Training  Room Design

Seating Arrangements

	Learners are given a new perspective on the activity by sitting in a different part of the room.
	They get better acquainted with their peers.
	Learners are not consistently "punished" by being at greater distances from the screen or speakers.
	Small cliques do not arise - there is nothing wrong with cliques but in some cases they can become a problem by forcing their norms or agendas upon the entire group.

Traditional Seating 

X

O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O
O O O O O O O

	Best used for short lectures to large groups
	Communication tends to be one way
	Trainer cannot see the learners in the back

Modified Traditional 

X

O O O O  O O O O
O O O O    O O O O
O O O O      O O O O
O O O O        O O O O
O O O O          O O O O

	There is more participation
	Allows the trainer to see all the learners
	Reduces space between trainer and learners as trainer can move up aisle
	Best used for short lectures to large groups

Horseshoe

X

O       O
O       O
O       O
O O O O O

	Nonverbally encourages participation by allowing eye contact between the trainer and all the learners
	The trainer is able to move closer to each learner
	Works well when all learners must be able to see a demonstration
	Works good when learners will be involved in large group discussions

Modular

     O                   O
   ----       ----      ----
  O|  |O      |  |O    O|  |O
  O|  |      O|  |O     |  |O
   ----       ----      ----
           X    O

      ----       ----
     O|  |O     O|  |O
     O|  |      O|  |O
      ----       ----
       O

	Learners can work in small groups on exercises and projects
	Communication between trainer and learners is more difficult
	Trainer must move between groups during lectures and activities
	Good for courses that require a lot of group work

Circle

O  O
O      X
O         O
O         O
O      O
O  O

	Most democratic and unencumbered with no status symbol
	With no table each person is "totally revealed"
	Subtle nonverbal communications are possible
	Good for T-groups and sensitivity training
	There will be conversations, shorter inputs, and more members will participate, when they sit at a round table rather than at a square table

Square

 
     Solid           Hole in middle          
    O O O O             O O O O
   ----------          ----------
  O|         |O       O| ------ |O
  O|         |O       O| |    | |O
  O|         |O       O| |    | |O
  O|         |O       O| ------ |O
   ----------          ----------
     O O O O            O O O O

	More formality than a circle
	Nobody can see all the faces of the other participants
	Depending where visual aids are placed, one side may become the "head of the table"
	A solid table seems to encourage conversation
	With a hole in the middle of the etable, some people do not speak at all, and some who do speak tend to talk for longer periods of time

Rectangle

O O O O O O
----------------
O|               |O
O|               |O
----------------
O O O O O O

	The seats at the short dimensions of the table are often seen as leadership positions (because the father sat at the head?)
	If used, the learners should be forced to take distinctly different positions every now and then (i.e. randomly shift the name cards)
	Fewer people can communicate face-to-face*

Scatter-Shot

O O           O
 O       O   O O
    O   O O       O
   O O       O   O O
            O O

 

	Seems extremely haphazard but good for experiential training
	Permits quick change of learner focus
	Produces tremendous investments of learner energy
	Works well with multiple role plays
	Can quickly form into large groups
	Bad for note taking