As a coach who works from a home environment I am always looking for places to meet colleagues, students, clients, and friends. Today I experienced a meeting in the Leaf Lounge in The Rents, Ashford, Kent, UK.
What drew me to meet with a colleague here - it was the offer of a comfortable seating area, great service; but what really stopped us and drew us in with the offer of a free wireless internet connection. This is something that is not offered by many organisations - hotel, coffee bars, pubs - in the UK.
We arrived and selected a quiet corner in which to meet. We had a great selection of coffees, teas, or other drinks, so having ordered our selection we got down to work. The ambiance was great - a quiet and very relaxing place to work. I got my laptop out of my bag, and connected into the wireless connection. This allowed us to have a full discussion and complete our research on the internet. What a pleasure. Normally we meet, have our discussion, and then go back to our respective working environments to do the research. This means that we have to meet again, very soon, to compare our research findings and make our decisions. Isn't it fabulous when you find just the right environment to work.
What makes this coffee shop unique is that it is the only environment of it's type in town. Although there are other coffee shops/lounges, it was this one that provided us with the environment that allowed us to work, while providing the opportunity to connect into the internet at no additional cost.
How many of you use outside environments to work in? What makes each one of these a success story? We look forward to receiving and publishing your reports. Take this opportunity to survey your coffee shop and send your report to coffee@the-eci.org.
Barbara J. Dalpra, MNMC, FECI
Accredited Fellow Coach (ECI)
Deputy CEO (Operations, IT, Finance)
Want to make a success of your coaching business? Take this opportunity to benefit from your membership with the ECI - promote yourself through the International Coaching Register or as an Accredited Coach through the ECI's Coach Referral Service.
Joining the ECI is a simple process - click on this link and select the type of membership that will benefit you and your coaching business. Any questions, contact the ECI to get your answer. Barbara's biog can be found on the ECI's Volunteer page for Barbara or her coaching business details can be found on either the ICR or Coach Referral Service by using this link!
Comments