April 2016
Better Communications = Cost Savings and More Resident Involvement
Condo communications should inform and educate building residents. Effective communications, out of necessity, also entertain.
Well prepared communications are read and remembered. They can aid in reducing expenses, improve community and even help increase property values.
Poor communications are not noticed, easily ignored or forgotten. This is the unfortunate situation prevalent in some condo corporations. Disinterested building residents who don’t respond to communications or attend meetings are likely symptoms of poor communications. The problem may be the method or quality of communications.
Printing and distributing information is costly and time consuming. It is for this reason that most condo corporations post printed notices. The most common placement of these notices is in the elevator where they can be seen by all.
More recently, condo corporations have started to upgrade their elevator communications by installing electronic notice boards with Internet access in place of bulletin boards.
Electronic notice boards do more than reduce paper waste. They save time and money. They allow for communications that are colourful, more easily noticed and read. A single monitor can display a dozen or more messages instead of the single piece of paper typically posted on a bulletin board. Electronic notice boards can also combine internal communications with paid advertising from local businesses.
For these reasons condo corporations have upgraded to electronic notice boards to deliver electronic communications superior to what was provided on bulletin boards. Yet, after investing tens of thousands of dollars on this valuable upgrade, many have failed to improve their communications.
Rather than using electronic notice boards for improving communications, some condo corporations choose to subscribe to a paid service providing weather and news. While this may present well and takes no effort, it does less to educate and inform residents than the more traditional bulletin boards.
Yet others utilize their electronic notice boards for communications while failing to create visually appealing messaging that entertains. That letter posted on a bulletin board is designed to be read by one person at a time from close up. An elevator cab filled with people is not conducive to reading lots of words in small text before the door opens on their floor. This likely explains the limited effectiveness of most elevator postings.
Good communications require a combination of engaging content, larger text, visually appealing graphics and colour.
Letter writers do not create effective electronic communications.
Creating effective electronic communications for electronic notice boards takes time. It involves more than displaying print communications as an electronic image.
Electronic notice boards are one of the most effective innovations in condo communications. Use it to build community, promote in-building programs and meetings, or as a source of revenue to promote local businesses.
