The setting where you host your learning has a significant impact on learners’ progress. Everything from the space and lighting to the positioning of chairs around a table contributes to your overall learning and development outcomes.
We spoke to Sam Redman, executive coach and change consultant, about her key considerations for creating an effective learning environment, and how she has shaped sessions that drive success at The Form Rooms.
The importance of environment to learning and development
Speaking to her experience in coaching, Sam notes that for a L&D space to be effective, it needs four key elements:
- Professionality – is the space professional and conducive to a productive session?
- Informality – not in the anti-professional sense, but does it foster an environment where people feel safe to speak openly?
- Outdoor space – does the indoor link to the outdoor space, creating a more welcoming environment and promoting out-of-the-box thinking and space for reflection
- Room to move – the longest people are able to sit in one spot and focus is typically twenty minutes, so does the space allow for people to move around and interact with each other?
At The Form Rooms, these features are deliberately brought into the space.
Talking of her experience at The Form Rooms, Sam notes that “there’s still that glow from outside, even on a rainy day. It has that ‘I’m still connected to the world’ kind of thing, which encourages people to imagine.”
Interior design for learning and development
While aspects such as natural light and space aren’t simple to change, the interior design of your training space is more within an event coordinator’s control – or the placement of furniture is, at least! Something as simple as a bookshelf or a roundtable set-up can have a significant impact on the atmosphere of your training session.
Sam comments, “It is amazing how clues that sit in a physical space create a big part of how people absorb their learning and reflect. And for the provider, it gives you more tools.”
A unique feature of The Form Rooms is its relationship to its history as a Victorian school building. Drawing from this, the bookable rooms are designed with learning at their core, and pull this into the interior through “tactile environments” – such as the music room, adorned with instruments from a classic Victorian classroom, or our bookable meeting rooms decorated with a library of books.
These spaces are crafted to inspire learners to think creatively about and interact with their environment. Once, this was in the form of a Victorian School. Now, it continues to inspire as a next-generation learning and development space.
Practical learning and development strategies
1. Prioritise privacy and a quiet space
If your training environment is distracting, whether that’s from noise outside of the room or other people’s eyes, you’re not going to elicit the best learning outcomes. This especially matters when you’re asking participants to be vulnerable about their experiences, or think creatively when problem-solving.
“Ensuring your space has good soundproofing and privacy is crucial to creating that safe space for participants.
“This can be achieved by taking your participants away from their usual working environment to somewhere new, like The Form Rooms. However, if that’s not available to you, it could take some creative thinking about the space you’re working with. Can you put pictures or quotes on walls that inspire?” says Sam.
2. Keep sessions brief
Sam refers to the “rule of 20”. “20 minutes is the max that anybody can sit in a space and take on information”, she continues, “therefore the space has to enable some kind of flex, whether it’s moving the room around, opening up a new conversation, or sending them out for a walk.”
The strategies you use to reignite participants’ focus don’t necessarily have to mean going for a traditional break, and they certainly don’t mean learning has to stop. Hosting in a flexible learning environment means the methods you use to deliver learning can be dynamic, helping participants engage with full energy for longer.
And when it really is time for a break, The Form Rooms is well stocked with tea, coffee, social spaces, and the gorgeous environment of Covent Garden beyond its doors, waiting to re-energise your learners.
Discover flexible bookable rooms at The Form Rooms in Covent Garden, easily accessible by public transport
Real-world experiences of learning and development at The Form Rooms
Sam shared with us her experience of running one of her learning and development sessions at The Form Rooms:
“You have a big room. Once I had a session with six or seven people, and it can feel huge with so few people – but it actually allowed us to group seats together. We had conversation pods in the room if they wanted them.
“The beauty of The Form Rooms is that you can work with the group. You feel quite quickly what the energy is going to be. Does it need to be contained? Do you need to keep people close together and create a space for open conversation? Do you need to be able to say, ‘
Right, we’re in the middle of Covent Garden, you’ve got half an hour, go out in pairs, have a conversation and come back.’“The Form Rooms is perfectly suited for that because you have the inspiration of the musical instruments, the school desks, but also when you’re walking around Seven Dials.”
Speaking of another event, Sam talks about the support available at The Form Rooms and our fantastic on-site team.
“They’re so welcoming and kind. We were in June, and it was roasting. I said, are you okay if I open those doors and we use the outdoor space for half an hour? When I went through, they’d put more drinks in that breakout space and opened all the doors, so I didn’t have to do it.
“They do it so naturally and so thoughtfully. It was just seamless, thoughtful, caring and passionate. I feel I don’t have to worry about anything I’m doing because everything will be covered. I can just focus on my work.”
Harness the benefits of a Covent Garden event space at The Form Rooms – book your space today
Step inside The Form Rooms in Covent Garden: you’ll find a space that’s not only stocked with all the essentials, but brimming with possibilities for learning and connection.
Facilitators and learners alike discover an environment that adapts to their needs, crafted to encourage creativity and development. With a passionate, attentive team on hand, every detail is taken care of, allowing you to focus on sparking rich conversations and meaningful growth.
Sam Redman brings to her work over 20 years of experience in learning and development as an executive coach and change consultant, providing one-to-one coaching and corporate consultancy. She is also Programme Director for BRC Learning, a learning provider which exists to drive the UK retail industry forward through leadership development training.
