Condo & Co-op Board Meeting Seating: The Psychology of Efficiency
July 20, 2011 — Where you sit determines where you stand. Diplomats are particularly careful in choosing the shape of the table and who sits next to whom, since the slightest faux pas can have disastrous results. King Arthur held his meetings at the Round Table so that all could participate freely without the King dictating the debate. There are lessons to be learned from this age-old experience that apply to condo association and co-op board meetings. Each format demands very different seating considerations.
Board meetings are designed to transact regular business for the care and welfare of often millions of dollars of member assets. As such, they should be held at places and times conducive to business.
Meetings held in someone's home prove challenging. Avoid using living rooms, since it's very difficult to juggle papers or take notes while sitting in a La-Z-Boy. Meetings should be held at a table large enough to spread out agendas, reports and other papers without having to continually shuffle the stack. If using a kitchen table, remove everything except meeting items. Turn off home and cell phones during the meeting, since ringing always disrupts the discussion and pulls someone away from the business at hand.
Not a Matter of Heat: Get Out of the Kitchen
There are a number of advantages to moving "out of the kitchen" into a formal meeting place. The distraction potential is enormously reduced: no phones, food, TV, kids, dogs and neighbors. The business meeting takes on a true "business" nature. Folks are less likely to linger in this environment or get into protracted discussions.
Ideally, the board should meet at a location that is designed for meetings. Basics include a large conference table, good lighting, bathrooms, temperature control and room for guests. If none exists in your cooperative apartment building or condo association, seek out meeting rooms in area community centers, libraries and churches. They may be closer and cheaper than you think.
If there is a table head, the president should sit there and direct the meeting. The head of the table is the historical place of authority and there is no reason to buck tradition. The secretary taking minutes should sit at the opposite end of the table so that all directors can be more easily seen and heard.
Guests should not sit at the board-meeting table, since this is an invitation to actively participate in the business. Seating should be adequate for both board and guests: board at the conference table, guests off to the side. Avoid the temptation to have the board face any guests as a "panel." This seating format also invites participation from the guests and makes it difficult for board members to talk amongst themselves.
Annual Shareholder / Association Meetings
These meetings should be carefully choreographed. Always hold them in a formal meeting facility large enough to accommodate all owners. Owners normally sit gallery style with the board at a head table unless your group is small enough to fit around an Arthurian Round Table. Ideally, the head table should be "half moon" or "U" shape so all directors can see each other as well as the audience. Avoid having the board sit panel-style unless the meeting is intended to be a question and answer session with directors on the "firing line." Make sure to have a proper sound system if the room requires it.
Meeting seating is critical when it comes to getting things accomplished efficiently. Set your sights for successful meetings --- and don't forget to check your swords at the door.
Richard Thompson owns Regenesis, a homeowner association management consulting company. Thompson is a member of the Association of Professional Reserve Analysts (APRA), the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE). He publishes the monthly newsletter The Regenesis Report. This was adapted from his article at Realty Times.
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