An interesting idea of some condominium Boards is to have an ‘Open Session’ during their meetings. An ‘Open Session’ simply put is a 30-45 minute opportunity, either at the beginning or end of the Board meeting, for owners to come in and bring up issues that they have. Most Boards will likely not do this as an ‘Open Session’ is generally seen as a chance for owners only to complain, but it is an effective tool for open communication.
I would recommend to all Board of Directors that they offer an ‘Open Session’ at the beginning of their meetings. An ‘Open Session’ need not last more than 30 minutes, but owners can actually bring up issues that the Board is not aware of and for which may be better to fix early before the problem becomes big. Also, if owners feel that their opinions are being considered, the Board will find that it has a large pool of happy, satisfied owners and not a bunch of ‘whiners’ who are only complaining.
Also, the more people talk in a condominium, the more understanding there is. Boards have many decisions to make, and many can be controversial – but the more discussion there is, the more informed the owners will be. It is better for people to come to an ‘Open Session’ and ask about work going on in the condominium and get the truth and not have people complaining and making it sound like the Board is doing a bad job when really essential work is being done.
So, if you serve on a Board of Directors in a condominium, I charge you to hold ‘Open Sessions’ at your meetings and provide some good communication.
Edward Brain's Blog 