Imagine a traditional classroom with rows of chairs and tables. Does the space evoke creativity? or what kind of behavior does it encourage? The conversation around the impact of the physical environment on our behavior has grown past few years, aided by the changing nature of work. HUONE invited a lecturer with students of NEXT København to observe the effect on their lecture day.
The article is written based on the interview with Lars Odyja Pedersen and the observation of the lecture at HUONE Copenhagen on the 13th of January, 2023
The day of ‘creativity’ at HUONE Copenhagen
The day’s lecture was about ‘creativity.’ Students were introduced to a specific creative thinking method, and during the breakout sessions, they had a chance to practice. The core of it was to switch between a logical mindset and a creative mindset to solve a problem.
Day’s agenda
- the morning starts with the tour of HUONE by Michella,
- Lecture – Introduction to ‘creativity’ in Bicycle room
- Group work 1 in breakout rooms: Greenhouse, Hut, and Flow room
- Lunch break
- Group work 2 in breakout rooms (continues)
- Final evaluation of the day – influence of the creative space, what benefits did it have during the session
- Wrap-up of the day
Inspiring surrounding instantly elevates the value of the time spent
Why does it make sense to use a place like HUONE?
- Everything works at HUONE; creative space, the food is delicious, and the service standard of the staff is high.
- There are different rooms for different purposes.
- The engagement level of the participants is definitely higher thanks to the inspiring surroundings HUONE offers. If you are willing, there are so many possibilities to utilise its surroundings to your benefit, to get more out of your day.
- Different settings bring out an automatic response feeling ‘to be out of the ordinary’, which frees one’s mind
Top 3 room picks for an engaging training/lecture are…
Successful training or lecture always involves that lightbulb moment💡, and there is a clear lesson or outcome one can take home. It is also important that it’s engaging and different settings make it easier to encourage that.
1. Blocks room
The Blocks room has a lot of possibilities to engage and activate your participants with its blocks and writable walls around them. If you move away from the pre-conception that it is a ‘meeting room,’ then it’s easier to change the setting of the room to utilize it creatively.
2.Puzzle room
The puzzle room invites you to play! It takes you back to your childhood, when it was ok and natural to play. When you play, it invites humor and laughter, which is the greatest catalyst for creativity. Playing is the fast shortcut to new ideas and creativity. For example, during the tour, the students immediately started skipping in the room with the lines on the floor.
3.Lakeview-room
The Lakeview-room feels private and secluded but in a positive way. Sometimes, you need that focus to be able to engage the audience. Even though there’s no natural daylight, the artificial lamps on the ceiling work great, and it really gives the feeling you’re outside somewhere with its wood panels and right amount of visual inputs with the wall paper.
A tip for fellow teachers/trainers for a successful day at HUONE
“I recommend visiting HUONE before the actual training day to get introduced to the space and explore its possibilities. And most importantly,
keep pushing boundaries at HUONE!
Lars Odyja Pedersen
Lars has been teaching creativity, project management, and event management since 2010 at NEXT København. He has developed the event management training course at NEXT and is constantly fine-tuning it to meet the changing requirements of the industry. He’s also been an Officer in the Army for 10 years and worked with teaching, development, and project management ever since.