Oh boy, just sent zoom link next Board meeting to all homeowners

I'm sure you'll be ok - even if you get all 274 homeowners, this is still a business meeting to discuss association issues, and so you have every right to set some ground rules.

When you start, welcome everyone, introduce the board members and let everyone know there will be a resident forum at the END of the meeting when attendees can sound off on whatever. this way, the board is able to address all agenda items without interruption. I believe there's a chat feature in Zoom meetings, so feel free to leave it on and let people sound off that way.

Until you get to the resident forum, keep everyone on mute until then and then whoever's controlling the meeting will unmute whoever wants to talk. That person will have 1-2 minutes to speak so everyone will have a chance to say something, and no cussing, threats and other foolishness will be allowed - if he/she doesn't behave, the mute button will be hit.

Have fun!

I’m sure y’all will have a blast.

Just make sure you know how to operate the audio muting. And how to drop someone from the call if they do something cute like use Giger’s “Landscape XX” as a background.

Whenever I’ve hosted a teleconference - and I’ve done it hundreds of times in the past decade - I’ll often use a simple script / checklist. SheliaH covered a lot of it:

“Welcome to the 2022 Board meeting!”

“I’m MichaelT21, Board President” <- this is real important

“Before we go any further: I want to inform you that this meeting is being recorded”

“Today we’ll have the Board meeting, followed by a homeowner forum”

“I’d like to introduce the 2022 Board …”

“So let’s get started. Our first item is …”

I’d really really really recommend using a script / checklist. Pilots with thousands of hours of flight time use them all the time.

One final piece of advice: don’t curse, ie, avoid George Carlin’s “7 Words” and also “crap”, “hell”, all variations on “damn”, and especially “God”+”damn”. To some extent it helps to imagine that your audience contains large numbers of spinster aunts. My sense is that you wouldn’t use this language anyway - but oh wow I could tell you some stories.

Break a leg!

(I’m attempting a signature - there’s no way to preview it, so apologies in advance if it looks like crud).

BillD

Oh, good for you and for the board's new member for encouraging more owner participation in your HOA. Over the past 15 years in my HOA of 200+, there's a very clear pattern showing that those who attend are more likely to want to serve on committees, which can lead to board service. They also are more likely to vote.

Our ongoing campaign to get votes to restate our CC&Rs & our Bylaws shows that board mtg. attendance, social event attendance, and committee service all predict that those owners will vote. Not surprising, then, that absentee owners who never occupy their condos are least likely to vote.

Along with others' good tips, the Board prez ask Owners in open forum to state their name and address. Also note that their open forum remarks, questions, etc. do not go into the meeting's minutes. Your sec'y might, however note how many Owners attended.

Finally, our board cleared that it works best to save all board members' replies, when needed, till after all Owners have contributed. This means some or all directors need to make notes of the kernel of each owner's comment/question. The reason this works so nicely for everyone is that it completely avoids the time-wasting back & forth that can occur between an owner and a director. Egos get involved, emotions rise.

So, seeing no more hands to participate. The presider close open forum an directors respond to the comments/questions making sure not to miss any. Often, a director will say we need to look into that and will get back to you. this is advice for K. Richardson, a CA HOA attorney who has a syndicated column called HOA Homefront.

Onward, Michael!

Why in the world would you want MORE banter in a HOA meeting??? Why do you think people were NOT talking? Most likely so the meeting would end ASAP. Plus give everyone a day or two to digest what was discussed. No one should be making knee-jerk reactions or decisions. That is why there are 2nd meetings to discuss the 1st meetings.

How is your wife a member of the HOA? Is she on the Title?

Sorry, I’d like to understand: are you saying that only two people called into the Zoom meeting?

BillD

We've been using Zoom for board meetings for about a year. It is super convenient for everyone and has worked out fine, plus nobody gets Covid from it. I post meeting announcements to our Facebook page and on our website along with the agenda (which is composed via Google Docs and everyone gets the link). Then during the meeting I can just share the agenda on my screen and type in meeting notes as we work through the items. That helps the secretary quite a bit with the minutes.

We have 176 members in our HOA. Once in a while a member will attend, I think we had two on one occasion. I find that as long as everything is going pretty well people don't want to bother with board meetings.

I have tried to recruit a beautification committee (do some light planting of flowers) and a social events committee, zero volunteers. The sad fact is that most people are profoundly apathetic. But I'm not! I want things to be right and I will put in the effort to make it that way.

I'll start a new thread about the meeting energy level. I'm disappointed and would like to improve it next time.