One of the disincentives that keeps good, qualified people from joining their building’s condo or coop board is the demand on the board member’s time. Work in between meetings can generally be done at your discretion, but the meetings themselves are at a set time and day, and can often be long, contentious, drawn out and just plain borrrr-iiiing!
Read https://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2014/11/four_tips_for_improving_your_board_meetings for additional suggestions.
We have heard of many building’s meeting that consistently lasts three hours or more. That’s insane! No one can possibly concentrate that long or be effective. In time, people begin to dread the meetings, and members become resentful and less inclined to participate fully in the board’s overall functioning. Here are a few simple tips to tighten up your meeting, make it more efficient, more effective, and possibly even more enjoyable!
1. Have every meeting at a set day and time. That is, instead of spending time at every meeting trying to find a date that “works for everybody,” have a consistent schedule so that people will automatically have the day and time saved. Say, the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm. This keeps people available and so you’re more likely to have a quorum, and it lets them know well in advance how to plan their personal schedule, and also keeps people from “forgetting” that the meeting was “tonight”!
2. Be sure that everyone works during the month. That means committees, special projects, routine matters, etc. People can talk/text/email about what they are doing, and topics for discussion can presented via email so that everyone can review, prepare and be ready for the meeting, and not waste time “getting up to speed.” As Steven P. Covey said in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” be proactive. In many cases, especially simple matters, votes can be conducted through email (and just ratified and memorialized in minutes at the actual meeting).
3. Keep extraneous talk to a minimum and avoid “side-bars” and private conversations. It’s rude, disruptive, and keeps business from being conducted. People can talk about their vacations, grandchildren, how smart and important they are, on their own time: you can still have a friendly and warm meeting while sticking to business.
4. Maintain control of the meeting. Reasonable questions, of course, should be heard, but questions for the sake of delay, argument, and the love of one’s own voice should not be tolerated. It is up to the president to maintain firm, but fair, control of the meeting. When the facts are laid out, a vote is called, tallied, and that’s it, end of discussion, and on to the next item.
Follow these simple tips and have a happier, more convivial and more effective meeting and board!
If your co-op or condo board would like other tips on how to run a more efficient building, The Folson Group provides alternative property management services that helps buildings and boards run more efficiently and can save you up to 40% on the fixed operating costs. Email us at info@thefolsongroup.com or call us at (917) 648-8151 to find out more.
http://www.thefolsongroup.com/