My former students send me pictures of chairs....stacked chairs, arranged chairs, etc. A couple have sent me a picture suggesting I get a tattoo they have seen. At first, I did not know what it was...then I recognized it. It was stacked chairs. Youth Ministers send me pictures of the setup they have done for their Wednesday night youth meeting. Executive Pastors send me pictures of chairs they have stacked up while they are changing the setup of a room. An executive at a large corporation sent me a picture of the setup she had done prior to leading her first staff meeting.
So, where does this chair madness come from?? I have always believed that the setup of the room for an event helps determine people's response and involvement and I am picky about it. I attend a meeting occasionally for which I am not the leader. There are about twenty five normally in attendance and it is held in a large room with with probably 10-12 tables with five or six chairs around each. People sit randomly throughout the room and there is not much interaction. Yes; it drives me crazy and it is usually not a much participation. It gives the impression that the meeting is not very important or not much thought has been given to it. Why should people feel an event or meeting is important, if everything about it is random?
Some "Chair Principles"
1. When people walk into an event for the first time, the setup of the room is their first reaction to what will happen and how they feel about it. First impressions are huge. We don't get a second chance to make a first impression. If the chairs are all jumbled and random, it gives the impression of something that is jumbled and not well done.
2. The setup of the chairs can affect their involvement. Most of my speaking to students involves interaction and letting them ask questions and make comments throughout my talk. If chair rows are more circular and students can see each other, they are more likely to speak up. Plus, being able to see others when they are speaking is a plus to connections and interaction.
3. Sometimes tables help and sometimes they hinder involvement. I learned that with some of our Leadership Team meetings. Tables set up in a rectangular or square made them think and interact more "business like" and we got more serious stuff done. But, it varied by different groups.
4. Chairs should not be too close together. People do not like being jammed up against each other. I make sure there is about 3 to 4 inches between chairs....not too far, but not jammed together. Unless a couple is dating, people don't do well jammed together unless it is absolutely necessary.
5. The arrangement of the chairs can make a huge room not feel cavernous and too large for the event. Sometimes you have to experiment to find it. But, think about it. Don't just set up 25 chairs in any random fashion in a large room.
6. There needs to be enough chairs, but not too many. So, how many you think will be there? Have that number.....plus a few more. First, there may be more people show up than you expected...always a great surprise. Second, If 2 people come together and planning to sit together, are there two open seats together? New people especially need to be able to sit with who they came with.
7. Have some extra chairs strategically and conveniently placed.....but NOT just setting in the middle of everything. Once in awhile, way more people come than anticipated and we can add them without much difficulty. Or, you can easily add a quick back row as chairs fill up. In some of our events, the back would fill up first and newer people arriving after it started would have to go more toward the front to get a seat. So, we would add a backrow AFTER it started.
8. Change your chair setup occasionally. It gives a new vibe to the meeting and doesn't just feel like the same old same old. Also, different groups respond differently to different setups. Find those or the one that works best for your meeting or event.
It's the little things that make a difference and chair arrangement is one of them!
Arliss Dickerson's book, A 3 Part College Ministry Success Formula, is available at Amazon.com/dp/B0BZ6Q7HSV and Tips for College Freshmen: 124 Tips for Fun, Faith & Good Grades is at Amazon.com/dp/B09QFB9DJ9.
