On average, we spend 40 years of our lives in the office, of which 16 years are spent in meetings!
It is obvious that these collective workspaces should be comfortable and well designed ... We give you a few tips on how to design your meeting room, a place full of experiences and brainstorming sessions. :)
1
DESIGN THE PERFECT LAYOUT FOR YOUR MEETING ROOM
Before purchasing furniture, you should think about the configuration of the room you want to convert into a meeting room. The layout will depend on various criteria: the total surface area, of course, the maximum number of people that can be accommodated, the size of the work surfaces, the associated furniture required, etc. The idea is that the room is large and spacious enough for everyone to move freely around the table.
Another important point to consider in advance is the personal living space. For serene and dynamic exchanges, there can be no question of sitting like sardines in a can! A meeting room must be pleasant and respect everyone's personal space. To achieve this, you must allow for at least 60 cm per person in listening position, and 60 to 70 cm per person in working position (taking notes, using a laptop, etc.). For everyone's comfort, the installation of a ventilation system for the summer and a good heating system for the winter is also recommended. There is nothing like stifling heat or frozen fingers to turn off the neurons ...
The lighting system should also contribute to concentration and good vision in all situations. If possible, use general direct lighting with light that approximates natural light.
2
SELECTING FURNITURE FOR YOUR MEETING ROOM
Meeting room chairsIt doesn't matter whether it's a discussion, a presentation or a brainstorming session. For them to take place under the best possible conditions, it is important that your guests are seated properly ... and that means sitting comfortably. For occasional use, a standard quality chair may be sufficient. But as soon as the meeting takes longer than one hour: ouch, ouch! So rather invest from the outset in conference chairs with good upholstery. Because if your guests start to focus on the discomfort of their seats (which in turn quickly turns into back pain), it is almost certain that their concentration will not be optimal...
Meeting tableThey are the key to a successful meeting! The meeting table should be as user-friendly as possible so that participants feel at ease. Your choice will depend on your needs and the available space. A small, square, round, oval, modular meeting table... A meeting table made out of wood… or glass… There is a wide range of choice of shapes but also materials... To choose the right meeting table, you have to take into account several criteria: dimensions, modularity, connectivity, status. Take the time to ask yourself the right questions before ordering your new office furniture.
StorageA meeting room should be tidy. Choose mobile facilities that fit under the meeting table or provide storage furniture, such as sliding-door cabinets or wall shelves. Since, in practice, a company does not always have enough space to expand the number of meeting rooms, the solution may be to resort to modular furniture, selecting items that can easily be adapted to the needs of the moment: dismountable, stackable or mobile furniture, lighting with dimmers, etc.
Focus on informal meeting spaces There is more to life than meetings!
There are also informal and impromptu meetings. :)
Most often, they take place in the corner of an office, in the corridor, the stairs, the lift, the car park, the toilets, in front of the coffee machine*... You name it. Any opportunity is a good one when you come across a colleague to catch up on the progress of a project or application.
To this end, companies have been increasingly setting up small meeting areas within open spaces to facilitate these exchanges. High tables are also becoming more and more common in the business furniture landscape, as they allow for short impromptu sit-down or stand-up meetings.
* According to the 3rd edition of the Observatoire de la vie des Français au bureau conducted by Kantar TNS for Bruneau.
3
PROVIDE SUITABLE ACCESSORIES AND WORK TOOLS
A creative meeting, a working group session?
For your brainstorming sessions, there are now some innovative and very nice solutions to make your meetings more dynamic: table easels, mobile writing walls, whiteboards, giant post-it notes... and incidentally, you should also have a good facilitator capable of keeping everyone on their toes! Also make sure you optimise the circulation space because the participants, who are often agitated during brainstorming sessions, will most certainly want to move around during the meeting.
On the well-being side, you can also provide a water cooler or a coffee and tea maker for informal and friendly breaks during meetings.
A presentation meeting, a video conference?
Presentations can be soporific, but if the meeting room is nice, that's a good start! You can install a video-projector on the ceiling or on a wall panel. So there must be a place for a screen. The screen is usually placed at one end of the conference table, ideally at least 1.50 m away.
Emphasis should be placed on the visibility of the speaker, good lighting and an adequate sound system.
A small detail (that is actually not a detail): provide sufficient power sockets and network access to avoid problems.
Beware, if you follow these tips, you may get a bad case of acute meetingitis!
