WHEN MONTHLY BOARD MEETINGS LAST A MONTH

The following article was written by the late President of Condominium Property Management., Inc. , Manchester MO , Richard V. Telthorst. Authorization to reprint the article was given by Bill Summers the current President of the corporation.

My firm managed an association that had two distinct factions. Each alternating election produced a majority from one of the factions. Individuals representing the minority often used the board meetings to scrutinize the financial statements and the most routine aspects of getting contracts. They monopolized the meeting in an effort to discredit the chair, often maneuvering the discussion back to topics previously voted upon in which their opinion was in the minority.

Those meeting were not fun and they were always long. It was only by formalizing the process - voting on an agenda, voting on time limits, insisting upon a second for every motion before discussion, recording votes in the minutes - that the meetings became more manageable and effective.

Successful meetings don’t happen by chance. Meetings succeed when everyone attending understands the purpose and when clear ground rules exist for conducting the discussion. Issues that require decisions are identified in advance and the people attending have enough information to intelligently decide upon an appropriate action. The leader of the meeting understands his or her role as "gatekeeper."

What follows are some tips based on my experiences with board meetings. All of the skills are based on common sense and can make your meetings effective and even enjoyable.

LAY OUT GROUND RULES

You may be asking, "Why do we need to formalize the process? We know what the issues are - can’t we just get together and discuss them?" You can do it that way, but it likely will take much more of your time and some board members will become frustrated by the informality of the process.

Ground rules are essential. Without them, issues of little importance often take on major significance and consume unnecessary amounts of time. At the same time, important matters are held to the very end of the meeting when the frustration level and fatigue factor are high. As a result, the important issues do not receive the attention they deserve.

Ground rules also protect the majority. Most of us have been in meetings where one individual monopolizes the discussion with some particular concern that is important only to him or her. Or issues previously discussed and agreed upon by the majority will be returned to time after time because no clear rules exist for making decisions.

As a first step in establishing ground rules, it is best to establish rules that are fair and easily understood and that encourage a courteous and intelligent exchange of information.

One of the best known guidelines for meetings is Robert’s Rules of Order. It is a daunting volume, but don’t be intimidated: you will not need to understand all of its intricacies. The degree of detail and formality described by Robert’s Rules can be trimmed down to address the most important and basic ways that discussion should occur. Some of the key ground rules include:

1. One person may speak at a time. 2. The chair decides who that person will be. 3. The speaker may speak only on the issue being considered. 4. Those wishing to speak will be given an opportunity. 5. Decisions require a motion, a second and a vote. 6. Once voted upon, no further discussion is permitted.

When everyone understands the rules from the beginning, it is easier for the chair to direct the discussion, to keep speakers on track regarding the issue at hand, and to move the discussion toward an orderly decision. Never forget that you have been elected to the board to make decisions about the association’s, not merely to discuss them.

Another key ground rule is that each meeting should have an agenda. Sometimes it will be prepared by the chair and sent out in advance to the board members. It may be a standing agenda with the opportunity to add additional specific items at the beginning of each meeting. It may be an agenda that is prepared at the end of the previous meeting, or it may be prepared by the managing agent in consultation with the hair. Whatever method you choose, an agenda becomes the map for the meeting so that everyone knows where they are going and what the final destination will be.

The lack of an agenda is the most consistent reason for lengthy meetings. Without an agenda, any topic is fair game for discussion. While it is conceivable that every topic suggested at a meeting without an agenda might be of interest to those in attendance, the ability to act on the issues that are raised in greatly limited by the lack of preparation. An agenda is critical, and the lack of one will always make a meeting last longer than it should.

Every issue on the agenda that requires action needs to come to a vote. When everyone realizes this, many meeting problems can be avoided. For an issue or action to be voted upon, there must be more than one individual who feels compelled to take action on it. This person is the seconder. While it may seem unnecessarily stiff or formal, I encourage you to have the chair recognize a motion, for example, to contract for resurfacing the tennis courts. If there is another person who supports it, he or she should second it and it should then be discussed until the board is ready to make a decision and vote. The vote should be recorded in the minutes.

It is also a good idea to set a time limit for the meeting as a whole and for specific topics on the agenda. A time limit makes everyone’s attention more focused and adds to the clarity of the discussion. It also aids the leader in preventing the discussion from digressing from the main topic.

WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?

