A recent report issued by Research and Markets estimated that a mere 2% of the 32.4 million huddle rooms around the world are currently video-enabled. The math is clear: many companies are aware of this collaboration trend, and have even put some effort into adopting a huddle room strategy, but something has kept them from fully committing.
A recent survey conducted by architecture and design firm HOK found that 73% of meetings involve only two to four people, while a whopping 53% of conference room space is designed for meetings of seven or more people. What we see here, then, is a demand for smaller, video-equipped meeting rooms that is not being met by the people in charge.
In short: it’s time for you to embrace the huddle room. If you’re not sure how to go about doing so, here are a few quick tips for getting your favorite new collaboration hub up and running.
Just The Essentials
The huddle room is, by design, a smaller space. This is not a place for massive telepresence screens and booming speakers. Instead, you’ll want an all-in-one device that bundles AV features into one compact unit. Something like Polycom RealPresence Debut is perfect. It even comes with a camera with a wide-angle lens specially designed for huddle rooms. When it doubt, remember: keep it simple and small.
Maximize Mobility
Huddle rooms are ideal places for remote employees to work on the days they come to the office, since they probably don’t have their own work space in the office proper. For this reason, it’s important that your huddle room solutions integrate seamlessly with any mobile devices (phones, tablets, laptops) your employees might bring to work. Prime Call Cloud UC, for instance, is interoperable with all devices, so anyone can join a video conference, no matter what equipment they’re using.
Be Ready For Your Close-Up
The spatial limitations of a huddle room also require a slight adjustment in video etiquette. With the wide-angle lenses designed for huddle rooms, there’s really no hiding from the camera. Which is to say: you’re the co-star of the show at all times. Don’t assume you’re out of the frame when someone else is talking. This requires a level of attention and presence you might not necessarily be accustomed to sustaining through an entire meeting, but the adjustment is all for the good--you will definitely get points for being engaged.
Learn more about huddle room solutions and please contact us if you have any questions about pricing and implementation. Use our Advanced Search tool to find anything else you’re looking for.
If you’d like to test-drive a cloud-based conferencing solution that works in rooms of all shapes and sizes, sign up for a free trial of Prime Call Cloud UC and let us know what you think.
