What is the best way to set out chairs to encourage social interaction for agroup of around 20 to 30?

Question

I am trying to help a support group to run smoothly.

I would like suggestions of the way to set out the seating to promote social interaction. I have tried to research the phsychology of this but am out of my depth really. The meeting is held in a rather austeer community hall with hard chairs which are movable. In the past circles have formed which has left newcomers or shy folk stuck outside the group against the walls on chairs which is not ideal. We would like several conversations to be able to go on at once while not excluding newcomers allowing as much interaction as possible. Should we try for a semicircle or clover shapes?
Hope someone can help
Thanks

Answer 1

Its not the pattern that matters. It's the way the chairs face.

Put the 'moderators table inside the access door and have all the participants chairs turned towards the door. Use a Chevron pattern with a break at the the point.
Use 28 chairs, two lines of seven, one behind the other at 45deg to the moderator's table and 90deg to each other

Answer 2

Circles are the best shape for encouraging interaction. Organise the chairs in groups of 5 - so that is 4 or 6 small circles - and then make sure that everyone sits down at the same time - sorry what i mean is that let everybody arrive and then tell people to sit down so then the newcomers dont feel like an outsider. Another thing is to allow everybody to talk to everybody, so they get to know each other instead of clinging to the same group all the time. Maybe once in the small groups, after a reasonable amount of time tell them to change groups- so they are with other people. Hope u manage a solution!

Answer 3

I would place either four or eight chairs in a cube formation.

[ ^ ^ ]
[ _ _]


Difficult to draw.

Each person would be sitting directly next to 1 person at most and directly opposite 1 person at most. Each person would have their own personal space but feel part of their group.

Symmetry is considered attractive and appealing so poeple should feel comfortable seated this way. Being a cube no one person will feel central or the focal point.

Matbe you could place an item in the centre of each square and strat by asking everyone to discuss their thoughts on the item.

Poeple will then form common interests and ideas and this should start a natural flow of conversation.

Answer 4

20/30 is too great a number for one big circle. Have smaller circles (possibly with tables, depending on what you want them to do) where each person is able to talk to all the others and they all have eye-contact - about 6-8 would be OK.

Perhaps at the beginning you could talk to them all about how it would feel to be excluded so that as late-comers come in, others would make way for them in one of the circles. Hope this works for you and them.

Answer 5

how about putting all the chairs in another room or a stack in the corner so the people have to get them and communicate to get them out? with maybe one large table in the middle like a meeting table hopefully the initial communication will continue around the table? remember people are lazy make them work together.

Answer 6

Have one long horseshoe? Or little groups so that shy people only have to open up to three or four others? Or, even better, both! Start off with little groups and at the end all join in.

Answer 7

How about having the chairs set out in a horseshoe formation?

Answer 8

Place appetizers or snacks around small tables. I find that food seems to attract people to an area and encourage conversation.

Answer 9

semicircles work best. it leaves an opening for newcomers to join the group. also, if you see someone not participating, then stop and ask them to join in.

Answer 10

How about small groups around tables, that usually gets people talking as their own personal space is not invavded by any other person.