Newsletter July 2010

Seating. Is it hindering your presentation?

A while ago I did a six day speaking tour around the country. The first five venues had theatre style seating, i.e. straight row seating, with the room set up lengthways and an aisle down the middle. The sixth venue had the room set up widthways, with curved row seating.  As I walked to the front of the room at this venue, the difference in energy in the room was remarkable.
The atmosphere was much more welcoming; I felt more ‘at home’ amongst the audience; the level of interaction amongst the participants was higher; their level of interaction with me was heightened, and there was more laughter.

Seating arrangements can have a sizeable impact on the meeting, training session or conference you are speaking at, on how you feel as the presenter, and on how your message is received.

Sometimes you have little input in the arrangements, though in cases where you do have a level of control, it’s useful to think about some of the issues with regard to seating, and choose an appropriate seating arrangement.

Think through what the audience needs to do. Do they need to simply listen to the speaker; see a screen, whiteboard or flipchart; work with a neighbour; have small group discussions; do group exercises; engage in discussions; take notes; use a laptop, etc. Will you need to walk among the audience? This will have an impact on how you set the room up.

What is the room like? Are there pillars - or pot plants - in the way; is the sun likely to shine in and obscure the screen; is the required furniture available; is there too much furniture in the room; if there is no stage, will all participants be able to see you; if latecomers arrive will they have to cross in front of the speaking area, or weave their way through the audience; if the room is long and the ceiling is low, can people at the back see the screen?

There are several ways to set up a room. Consider your needs as a speaker; the geography of the room; the available furniture; the needs of the audience and what will help the audience take away your message.

Different seating arrangements will give a different tone to the meeting. Think through the tone an arrangement may convey and decide if it matches your style and your message. For example, traditional theatre style with a podium can be effective for a formal lecture which conveys formality and authority. The aim is for the audience to solely focus on the presenter.

Café style seating or clusters, where people are seated at small tables positioned around the room, is good for workshops where participants need to interact and work with each other. People sit around three sides of the table, with one side facing the facilitator.

If a major part of your presentation includes showing a video, a herringbone layout will allow for optimum viewing.

If you are facilitating a small, formal group decision-making session or an informal talk which invites contributions and interaction, a U shape will work well. It will allow people to see other participants and will allow you to walk into the U shape.

For a small formal business meeting, the boardroom layout - where people sit around a large table - works well if they need to see everyone and make notes. It does not work well if they need to look at a screen.

In short, there are many seating arrangements, and while there are no hard and fast rules, there are general guidelines. Try out different arrangements and see how they work. It is even possible to use a combination of arrangements, for example curved row seating at the front for the presentation, and café style seating at the back for ensuing group discussions.

Think through some of the sessions you have attended as a participant. What was the seating like? Did it work for the session? Could anything have been improved?

One training session I ran comprised people who wanted to take their shoes off and sit on the floor. If that is going to help them learn, and you are comfy with that, then go for it!

Please remember that spending time preparing and practicing your presentation is crucial, but also remember that there are other factors which can affect how well your message is taken on board. One of these is the seating arrangement.

Happy speaking!