Collaboration & Huddle Spaces

What Are Collaboration & Huddle Spaces?

Collaboration – “the action of working with someone to produce something”.

We are collaborating all of the time and often do not realise this is what we are doing. It can be sat across desks with a colleague over a coffee, it could be an informal meeting around a table, or it could be in a more formal collaborative space/huddle space or huddle room. What is certain is that some of the best and most innovative ideas are born out of these collaborations and the use of effective audio visual solutions is aiding this.

Advantages to Implementing Collaborative Spaces

There are many advantages to introducing collaborative and huddle spaces in the workplace.  They promote inclusion, provide informal areas to work and collaborate in and do not take the form of the traditional meeting room. There are few limitations to this type of space. From an audio visual point of view, audio visual technology should be incorporated to allow for visual collaboration, however locality of these spaces can sometimes prove challenging to integrate the technology. A specialist in audio visual integration would always advise on the best way to make use of the space whilst incorporating kit.

In summary, collaborative/huddle spaces:

• Allow you to optimise office space
• Create breakout and collaboration areas where you could not house a formal meeting room
• Provide meeting solutions to those on a smaller budget
• Promotes collaboration and fosters team working

AV Solutions For Collaboration & Huddle Spaces

When creating a collaborative work space for collaboration, flexibility is key, there should be no barriers. The technology should be there to assist and not hinder the collaboration process. Sharing content from a laptop can be facilitated with wireless screen sharing to display screens, which are also used for digital signage. Innovative furniture can provide a relaxed setting for a coffee break, but can also contain hidden connectivity to allow ideas to be shared and captured.

Collaborative work spaces and environments or collaborative learning spaces could include:

• Huddle Spaces (For smaller meetings and groups to share ideas informally)
• Collaborative rooms (Where more formal technology might be in place such as Teams/Zoom and provide a larger group collaboration environment)
• Collaborative Teaching Spaces/ Collaboration spaces(On a much larger scale but whilst using the same tools. Collaboration could be taking place between academics, students or guest lecturers via video conferencing).

In these collaborative work space environments or collaborative learning spaces, simplicity combined with audio visual technology and audio visual furniture is key.  The audio visual furniture you choose plays a large part in these environments and has to be right. Having a pretty desk that has no functionality is not necessarily the right choice. We integrate audio visual solutions with some pretty funky furniture making the environment welcoming and practical.   The 2020 Covid Pandemic changed the way in which we work and what we expect in terms of collaboration. Everything needs to be and should be as simple to use as your desk/laptop. These tools were vital in helping us collaborate via the use of Teams, Zoom and Google Meet and we expect that simplicity to be continued in a specialised environment.

Typical AV Solutions For These Environments

BYOD

Collaborative and huddle spaces lend themselves to a BYOD (Bring your own device) meeting.  Huddle spaces/Collaboration/Teams rooms are all designed to have an element of pull up a chair, get round a desk, collaborate and share information with many of those participants all bringing their own devices. They are designed to be more informal meeting areas.  Advantages of users working bringing their own devices ensures they are able to concentrate on the meeting as the technology is second nature to them, increased engagement and no training is needed.

Video Conferencing

Video Conferencing in these spaces is now also deemed as being essential. The manner in which we work has changed and participants in meeting expect to be able to dial in those needed at any given moment. Future proofing your collaborative spaces ensures they are able to do this quite simply at the touch of a button, discuss the task at hand and then disconnect.

Benefits of working in this manner

• Ability to involve all needed, in person or remotely
• Saves time
• Reduces costs

Sectors In Which We Have Delivered Collaborative Solutions

Collaborative and huddle spaces were seen in the education environment to begin with as from a pedagogical perspective provided a more inclusive approach to teaching and how the classroom took shape. It was quickly realised that student learning in this manner whilst collaborating amongst their peers gained a deeper understanding of the material in hand and debate and inclusion in class was greater.

This approach has naturally filtered into the workplace environment with these spaces taking the place of some traditional meeting rooms, providing a more relaxed and informal way of conducting a meeting and collaborating on a project. Employees are encouraged to be more informal, creative and share ideas. This approach has seen a shift in the way office floor plans are set and meetings are approached.

In both education and the workplace technology and furniture is vital and often includes:

• Comfortable relaxed seating and desks
• Commercial displays or interactive screens to allow for electronic white boarding
• Simple connectivity
• Easy to use conferencing facilities

How Universal AV Can Help?

Universal AV will work with you to discuss the types of collaborative work space or collaborative learning space you want and need and which audio visual solution best suits your work environment and will help aid the collaborative process. Once we understand how you want to work and your existing and preferred infrastructure we work with our technical team to provide concept solutions for you to stress test, and trial to see which solutions truly do work for you and receive the most positive feedback. Gaining user acceptance is critical and removes a barrier to this environment.  It is easy to get in contact, either use the form below, click on the contact us link or be daring and give us a call, we love chatting with our customers. For more information, contact us.