It is possible that you fought tooth and nail to get on the HOA management board. Another possibility is that you were chosen to lead the HOA despite your mixed feelings toward formal meetings and neighbor-on-neighbor fighting. You may have sincere care for your neighborhood. Whether you have worked hard to become an outstanding HOA board member or it was forced upon you, it can pay off enormously to make an effort to schedule your HOA meetings in a way that promotes HOA peace while minimizing conflict and wasting resources. The following suggestions will help you conduct an effective HOA meeting that resolves problems rather than causes further conflict.
- Encourage Recurring in-person Interactions.
E-mails, discussion forums, and social media may quickly erode civility even between neighbors who live near to one another but never contact in person in a world where many of us are largely concealed by our screens in most of our interactions. But having a good, old-fashioned, face-to-face chat may be quite helpful in resolving disagreements. The trick is to encourage this regular face-to-face engagement by regularly attending before conflicts emerge and preventing the first conversation in person from becoming a shouting fight at your HOA meeting.
- 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 the majority of individuals. Therefore keeping meetings brief and to the point 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 clubhouse compared to portable seating in the basement).
- Maintain a Calm Environment and Adhere to the (Posted) Plan.
While enforcing HOA rules may not have the same global repercussions as US military intervention abroad, an HOA board member can maintain meetings’ sanity and attendance by tackling all matters with a cool, collected demeanor, even when dealing with angry homeowners. However, you may build a sense of confidence among participants that you are in charge of the conference and will get them back to their homes in time for supper by clearly establishing a plan for the session and really adhering to it.
- Bring an HOA Attorney to the Meeting.
Lastly, having an HOA lawyer present at HOA meetings can help defuse tension by offering a qualified third party who can effectively and calmly explain issues on behalf of the HOA, especially when contentious issues involving HOA rules and enforcement are at stake.