board is meeting to discuss rule violations, employment matters, or litigation. The Open Meeting Act directly addresses such board meetings. It is a statute requirement that Owners may attend the entire general session meeting of the board, however they may not participate in the board deliberations.  For more information, click here.

Check technology at the door.

Eliminate distractions by putting your cell phone on silent and out of sight.

If you can’t attend a meeting.

Be sure to notify management as soon as you know you cannot attend.  Having to cancel a meeting at the last minute or worse, while sitting there waiting for board members to arrive, that do not show up; does not demonstrate care and respect for fellow board members or the community residents.  To avoid this, at the close of each meeting, discuss the next meeting date and confirm quorum at that time.  Sometimes things come up and meetings have to be cancelled or rescheduled, but this should be a rare exception.
 

BOARD EDUCATION IMPROVES LEADERSHIP
We believe it’s important to provide new and existing board members with personalized materials and learning tools to be productive and effective in all their HOA duties. Crummack Huseby provides board training to our clients so that board members have the highest chance of succeeding. Complete the form below to request a customized board training program for your HOA.

Additional Resources

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOUR HOA BOARD MEMBERS TO BE WELL-TRAINED?

HOW TO PROVIDE HOA BOARD TRAINING FOR NEW MEMBERS

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