How much time at work do you spend in meetings? If you’re like most people, probably a lot. While well-thought-out meetings have the capacity to encourage people to take action, strengthen relationships, and improve collaboration, poorly planned meetings can have the opposite effect.   A good number of meetings that are held in the business world are a waste of time. Don’t be one of those meeting organizers. Learn how to conduct more effective and productive meetings by avoiding these common meeting mistakes.   No Agenda or Goals   Meetings with no agenda are destined for failure. You need to have a clear idea of why you are pulling people together into a room. A meeting agenda lays out a defined purpose for

We all know that first impressions count. When you invite a potential business partner to your office, or you host a group of clients for a lunch meeting, you want to be sure that the experience from the moment they walk in the door is one that will leave them with a positive image of your company. Before mapping out how you will create a positive visitor experience, it’s crucial to identify who your visitors are and why they are visiting you. Map out the ideal experience for each visitor type and scenario separately.   Identify Touchpoints   Once you have identified who will be visiting your office and why, determine which touchpoints visitors will interact with at your office. They may include the

Are you moving into a new office space or looking for ways to revamp your existing space? Providing well-designed meeting rooms is an important aspect of creating a successful, productive workspace.  There has been a trend toward more flexible meeting spaces that accommodate dynamic, hands-on meetings and breakout sessions. People are adapting to the evolution of the workplace into one that has become more flexible, fast-paced, and conducive to multi-tasking.   What Is a Flexible Meeting Space?  A flexible meeting space is one that accommodates traditional meetings, such as theatre, board, or classroom-style meetings, but also allows for more dynamic meeting formats and encourages employees to rearrange the room.    Today’s office furniture is light, movable, stackable, or on wheels, and this encourages

Collaboration is essential in today’s business environment. It enables teams to be quicker and more effective in achieving shared goals. Most traditional office environments are not conducive to collaboration, however. While cubicles can be helpful for allowing employees to shut out distractions and focus on the work at hand, they do not encourage collaboration by their very nature. That being said, open offices aren’t a great alternative either. Open offices have been popularized in recent years with the hopes that they would foster spontaneous collaboration, but studies have shown that open offices actually hurt productivity and even cause workers to take more sick days.  So, how can employers solve the collaboration problem? Huddle rooms are the answer.  Huddle rooms, also known as breakout rooms, are

A meeting room is a center for collaboration. It is where ideas are shared, deals are made, and topics are brainstormed. The layout and setup of a meeting room can either support or hinder this purpose.  A properly configured meeting room optimizes learning, makes attendees feel comfortable, and encourages them to participate.   When thinking about how you want to set up your meeting room, consider the room’s objectives. Do you mostly plan to do presentations there? Will you use the meeting room for brainstorming? Who will be attending these meetings? Whatever the purpose may be, the design and layout of your meeting room should support that.   Location, Location, Location The location of conference rooms is important. A meeting room should be