Where is your ‘green room’?

by Lisa Seppala, True North Implementation

Several years ago, when working on a change management project for a company, I visited one of its customer call centres. Employees with their headphones were seated at cheerful white cubicle desks in a large carpeted area with big windows. The room was busy with chatter as employees engaged with customers on the other end of their respective phone lines.

A door affixed with the sign ‘Quiet’ was at the back of the room. Behind this door was a small room with an upholstered sofa and chair, a corner lamp, a coffee table, and a small side table. A lush artificial plant adorned one corner, and a box of facial tissues and a small decorative wastebasket were in another. The walls were painted in calming colours, and soft blinds covered the window that overlooked the call centre floor. A mirror hung on the wall near the door. The call centre manager called this the ‘green room’ and explained that this was a place where employees could retreat after challenging customer calls.

The term ‘green room’ has its roots in the theatre. It is the space where actors rest before going on stage and after. It is a place of preparation, retreat, and release. It’s a place where one can get real with emotions.

In past days, when I worked in a corporate office environment and was fortunate to have my own office, my office became my green room. It was a place where I could steel myself before, or recover from, a particularly challenging meeting or presentation – preparation, recovery, and release.

Now, working from home and remotely with clients, the stresses have lessened, and my ‘green room’ has become more about mini-breaks or marking transitions throughout my workday. The locations vary. It could be deep breathing at my desk in my office while I prepare for a coaching session, a few minutes in the living room on the couch with our dog when I need a break, or 10 minutes of intense exercise in the basement when I need to shed some excess energy. It could also be just stepping outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air when I need to clear my head and think.

Unlike the call centre staff mentioned above, my concept of the ‘green room’ is not tied to a particular physical space. It is connected to a decision to take a mini ‘time out’ away from the computer and phone in the space of my choosing.

I’m curious – how and where do you carry out the practice of preparation, recovery, and release? Where is your ‘green room’?