SEPTEMBER 2016 \ BUILDING DIALOGUE \
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dedicated purpose – to support a gathering of individu-
als who will communicate among themselves, and like-
ly, to remote locations as well. If participants are able to
start their meeting on time, clearly see the presentation
materials, hear all of the remote participants, accomplish
the meeting’s stated goal, and do it all quickly and effi-
ciently, that’s an exceptional experience!
A properly designed AV system shouldn’t get in the way.
It should support the task, and ideally make it more effi-
cient, and painless. The architecture should be purposefully
designed so that there are no obstructions between partic-
ipants or between participants and video displays. Ambient
lighting should be controllable, and the acoustics of the space
should not be detrimental to speech intelligibility by the over-
use of untreated reflective surfaces. And what about the meet-
ing content? If the meeting is held in a beautiful space with
great acoustics, comfortable lighting, and a highly functional
and user-friendly AV system, a poorly formatted presentation or
an ill-prepared presenter can really affect the perceived outcome.
Space, content and technology all combine to create an out-
come, and if any of the three is lacking, an exceptional experience
isn’t achievable. Every client has unique communications needs,
and every space used for communication is different. While space
is typically the main focus of construction projects, by considering
content and technology as integral parts of the design process, it is
possible to yield a frustration-free, exceptional communication ex-
perience.
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ELEMENTS
Audiovisual
AV isn’t the only
variable in the
equation required to
create an exceptional
communication
experience. It is only
when content, space
and technology
work in harmony
that an exceptional
experience can be
realized.
