The Best Damn Meeting Table Ever

March 29, 2011 By 16 Comments

When you have an important meeting, do you get the big conference room?

You know, the fancy one.

The one with the boardroom table and the comfortable chairs.

And the cool A/V system that hooks up directly to your laptop.

With enough seats for a full-on briefing to the President.

But, how much did you get done in there?

Or were people too comfortable and distracted to get work done?

Too Much Room, Not Much Done.

The problem with big meeting room is that it is often too much.

Too much space. Too much comfort. Too much distraction.

What happens?

- People work during the meeting.

- Side conversations happen at the other end of the table.

- People mess with the Internet and A/V equipment.

- Others literally fall asleep in the corner.

“I was in a meeting recently where one of the participants couldn’t stop playing with the automatic blinds that were controlled via remote.”

When you want to get work done, I recommend that you go for a setting that is appropriate to the task at hand.

Keep it small. Keep it bare. Keep it simple.

Want to keep people engaged?

Go small.

The Best Damn Meeting Table… Ever.

When holding a productive meeting, don’t underestimate the power of location.

The picture above shows my ideal meeting layout.

A small round table. Four simple chairs.

Why?

- People are equals around the table.

- It forces people to look at each other and engage.

- There is no room for non-related activities.

That’s it.

Here are some top tips on selecting a productive meeting space:

  1. Keep It Small – Only have enough room for the people involved. Don’t get a room for 12 people if you only have 3. This prevents people from hiding out at the far end of the table.
  2. Keep it Personal – With a proper setting, people are encouraged to interact. At a round table, you are facing everyone. You are almost forced to take part. On the flip side, a different mistake is to hold a meeting across a desk. Not very personal.
  3. No Working in the Corner – I am not a fan of people working during meetings. By selecting a meeting space that is the proper size, you discourage people from working on other things “in the corner.” It is hard to do that, if there is no extra space.
  4. Not Too Comfortable – Avoid the room with the comfy chairs. You will have people nodding off, especially after lunch. Simple, functional chairs should be the rule. If you really want to jump start attendees’ productivity, try holding a “standing meeting.” That really gets people’s attention and engagement.
  5. Bonus Tip: Keep It Short – OK, this one doesn’t have to do with the room itself. But, just like you can have too much space for your meeting, you can have too much time allocated. Read “How to Cut Your Meetings in Half.”

Keep It Small. Keep It Simple.

Want to keep people engaged in your next meeting?

Ensure your meeting location is appropriate for the size and purpose of your meeting.

Keep it small and simple.

Your attendees will be more engaged and your meetings will be shorter.

And you just might get more done.

What is your best meeting space? How do you keep your meetings productive?

Filed Under: Productivity, Time Management
  • fbsnyder

    My best meeting place? A small table in a corner of the snack bar or cafeteria where two or three people can talk and actually get things done.

    • TMNinja

      @fbsnyder Love it!

      Sometimes the best meeting place is… out of the way! :)

  • fbsnyder

    My best meeting place? A small table in a corner of the snack bar or cafeteria where two or three people can talk and actually get things done.

  • TMNinja

    @fbsnyder Love it!

    Sometimes the best meeting place is… out of the way! :)

  • http://www.buzzofficesupplies.com buzzoffice

    If you have more than just a few people in your meetings, a good way to continue to keep it simple is to assign meeting tasks on a rotating basis. For example, rotate the responsibility to take the meeting minutes for the group. Also, if you rotate responsibility for presentation of material within the meeting, it is more likely that you will have your meeting members focus on the meeting itself instead of outside work (or automatic blinds)!

    • TMNinja

      @buzzoffice Like the rotating responsibilities. Definitely keeps people more involved and gives various people a chance to participate. :)

  • http://www.buzzofficesupplies.com buzzoffice

    If you have more than just a few people in your meetings, a good way to continue to keep it simple is to assign meeting tasks on a rotating basis. For example, rotate the responsibility to take the meeting minutes for the group. Also, if you rotate responsibility for presentation of material within the meeting, it is more likely that you will have your meeting members focus on the meeting itself instead of outside work (or automatic blinds)!

  • http://TheNerdyNurse.com/ TheNerdyNurse

    makes good sense, if you’ve only got 4 people who need to chat.

    Sure would suck to have to stand behind everyone at that tiny little table :)

    • TMNinja

      @TheNerdyNurse Yes!

      However, if you want to have a really attentive and quick meeting… try one where people are standing. Makes things go real quick. :)

  • TMNinja

    @buzzoffice Like the rotating responsibilities. Definitely keeps people more involved and gives various people a chance to participate. :)

  • TheNerdyNurse

    makes good sense, if you’ve only got 4 people who need to chat.

    Sure would suck to have to stand behind everyone at that tiny little table :)

  • TMNinja

    @TheNerdyNurse Yes!

    However, if you want to have a really attentive and quick meeting… try one where people are standing. Makes things go real quick. :)

  • paulhburton

    Craig,

    Excellent advice! I was once a Director of Professional Services for a software company. I had 9 direct reports and a total staff of about 35. On day one in that position I terminated all “weekly staff meetings” which I call doughnut-fests. The last thing I want to hear is “what I did over my summer vacation” again this week.

    I replaced these laborious events with two things:

    1. Agenda driven meetings that included just those who needed to attend. The agenda was called by, prepared by, and run by anyone who felt a meeting was necessary. They still occurred, but far less than once a week! (Oh, and no doughnuts allowed.)

    2. A small four-person conference room table (similar to the one pictured above) in my office with an open door policy. That table oversaw numerous mini-meetings in my time in that position.

    Net results: We doubled revenue in two years.

    • TMNinja

      @paulhburton Paul, good stuff! Love your points and ideas.

      I agree that many meetings are simply a waste of time. :)

      Here is a previous post I wrote called, “7 Reasons You Should Skip That Meeting.”

      http://tmninja.us/e6cp9l

  • paulhburton

    Craig,

    Excellent advice! I was once a Director of Professional Services for a software company. I had 9 direct reports and a total staff of about 35. On day one in that position I terminated all “weekly staff meetings” which I call doughnut-fests. The last thing I want to hear is “what I did over my summer vacation” again this week.

    I replaced these laborious events with two things:

    1. Agenda driven meetings that included just those who needed to attend. The agenda was called by, prepared by, and run by anyone who felt a meeting was necessary. They still occurred, but far less than once a week! (Oh, and no doughnuts allowed.)

    2. A small four-person conference room table (similar to the one pictured above) in my office with an open door policy. That table oversaw numerous mini-meetings in my time in that position.

    Net results: We doubled revenue in two years.

  • TMNinja

    @paulhburton Paul, good stuff! Love your points and ideas.

    I agree that many meetings are simply a waste of time. :)

    Here is a previous post I wrote called, “7 Reasons You Should Skip That Meeting.”

    http://tmninja.us/e6cp9l