Huddle rooms are gaining popularity within many companies as a perfect solution for different types of meetings. Why are huddle rooms so popular, and – more importantly – how can you take advantage of the many benefits this type of meeting room can offer?
So, exactly what is a huddle room?
The term ‘huddle’ is derived from the sport of American football. A huddle is a quick team gathering to discuss upcoming plays. Similarly, a huddle room or huddle space is a smaller secluded meeting area where discussions or brainstorms can be held more easily and distraction-free.
Often equipped with limited presentation and collaboration technology, huddle rooms can be used for a wide variety of purposes such as:
- Brainstorm sessions,
- Design reviews,
- Team alignment meetings,
- Informal 1-on-1’s,
- Project meetings.
What are the key characteristics of a huddle room?
While huddle rooms come in many different varieties, there are quite a few key characteristics that most of them have in common:
Huddle rooms are small
Most huddle rooms can accommodate a maximum of 4 to 6 people. Overall, they are a very cost-effective solution since they allow you to take advantage of spaces that are too small to serve any other meaningful purpose. The limited number of attendees also ensures a higher engagement rate among attendees.
Huddle rooms offer privacy
Due to the rise in open floor plans and the need for collaboration, huddle rooms are very much gaining ground. After all, they usually offer a high degree of privacy as quiet & distraction-free spots in an otherwise busy and noisy office space.
Huddle rooms lack complicated setups
No matter the purpose of the meeting, huddle rooms support the overall objectives of the meeting as there are no complicated technology setups or time-consuming actions to be made. “Achieve more with less” is what huddle rooms stand for, and that’s why they are perfect for quick hassle-free meetings.
Huddle rooms are easily accessible
Unlike traditional conference rooms, huddle rooms require no reservation to be made. People can usually just jump in to start right away with impromptu brainstorms or problem-solving discussions.
Design & setup of a huddle room
Most huddle rooms are designed to realize a simple, relatively neutral surrounding that stimulates focus & attention with everybody present. They usually offer a very intimate setup, with nothing more than a small table, a limited number of chairs and some basic office equipment. While that makes huddle spaces a very budget-friendly alternative for traditional meeting rooms, it has the added benefit there are no complicated setups to be made. From the very first minute, all meeting participants can spontaneously dive into whatever they need to discuss or collaborate on.
And what about huddle room technology?
Because huddle rooms are designed to provide a more relaxed environment than traditional meetings rooms, they usually offer limited technology. In case they do offer technology, that technology should be really easy to use. With a modern wireless screen sharing solution like crowdbeamer, for example, you can very easily turn any huddle room into a temporary private meeting space – especially when people prefer to bring their own devices. That makes huddle rooms a great place for BYOD.
Are huddle rooms the right solution for you?
It depends. While huddle rooms are a very cost-effective alternative to traditional meetings rooms, they are not necessarily for everyone. But if you are working in an open and busy office environment and there is a strong need for regular team meetings, then you should set up some smaller spaces as huddle rooms. And if your company is embracing BYOD to make everybody on the team more flexible and efficient, crowdbeamer provides you with the right level of screen sharing technology that you need to foster collaboration during your huddle meetings.