Chat and mute feature during Board meetings

Started by MichaelT21 • 6 replies • 454 views

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MichaelT21 (Arkansas)
Posts: 200

Posted:

During Board meetings, should we leave the chat functionality on? Should we allow homeowners to unmute themselves and contribute to discussions?

We have had requests for both. I personally don't like people chatting about what I am saying while I am saying it but the folks that oppose me love having that feature on. Same with the ability to unmute and contribute.

Is there any published guidance for such?

WendyM5 (North Carolina)
Posts: 1,522

Posted:

Real world example. Vast majority of HOA members voted to invest money into CD's. BOD is discussing which of 3 banking companies we should invest the reserves into CD's. Member interrupts says we should invest in gold, not get CD's. Told member it was already decided to invest in CD's. 5 minutes latter, member interrupts saying we really should consider gold investsments.

future meetings will be 20 minutes live discussion before meeting begins and chat feature only during meeting. otherwise you end up with people that have zero time investment trying to change things that have already been decided upon.

vis ta vie

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Unless WA is different than most other states, owners have no right to "contribute" during a board meeting except during open forum if your state requires one. Why would these be something extra published on this topic? What else do you. need to know? I'm pretty sure you know this, MichaelT.

We've had hybrid board meetings at my HOA for a long time now and owners are always muted except when they speak during open forum. Occasionally the meeting chair invites owners' comments on a particular agenda item.

Are you going to continue obsessing about the same 1-3 owners that harass you? This is at least your 7th email about them.

Our Board has attached to the agenda how owners may participate. Place participation on your board meeting agenda and the Board can vote on whether to permit your business meetings to be interrupted by owners in attendance.

I can't really speak to the chat feature as we owners rarely use it.

JohnT38 (South Carolina)
Posts: 1,631

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MichaelT21 on 02/02/2023 8:27 AM
During Board meetings, should we leave the chat functionality on? Should we allow homeowners to unmute themselves and contribute to discussions?

We have had requests for both. I personally don't like people chatting about what I am saying while I am saying it but the folks that oppose me love having that feature on. Same with the ability to unmute and contribute.

Is there any published guidance for such?

Yes you should unmute all attendees and let them speak up whenever they want. Just make sure you do this after all the Board members have left.

ND (PA)
Posts: 792

Posted:

IMO, homeowners should be muted and unable to use the chat function for entirety of meeting except during open forum, Q&A, or whatever else you might call it when you allow owners to more freely speak/participate. Similar to an in-person meeting; homeowners can only speak when agenda permits.

You could potentially consider the ability for questions/info to be submitted to Board Members only while meeting is going on which would give you the ability to see, screen, and possibly consider responding if/when convenient or appropriate in some form.

Finally, regardless of what you do, you should create virtual/hybrid meeting rules that govern appropriate participation and conduct, in much the same way you would for in-person meetings. Anyone who spams the chat with questions/comments/gibberish/slander or unmutes and speaks the same could be removed from the meeting as you would similarly request/demand a disruptive person leave an in-person meeting.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964

Posted:

You should maintain control over the mute button, otherwise you won't get anything done because people won't stop interrupting or shut up during resident forum to let other speak.

I don't see anything wrong with leaving the chat on - as long as people aren't doing the name-calling, threats and that type of thing, it's up to them to stop typing and pay attention to what's being said. I've attended trainings when the chat stayed on and someone monitored it for that type of thing and during the Q and A session, the organization was able to bring up a lot of useful comments and suggestions. In fact, they had another option where if you did have a question, you would post your question there and it would either be addressed before the meeting ended or there would be a follow up to that person. Sometimes, they would send an email to all the attendees noting several asked the same questions and they'd address them in one shot.

At the very least, try leaving on the chat option and designate someone to monitor the chat so the board can focus on the agenda, which they should be doing anyway. I'd also say stop obsessing about your arch-enemy and her minions, but I've said that more than once, but you don't seem to know how or want to, so there's that.....

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By ND on 02/02/2023 10:57 AM
IMO, homeowners should be muted and unable to use the chat function for entirety of meeting except during open forum, Q&A, or whatever else you might call it when you allow owners to more freely speak/participate. Similar to an in-person meeting; homeowners can only speak when agenda permits.

You could potentially consider the ability for questions/info to be submitted to Board Members only while meeting is going on which would give you the ability to see, screen, and possibly consider responding if/when convenient or appropriate in some form.

Finally, regardless of what you do, you should create virtual/hybrid meeting rules that govern appropriate participation and conduct, in much the same way you would for in-person meetings. Anyone who spams the chat with questions/comments/gibberish/slander or unmutes and speaks the same could be removed from the meeting as you would similarly request/demand a disruptive person leave an in-person meeting.

Well said.

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