Maybe you worked very hard to get elected to the HOA board. Or maybe you were chosen to lead the HOA despite your mixed feelings toward professional conferences and neighbor-on-neighbor fighting, but you genuinely care about your neighborhood. Whether you have worked hard to become a great HOA board member or it was forced upon you, planning your HOA sessions in a manner that encourages HOA peace while avoiding conflict and wasting resources may pay off handsomely, especially when done regularly. You must get help from flagstaff hoa management.
- Encourage consistent face-to-face engagement.
Newsletters, bulletin boards, and social networking sites may quickly lead to a loss of decorum, including people who live close by but never engage with one another in an environment where many of us are masked by our computers in many of our interactions. The goal is to encourage this regular face-to-face engagement through regular attendance before disagreements emerge and avoid having the first personal communication be a yelling match at your HOA meeting. However, good old-fashioned face-to-face dialogue can work wonders in resolving disagreements.
- Make the meeting as pain-free as you can.
So how can you encourage more individuals to attend HOA meetings frequently, especially if they have no issues? Time is the most valuable resource for most individuals; therefore, keeping meetings brief and to the goal would be helpful. Offering refreshments can help increase attendance, as can holding the meetings at a time that does not conflict with family or work commitments and in an enjoyable and relaxing setting (such as the condo lounge as contrasted to plastic chairs in the basement).
- Maintain a calm environment and adhere to the schedule.
An HOA board member can maintain meetings’ sanity and attendance by tackling all matters with a cool, collected demeanor, even when dealing with irate homeowners. However, you may build a sense of confidence among attendees that you are in command of the session and will get everyone out and back to their homes for supper by clearly establishing the meeting’s agenda and really adhering to it.
- Bring an HOA attorney to the meeting.
Last but not least, having an HOA lawyer present at HOA meetings can help defuse tension by offering a reasonable and informed third person who can patiently and properly articulate issues on behalf of the HOA, especially when contentious issues involving HOA rules and enforcement are at stake.