Each and every word

Measuring words used in HOA communication, in Meeting Minutes for example, is necessary and important.

People in communication who work with words all the time think about each and every word. How words will be perceived. Whether words will make sense or not. Whether they will prevent or cause problems. Going over documents, potentially problematic words jump out. They just do. It's a mental process.

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Houston!! We have an issue!

Two dinosaur sculptures in the front yard of a home located in an HOA in the Houston area just made ABC 13 Eyewitness News. The homeowner said "she's been contacted (by the HOA) and asked what her plans were" for the dinosaurs, a T-Rex and a Velociraptor. The homeowner's "plans are directly tied to their plans," according to the TV-news story. "She says she is prepared to contest any request that they be removed. It's about creativity, not conformity." Here's the thing about media coverage of just about anything...of organizations like HOAs, business firms and all the rest. It's the question of whether or not -- to what extent -- media coverage might influence situations and outcomes. When organizations -- and their policies -- are in the news, will media coverage influence policy decisions? Keeping in mind, of course, the key role of governing documents in policies and procedures.

Better than blurting??

In several posts, we've been talking about prepared statements...how they might sometimes help HOA boards deal with tough questions from homeowners and even -- heaven forbid! -- tough questions from the news media. We're often asked if prepared statements are nothing but PR spin. People sometimes cringe at the mention of spin. Actually, a prepared statement is measured words in a measured response. What's preferable? Measured words or words blurted out in the heat of the moment?

Heaven or Hell?

( Editor's note: There's an article in a North Carolina newspaper, "My descent into HOA hell in North Carolina." And there's this article with a distinctly different message about HOAs.) Here's Why HOAs Are a Big Deal by Harvey Radin Would you believe that homeowner associations outnumber U.S. cities by a huge margin? There are more than 300,000 homeowner associations and only 35,000 U.S. cities and towns. HOAs also outnumber the giant retail store locations, fast food restaurants, megabank branches and coffee chain locations. The biggest fast food chains have 7,000-14,000 restaurant locations. Megabanks have 4,000-6,000 branches. The biggest coffee chains have up to 24,000 locations in the U.S. and other countries. Homeowner associations are a big deal. Not only because of the surprisingly large number of them, but also because many of them are multimillion-dollar properties. And many are managed and governed by volunteers, by homeowners who are e...

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