Having smooth and productive meetings depends a lot on your conference room’s layout and furniture. Find out how you can create this space here.
Decisions that set the course of a company are often made in conference rooms. So, having your conference rooms properly outfitted is essential and will help promote interaction and discourse.
Below are six key elements that can help you cultivate a more effective meeting environment, with all the technological enhancements to conduct meetings while Covid-19 is still prevalent.
According to studies conducted by Bain & Company, currently, staff members spend on average around 15% of their time in some kind of meeting. Designing a conference room is not a minor issue but a crucial factor that must be carefully contemplated and implemented.
To get started, one has to consider the number of people that the room will host. Defining minimum and maximum capacities and having more than one meeting room better suit different participants, you will need to calculate the necessary space and furniture for each.
If you have 15 board members, the maximum capacity cannot be less than this number. You also need to account for guests and observers, if it is applicable. It is essential to grant sufficient space and ventilation, which must be greater than a conventional workstation in this type of environment.
An excellent configurable meeting room table can also allow more flexibility to better adapt to different meetings.
The average meeting length is 31 to 60 minutes, according to Visix research. Therefore, it is essential to offer executive or semi-executive chairs, allowing participants to sit comfortably as long as necessary. 31 to 60 minutes is just an average. Meetings can last for several hours on occasion and can be tense at times.
Many companies are also exploring modular furniture in meeting rooms, breaking with the conventional model of a large central table with chairs around it and creating unconventional meeting rooms. For example, meeting rooms are set up as residential living rooms or have breakout areas.
Of course, a meeting room should feel like a meeting room; even if it is in an open office environment, it should offer a greater sense of privacy. This allows the conversation to be held in a more confidential setting, avoiding generating distractions to the outside and handling even sensitive issues with discretion.
However, given the current situation with Covid-19, it is essential to implement protective barriers to the outside. Under the new normal, several companies are implementing stricter policies on social distancing. This can be maintained even in a meeting room using transparent dividing panels, which prevent direct physical contact. However, this does not affect visibility or the ability to communicate in close proximity.
Today, with furniture technology, it is possible in an effortless way to make meeting rooms more dynamic than in the past.
One example is implementing modular units with height-adjustable stations. Each member can individually adjust the surface in front of them to a precise height to carry out different tasks.
Perhaps a sketch or model is required during the meeting; in this sense, offering a more flexible surface, capable of adapting in a more personalized way, makes things more comfortable, more efficient, and therefore more productive.
It may not always be necessary to have the same infrastructure type, so starting with a good set of mobile multimedia hubs will greatly significantly It will allow quick access to connections to the needed technology for every kind of meeting. For example, if a link will be made with a team or clients abroad, who want to communicate via video conferencing, a hub equipped with a video camera and screen will be needed.
On the other hand, if a presentation is being made, a more extensive set of hubs may help project the presentation prepared for the occasion in greater detail.
Also, granting easy access to data, reports, or analysis in real-time can help the decision-making process in meetings.
One of the significant challenges to efficient meetings is the lack of organization. Without a set agenda, participants are likely to go off-topic. A centralized system or good meeting software can be of great help in coordinating, confirming, or suspending meetings promptly.
Likewise, maintaining a code of conduct, from etiquette to a meeting schedule, will also help make the work more efficient.
A suitable meeting room, just with its design, can strengthen the image of a company. Still, if it is also equipped with everything necessary, it can be an essential engine for positive change, enhancing all companies’ productivity.