Where you think affects what you think

Thankfully times have changed and we’re less likely these days to have conversations about work in an austere room with a large table down the middle.

I’ve always had the best conversations away from the office. And I love experimenting and seeing how a more colourful location can better reflect a working relationship. So when Helen - co-founder of Amazing If and co-author of The Squiggly Career - and I catch up, we head somewhere different.

This week we chose somewhere very colourful: the Summer Exhibition at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. Strolling through those high-ceilinged, cathedralesque rooms full of art and light was energising and lent a new tint to our meeting.

Wandering amongst the wildly differing pieces of art on display gave rise to fresh conversations. We talked about the pieces we liked and in so doing discovered new things about each other. It was a space that enabled a different rhythm from the usual. One that felt very ‘us.’

As Helen says in this post reflecting on our gallery trip, “where you think affects what you think.”

So next time you’re arranging a venue for a catch-up, pick a new location and notice the difference it makes.