This week I was telling colleagues, clients and friends about the trends in senior leader training, I’d been hearing about. Especially those deep soft elements that help presenters with engagement in hybrid, virtual or online meetings. There has been a lot discussed about the importance of backgrounds when you are doing an online meeting, especially if you are a senior in the organisation. Interestingly in the middle of one of the meetings I was asked about my own bookshelf and they pointed to one of my lights and it started a nice ice breaking warming conversation.
I understand why this is happening. I often get asked about my bookshelf style in wonder. Some think its one of those generic backgrounds or that I am in a very swanky part of the HQ that no one has ever seen. Little so they know that it is through using my old film studies scholar hat, I made the connection of how we still turn to the dramatic arts and cinematography in organisation life. And how this part of the cultural sphere can help us to understand how best to convey the identities that we want with clever use of props (our own home office decor). A WebEx, Zoom, Go To Meeting screen is no different to the big silver screen. It’s just smaller and because you are the central actor the mise-en-scene should convey more about who you are.
One of the key tips for expressing your identity is making your bookshelf smile. This is what Emma MT told us budding interior stylist class students late last year 2023.
The key is to turn engaging items outward and layer the items. You want to avoid having your items look like they are lining up in some anonymous dishevelled queue. Below are examples of layering and energising items facing outwards.
Note these bookshelf paintings will be in the Etsy shop by end of Jan, 24. I’ve styled the paintings which are on card framed in a small tray frame which is perfect for standing up independently on your shelf. I’ve still got a lot to finish off and capture images of, as this morning’s picture of my less glamorous workbench below shows.
Next week I’ll say more about the shape of the smile in the books and considerations of colour.
Home Office Charm 