Room without a view

A blog by Helen Cramman. Posted: 26 March 2024

“Why is it so hard to find somewhere nice to hold a meeting!”

This was my exclamation as I tried to find a room in which to hold a two-day retreat for colleagues using the Thinking Environment approach at its core. I wanted a room that was filled with light, had access directly to the outdoors, ideally had views of green space, had tables that I could flexibly move around, and which did not feel like a classroom.

That turns out to be a big ask with four months notice in a university.

We eventually managed it (minus the view of green space).

As usual though, it got me thinking.

The importance of Place

One of the ten components of the Thinking Environment is Place.

Place means considering how to create an environment that says “you matter” to the thinker. The Thinking Environment says this is crucial for enabling the thinker to do their best thinking.

Many of our spaces in universities are set up to say to the students that they matter, through the clean lines of modern lecture theatres, bright communal social areas and revamped seminar rooms.

However, there are significantly fewer areas where we can go as academic staff to get away from our teaching environments and to allow ourselves space to be at ease and think deeply.

So, what could I do about it?

I am sad to report that I don’t have the financial backing to build a new building, or to substantially redecorate a seminar room to make it less clinical in appearance.

What I was able to do though was start small. I am fortunate enough to have access to a small meeting room that I regularly use for one-to-one and small group sessions (see the photo below – yes, I know it doesn’t have any windows).

So…

My mission: to make the meeting room welcoming and friendly and not feel like a police interrogation room (which was the first comment everyone usually made when they entered the room).

The plan: add greenery, colour and rearrange the layout to take the table out from between my thinkers. The plants and rug were brought in from home, the furniture turned out to be dotted around the offices already.

Two photographs of the same room. In the first photo, the room has a table with four chairs around it. There is no no colour in the room and no natural objects. In the second photo, the chairs are in a circle, with the table pushed out of the way at the far end of the room. There are plants, a rug and colourful furniture.

The result: I hope you will agree that the end result wasn’t too bad. The attendees all commented on how welcoming and different it felt, so I feel fairly confident it did convey a sense of “you matter” to the group. There was definitely some great thinking done in the meeting.

Reflection: It proved to me that it does make a difference to colleagues to have a room that feels welcoming. Not a single one commented on it feeling like a police interrogation room in its rearranged state. And despite the fact that I had to put the room back to normal at the end of the meeting, it generated such interest that I have been able to have conversations with colleagues about how we might do something a little more permanent with the furnishing of the room moving forwards.

So, my takeaway message?

Start small but be bold and be brave. By trying out something different we can show others its worth, even if it is a change as small as a colourful rug and a pot plant.

Educational Ponderings