Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel

By Daniel Vasquez

Published April 8, 2009

You don't have to have a PhD to serve on your community association board, but shouldn't you at least be educated?

Florida law requires condo board candidates to sign a form stating they have read and understand their governing documents and state condo laws. Lawmakers will soon debate a bill giving directors the option of taking a state-approved course in lieu of the attestation.

To find out what that would be like, I took a 90-minute online course (it took me two hours) offered by The Human Equation, an approved provider of condominium governance training. It offers nine courses in Florida Condominium Management alone, which cost about $10 each or $67 for the entire 10-hour curriculum.

I chose "Communication Skills for Condominium Association Leaders," which is meant for homeowner association directors, too.

Less than a minute into it was this lesson: The duties of a condo or HOA leader involve more than most people would think. They must conduct board meetings, explain bylaws and regulations to unit owners, express opinions clearly, negotiate with vendors, contractors and service personnel, defuse conflicts among unit owners and respond to all sorts of inquiries from unit owners.

Note how the unpaid directors are not only expected to know the rules and regulations, but also should make time to explain them to unit owners and find a way to clearly express decisions and actions.

This curriculum started out with a bang and made me want to continue. Then I took my first quiz and scored 70. That's a C, right?

(For the record, I rushed. And one thing I know I missed was the part about maintaining eye contact with someone at least 50 percent of the time when talking.) The 90-minute course was complex, but not too complicated for anyone willing to be on a board. More importantly, it was informational and useful.

Here are some examples of what I learned or had reinforced:

Strong communication skills are not recommended, they're required. To be effective, you have to deal with conflicts or challenges without expressing anger or loss of control. It is your responsibility to make sure each unit or homeowner understands key information, such as why a parking lot is being resurfaced, when it was approved and how it may save money over time rather than just communicating it will lead to an assessment.

There are natural and man-made obstacles to community communication. You will have to deal with difficult people. Some have difficult personalities; others are themselves dealing with tough situations (a job loss that makes it difficult to pay a special assessment). You'll have to control your reactions to those who question decisions or information and you must always speak with respect. The course acknowledges obtaining these skills takes work, but is still part of the job.

Failing to listen is failure. The course suggests that half your time be spent listening. That doesn't mean just keeping quiet, but also making sure you comprehend what is being said, taking note of important details and being able to restate what the unit owner has said and wants done. And you should listen even if the owner is a chronic complainer.

Put yourself in a unit owner's shoes as much as possible. If someone complains about a loud noise, check it out yourself.

But here is the best lesson I learned: You may bring a world of skills and experience to your association table, but learning more is well worth the time.

Anyone up for the job? Or for at least signing up for the job and learning how to do it right?

Daniel Vasquez can be reached at:

[email protected] or at 954-356-4558 (Broward) or 561-243-6686 (Palm Beach County). His condo column runs every Wednesday in the Local section and at www.sunsentinel.com/condos. You also can read his consumer column every Monday in Your Money and at www.sunsentinel.com/vasquez