Space Matters

[Gathering - II]

Think of the last gathering you went to—big or small, short or long.

Meeting with a potential client at a coffee shop.
A retreat at a cabin in the woods.
Board meeting in the room with the long table and high-back chairs.
Family vacation at a beach house.

The white noise, faux art, and couches were neutral enough to dilute an awkward first meeting and flatten any asymmetry in power. The caffeine, of course, primed the conversation.

The cabin, with it’s raw wood porch, open windows, and creaky beds, supported the need to “rough it”, detach from your well-manicured, orderly life, and allow you to connect to your inner, unfiltered self.

The boardroom had a clear leader with decision making power, an agenda, and lots of protocol. The chairs were comfortable . . . so you wouldn’t move much and distract important business.

The house on the beach was exactly the windy uplift you needed to lighten your load and rejuvenate.

Space matters.
It will either promote the purpose, agenda, goal, and hoped-for outcomes of the gathering or it will detract from them.