Meeting Hints & Tips

If you are attending a strata management meeting or chairing it, here are some hints to ensure you get the most out of the time with other owners in your Body Corporate.

General Introduction

• Start the meeting by having everyone introduce themselves — whether it's your first or tenth time attending, it's nice to refresh who each attendee is and where they live.
• Check that everyone has signed into the meeting by making note next to their unit on the draft minutes.
• Quickly run through the agenda items and aim to set a finishing time (for example, 60–90 minutes).

Take Notes

• Focus on recording the final decisions that are agreed on — there's no need for a word-for-word account of the whole meeting, especially when conversation goes off-topic.
• Do make sure to include an action plan against those decisions. Record what action was decided, note who is responsible, and set an agreed deadline. For example: "It was agreed that Jo W from Unit 12 will organise two quotes to replace the paving in the main pathway and present costs back to management by DD/MM/YYYY."

Keep the Meeting on Time

Sometimes it is hard to stay on track as it's easy to start side conversations. With most people likely having other commitments after the meeting, it's appreciated to keep things moving:

• Stick to the agenda and the facts.
• Keep focus only on the current agenda item in discussion.
• If side conversations arise, kindly ask attendees to pick up the topic post-meeting.

Voting

• Ideally, aim for a clear majority vote on all important decisions. If the vote is tied, use it as an opportunity to encourage further discussion before re-voting.

Tips for the Chairperson

• If there is a heated discussion item, try to remain neutral and not take sides.
• Encourage discussion from all attendees — in particular those who appear quieter or more reserved.
• At the end of each agenda item, always summarise the discussion and gain agreement.
• Keep a library of good ideas to refer back to at the appropriate time.
• Don't forget to include your own vote — your opinion matters just as much as anyone else's.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please get in touch — we'd love to hear from you.