Knowledge sharing is big business - whether you’re sharing it externally for revenue or internally for empowerment and innovation.
In today’s digital world, the ways that we can share what we know with others are many and varied - from in-person training and interactive workshops to remote seminars, panel discussions and expert Q&As.
But however your business teaches or learns, creating the right space is crucial.
What makes such a space?
Think uber-functional combined with out-of-this-world looks.
The perfect knowledge-sharing space seamlessly blends style, comfort, technology and flexibility.
It prioritises collaboration, ergonomic furniture and state-of-the-art tech. It maximises natural light, green elements and adaptable layouts.
And it inspires and engages, with an atmosphere that’s ripe for innovation, enlightenment and the rich exchange of ideas.
So how do you create a beautifully considered environment designed to lift the learning experience of staff, clients and/or delegates way above the norm?
Strap in and we’ll share…
Learning in comfort
It’s no secret that our physical comfort directly affects our ability to concentrate, and prolonged periods of training need participants to stay as engaged and focused as possible.
Sitting or resting or writing uncomfortably can be a big distraction - but creating a comfortable space is about more than ergonomic furniture alone.
A good learning environment works on a subconscious, senses-led level to make people feel at ease with the surroundings so they’re more receptive to new ideas and concepts, openness and collaboration.
On the looks front, training rooms often benefit from a warm, soft palette, with bold brand colours brought in as accents so they’re not too overwhelming.
For businesses hosting outward-facing training, prominent branding is important so that the company presence is reinforced throughout the session.
And maximising ventilation and natural light is key to helping people stay alert, with cleverly designed layers of ambient and task lighting providing support for duller days, and perhaps some feature lighting for extra style points.
Design Tonic X White Rose Education
In our brief from the brilliant White Rose Education, a training space to host their delegates was top of the list.
“We wanted to create something that felt homely, felt inspirational, felt like a place where people would want to come and see, come and work,” explains founder Tony Staneff.
Working to transform their stunning Grade-II listed offices was a dream, with endless original features to weave into our design - from beautiful, original stone walls to huge sash windows.
And we took full advantage in the training area.
Already blessed with natural light, we used glass walls to separate the space and maintain sound privacy while letting illumination flood through the entire office.
Logo decals add a touch of opaque to the glass partitions, for constant but subtle brand reinforcement and extra visual privacy.
The golden tones of the original stonework are perfectly paired with rich pops of on-brand deep orange, found on both the feature wall (check out the fluting detail) and the plush seating.
And the stunning vaulted ceiling, painted a clean, crisp white for an added light boost, holds gentle ambient lighting as well as two stunning drop pendants, which double as acoustic baffles for the ultimate in multifunctionality!
“(Now) my favourite part of the office (apart from the dog bed for my dog!) is the training area,” says Tony.
“This space where delegates will come along and experience White Rose training is such a lovely environment and it feels very, very soothing - it feels a lovely place for people to enjoy our training.”
View more of our work for White Rose Education here
Design Tonic X Shift Commerce & Inc Spaces
Learning with ease
Most of us have been there.
We’re presenting. We step up, we plug in our stuff… and nothing.
Or we’re halfway through, and everything freezes.
Or the equipment’s just not up to the job, and the audio and/or video quality is terrible.
What we’re looking for to facilitate learning with ease is a seamless experience, supported by up-to-date audiovisual tools and excellent connectivity for clear communication and the effective dissemination of information.
We might not be in charge of the quality of your tech or the speed of your connections, but we can make sure that your state-of-the-art equipment is housed in the most stylish of surrounds!
Our talented team are a dab hand at custom-designing, and even custom-crafting bespoke pieces to house your equipment, from the stunning central AV unit (plug and play ready) at Shift Commerce to the fabulous backlit presentation wall at Inc Spaces.
Need the bespoke touch to elevate your workspace? Get in touch
Design Tonic X Surfachem & Irving Knight
Flexible learning
Of course, it’s often the case that businesses need to facilitate more than one type of training - from multi-person mini conferences through small group interactions to individual online learning.
And here that old Design Tonic adage comes into full force - a great workspace is all about the versatility of its components.
We’ve talked before about how there are 3 key elements to an office that wows and works in equal measure - solo spaces, team spaces and community spaces.
Each of these types of space is designed to facilitate particular tasks - and types of learning are just another example of this.
For example, if your staff are embarking on individual remote learning or where they need privacy, seclusion and focus, then you look to private offices and booths where they can shut themselves away and concentrate.
Small team learning could take place in a small meeting room, or a quiet, informal breakout zone.
Larger meeting or training rooms and even boardrooms are brilliant for larger groups to get together, either around a central screen for participative learning or with an in-person presentation.
They also work incredibly well for hosting one-to-many webinars, with prominent branding and the best face of the company on show.
But our favourite type of learning space? We just love a mini conference zone.
Brilliant for encouraging participation and exuding a blended air of informality and university-like learning, there’s just something about mini conference seating that puts people at ease, encourages collaboration and fosters creativity and innovative thinking.
At Axiologik, the team transformed not one but two corners into just such a space, with stunning results.
Each fitted with made-to-measure tiered seating and low-level LEDs for extra effect, one sits within the office itself with a huge conference screen to the front; the other within the gorgeous breakout zone, where it’s ideal for casual cooperation and impromptu teamwork.
And then top the lot with oodles of style…
We might be stating the obvious, but never forget to add lashings of style to your learning space’s comfort, functionality and flexibility!
From your colour palette, branding and furnishings to lighting, biophilia, artwork and textures, your style choices are critical to creating the purely positive impression you want trainees to take away with them.
