I have an idea…

These are likely the 4 words most dreaded by anyone who has ever worked or lived with me, as they are typically used in conjunction with some home or workplace beautification project.  I’ve actually heard tell of former employees warning current teammates to steer well clear of being sucked into a renovation project with me.  It seems people think I’m difficult to work with on such projects – I personally have no idea why.  I will point out that they all seem to enjoy the resulting product when it is done, so hopefully we can at least agree that the end justifies the means.

I have an idea!

I have always been a firm believer that a great working environment brings out the best in people.  When done correctly, it not only looks better, but space is utilized more efficiently, team communication improves, levels of professionalism seem to rise – the overall mood of the place is lifted.  Believe me; I’ve proved this many times over.

Folks at Hemsley Fraser heard me utter the dreaded 4 words a little over a year ago.  In my opinion, if we were to embody our corporate strap, ‘learning is changing’, it simply wasn’t enough to continue our focus on great content and great facilitators, but equally the environment for learning had to be perfect as well.

What makes a best in class, class?  After considerable research and polling of our delegates, we think we know:

• Mobile furniture configurations, allowing the classroom to be mixed up
• More free space for thinking and working in small groups
• Fun zones that spur creativity and innovation
• Modern technology (including flat screens for easy viewing)
• Quality audio 
• Paperless, or paper ‘light’, courses utilizing videos and apps to bolster learning
• Bright and fresh décor, increasing energy levels
• Time and space for networking, and learning from others
• White board walls – no longer constricting big ideas to little flip charts

As a result of this vision, I’m proud to say we have invested significantly in all of our core facilities (London, Cornwall, and Washington).  We have shown that a next generation classroom is effectively a place where clients can free their imagination.  If you want to see how (and see me learning to play Jenga), click here!

Now we have gone further…

Before we even get to the venue, the learning starts well in advance, during our creative design process. As with most professional services firms, our standard practice has always been to go to the client.  It does seem the most polite and customer friendly approach after all.  But is it the most effective?   I don’t know why the light bulb was so slow to go off for me, but during our recent office refurbishment and after many meetings with our building designers - each time them bringing me sample books of the carpet, wallpaper, and furniture books they thought I would like – it finally occurred to us…why aren’t we going to the showroom where we can see everything in one place and hopefully find some inspiration?

And in just the same way, as an L&D provider we can only take just so much when going to the client.  What if their needs are slightly different than what we anticipated?  What if their budget is different?  Frankly, what if they aren’t sure what they want yet?

At this moment I realized that we needed not only a next generation venue, but a design showroom as well.  I had an idea!

I’m proud to say we have now created just that – a first-class Learning and Development shop window – right in the heart of London.

In this space, just now opening, clients can see all that we have to offer.  For one thing, technology is transforming the creative design process. Interactive design boards allow you to create, play, share and approve your designs; knowledge assets all on display; standard content and alternative delivery media all ready to be previewed.  Quite simply, this is game-changing the ‘art of the possible’ in learning design.

Of course it has to spur imagination, so throw in ‘inside/outside’ space, a client creation zone, some AstroTurf, and Underground ‘quiet carriages’ and you’ve got something very different to experience!

Whether a customer is looking for a high-end customized solution that challenges their thinking, or simply a chance to innovate and improve company-specific learning programs, we have seen our new visual and interactive approach to design really help push the creative envelope.

When you can experience an ideal learning environment, talk to subject matter experts on learning, and participate in game-changing design, isn’t that worth leaving your office for?

Plus, our fresh coffee and pastries are pretty good too ;-)