Training rooms and spaces provide a massive benefit for employees looking to learn new skills, and they’re wonderful tools for employers who want to upskill their workforce, invest in new technologies, and more efficiently onboard new hires.
Companies that offer training report higher projected earnings and greater employee readiness for future technologies and processes.
Training room layout—the way you put together the space—can affect the outcomes of your training, upskilling, and development sessions. Here’s how to use layout to get the most out of your training room.
3 Top Considerations When Planning Your Training Room Layout
As you begin work to build or upgrade your training space, here are 3 essential tips to set you up for success.
Match the Layout to the Need
Different layouts offer different benefits. To maximize how hard your training room works for you, choose a layout that matches the session or gathering. The most commonly used layouts in training rooms are classroom-style, U-shaped, and theater-style seating.
Here’s how to approach training room layouts like a pro.
-
When to choose classroom-style training room design: If you need to provide frequent educational seminars and hands-on instructional opportunities.
-
When to choose U-shaped training room design: To encourage socialization and help employees engage in teambuilding exercises.
-
When to choose theater-style training room design: To accommodate a larger audience for presentations, speeches, and awards ceremonies.
Because many organizations will need to transition from one layout to another, depending on the needs of an event, flexible furniture is a popular solution. Flexible furniture like mobile tables and chairs make revamping your layout a breeze.
Build to Handle Your Capacity Needs
Your training room will likely need to serve as one of the highest-capacity spaces in your office. Sometimes, organizations have a lot of space to work with. Others will have to find ways to maximize compact spaces. As you begin your project, consider how many people the space will need to accommodate. What will be the highest number of people to gather in this space? What will be the smallest gatherings?
Tips for determining how many tables and chairs you’ll need:
-
A good rule is to seat 2-4 people per training table, which promotes teamwork and learning without leading to overcrowding.
-
If you need to teach a larger group, consider a classroom-style training room with fewer tables, and more stacking chairs.
Once you know what your needs are, you can ensure your training room is built to support them by adding additional collapsible chairs (stacking, nesting, or folding) that can be easily stored and pulled out when you need overflow or high-capacity seating.
Make Sure People Can See and Hear
How well people can see and hear directly impacts their ability to learn and engage with the material. To ensure your training room provides a great audiovisual experience for everyone involved, you’ll want to:
-
Opt for sound-absorbent materials, like carpets and acoustic panels, to prevent echoes while also improving speaker clarity.
-
Insulate your training room to keep outside sounds from interrupting sessions.
-
Implement high-quality audio equipment, like microphones, speakers, and PA systems, to make sure everyone can hear and speak clearly.
-
Install a projector or display screen that workers can see from all angles.
-
Offer other demonstration tools, like whiteboards, flip charts, “smart” boards, and interactive digital displays to enhance visual presentations.
Next-Level Your Office Training Room
An intentional layout is just one of several training room design best practices. Get even more, plus details on how a well-designed training room can provide business value with the guide.
0 Comments