The purpose of the meeting is to transact the business of the association. Anything that takes the time of the board members and is not mutually agreed upon as relevant to the issue of association business should wait for another occasion.

Often this is not how it works. The social aspect may be higher on someone else’s agenda than on yours. Others may view the meeting as an opportunity to hold forth on a particular issue. Or people will discuss issues that are irrelevant to the meeting. Whose pets continue to run loose and annoy the neighbors? What was the sales price of the end unit? This information may be interesting to some, but it is probably not critical to the operation of the association’s business. It may even take more time than the actual business.

An agenda and time limits will help control the topics, but the chair plays an equally important role. A chair who does not understand that special role that he or she plays as "gatekeeper", or who is reluctant to exercise the control that is vested in the office, will make a meeting inefficient and lengthy. As the name suggest, the job of gatekeeper is to protect the discussion - to remind the members of the rules, to maintain order, and to occasionally usher out a guest who has overstayed hi or her welcome.

The chair must also control circumstances when a chronic dissenter uses "bully tactics." These tactics can paralyze a board and add to the amount of time it takes to conduct even the most routine business.

Bully tactics can be putting someone else on the defensive, either by discrediting their information or interrupting them. It can be an older man with a sexist attitude who tells the women on the board that they don’t know what they’re talking about. At one recent board meeting I attended, the board was discussing fidelity bonds and it had reached a point where everyone was satisfied with the discussion. One member, however, questioned the integrity of the person handling the money. Although he was told that the matter was covered by the directors and officers liability insurance policy, he disregarded that information and proceeded to rehash issues already discussed - issues that we thought were already settled.

Every decision does not have to be unanimous. If someone has an opinion that is unfounded and everyone else is satisfied with the decision, it is alright to move on to the next piece of business. If someone is disgruntled about that, that’s unfortunate. But the chair needs to take control and make it clear that bully tactics will not be tolerated. When the person who uses bully tactics knows that he or she cannot dominate the meeting, the behavior usually diminishes.

The chair must know when to scoot the discussion along or bring it to a close. Observe the body language of other people on the floor. Recognize that all of the facts have been identified and it is time to make a decision. This can be done gently but firmly by saying, "Mr. Smith, I don’t think you’re brining up new points here. We’ve addressed these previously in the discussion, perhaps it is time for us to move on from that."

Most board meetings have a time either at the beginning or the end for owenrs to comment, complain, or lodge a cause. (Editors note: California law now requires that owners are given a time for comments.) This period should be covered by board rules as well, similar to those rules at a municipality meeting. An announcement should be made when it is time for public comment, time should be set on the agenda for it, and speakers should be given time limits.

THE FORMULA FOR A SUCCESSFUL MEETING

To ensure that your Board’s meetings are efficient and effective, consider the following rules:

1. An agenda is developed for the meeting and provided to all board members before the meeting so that they know which topics are going to be considered and they can come prepared.

2. Minutes of the last meeting are distributed in advance so that they can be reviewed before the members come to the meeting. Any changes or corrections that have to be made can occur at the meeting.

3. A moderate degree of formality must be used in conducting the meeting. Certain rules for discussion are defined. Everyone’s expectations regarding decision making are agreed upon and understood.

4. Principles of good communication are practiced. These principles include courtesy: only one person may speak at a time. No interrupting. No ridiculing another person’s point of view. Direct communication, subtlety, and innuendo have no place at a board meeting. If it seems that there is another, unspoken meaning behind the words being used, it is the chair’s job to work with the speaker to identify the message.

5. Set time limits. For example, the meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. and adjourn at 8:00 p.m. No more than 10 minutes will be spent on the financial report. The topics and the contracts under consideration regarding the painting schedule, for example, will be discussed and concluded in 20 minutes. If a minority of the members wish to continue beyond the agreed upon time limit, there should be a procedure for checking to see if others on the board are willing to continue the discussion.

6. The chair must understand the role of the gatekeeper. It is the chair’s job to encourage free discussion of the topic being considered, to keep the discussion moving, and to identify issues relating to the topic. It also is the chair’s job to define the decisions that must be made. The chair must always remember that the board members have been elected to govern the association, not to discuss it.

7. Adjourn the meeting on time.

8. Follow up. There always will be action items that require attention from your managing agent or from specific committee members. See that the follow-up is accomplished before the next meeting.

If you follow these guidelines you will spend less time in your meeting. You will accomplish more. And you may find more qualified owners willing to serve on the board of directors.