BY PATRICIA BRAWLEY, CMCA, AMS, PCAM COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES ADVENTURES IN SELF-MANAGEMENT: MARKETING YOUR MESSAGE TO UNIT OWNERS "If I had known there was going to be a budget increase, I would not have spent so much on holiday presents! Why didn't the board tell us that this was going to happen?" "We were never told that there were problems with the roofs and now the board announces that there will be a special assessment to replace them. My unit doesn't have any leaks and I don't know of any unit that does have a leak. That board is making bad decisions and spending my money!" We all know how important communication is for the self-managed association. Keeping the unit owners informed is the best way to avoid the "we versus them" mentality that can be so destructive to the optimum operation of the community. Communication provides the foundation for building rapport between the governing board and the unit owners who are the beneficiaries of the trust and whose interests the trustees are charged with protecting. 36 CONDOMEDIA