Rethinking the Conference Room: How to Increase Productivity

There's a lot more to a good conference room than simply having comfortable seats and the latest technology on the wall. The layout can impact the way your team works together and the quality of their output.

Getting things done the right way in your conference room can help you to increase the productivity of your force. That's why we put together this short guide to help you discover the do's and don'ts of conference room design.

The Problem with Traditional Conference Rooms

Sure the tried and tested conference room layout may seem like it's a successful idea. It's worked for generations, so why change it now? The thing is, if we're being honest, the traditional conference room layout is far from flawless for a number of reasons.

• One big table lined with chairs on all four sides doesn't really leave much room for flexibility and leaves few to no areas where everybody present can enjoy an unencumbered view.
• A wall covered with televisions and video conference equipment may seem like good idea, but in reality all it does is ensure that nobody has a perfect view of TVs on the wall or any surrounding whiteboards.
• A table that is too large for the room can leave the room feeling crowded when the table is full. This can decrease the comfort of your team and lead to a drop in productivity.

Guiding principles of a good conference room and what to do with them:

Don't Block the View

This is arguably the most important feature of a conference room. Blocking the view can lead to a drop in interest, a lack of understanding, and the inability to produce relevant ideas. With a rectangular table it's almost impossible for everybody to get a good line of sight to the front of the room. While they may be non-traditional, a curved or teardrop shaped table can help make viewing the front of the room a whole lot easier for all present.

There's no need to invest in a huge TV. While it may seem like a good idea at first there's really no need as a smaller TV helps to make the information displayed easier to digest. Ideally, your TV should be about the width of your table. This can help reduce issues with people viewing the screen, especially when paired with a curved or teardrop table. If you need more than one screen, it's always better to stack them on top of each other, rather than side by side.

Full Shouldn't Feel Crowded

Just because you have a large room, it doesn't mean you need a large table. Get a table that can seat as many people as you need, but also takes the smallest amount of space up in your room.

Another vital tip is to avoid placing chairs in front of any important equipment. When the room is full to capacity there shouldn't be anybody that's impeding views of screens or whiteboards that are displaying important information.

Transform Your Conference Room into a Multi-purpose Space

While it may primarily be a conference room, that doesn't mean that it should be solely limited to the traditional type of conferences that you're all too familiar with. With a simple switch-up in furniture your conference room can go from a single-purpose room to a room that's capable of holding many different kinds of meetings.

Having more than one table can increase the versatility of your conference room. By having smaller tables you provide spaces for late-comers and note-takers. Another good choice that can transform your working environment is having whiteboard carts as well as ones affixed to the walls. This creates flexibility and can help create a more intimate setting, should the room not be filled to capacity.

Minimize Distractions

Eliminating any distractions that may be in your conference room can dramatically help increase the productivity of your team. It could be as simple as changing a flickering light bulb, tightening up a noisy air conditioner vent or a loose table leg, or investing in a better blind to help keep the sunshine out of people's eyes.

Don't Discount the Importance of Design

A well-lit room can increase productivity. It's better if this is natural light as opposed to fluorescent lighting. Natural light is a lot easier on the eyes, and artificial lighting can cause people to strain their eyes, which of course wouldn't be good for productivity.

Decorating your conference room in calming colors can help increase the mood of your team. Avoid colors with negative connotations such as red and orange and instead opt for uplifting, calming colors such as yellow and blue. Yellow and blue can increase feelings of calmness and being agreeable.

Now that you've found out more about how the decor of your conference room can impact your workforce, you may wish to find out more about how you can get to changing it for the better. Thankfully, here at Connecting Elements, we stock a variety of office furniture that can help you revitalize your workspace. That's not all though, as part of our industry-leading service we can also help you plan the best way to utilize your space, and get the most out of what you have. To find out more call us today on 877-779-3409.