Bahasa IndonesiaCoffee break certainly a perfect activity to connect between participants in conjunction as networking and ice breaker activity. Whether it's important or not determined on how long the duration of the presentation, the density of the schedule to the capacity of the audiences. The "coffee break" itself is defined as a short session to take a break and sip a coffee (or any beverages provided) for a while while networking with fellow participants.
Long type of presentation session just like seminar (> 5 hours) are highly recommended to have a "coffee break" session maybe every 1.5 hours - 2 hours so that participants can relax more and be able to focus the presentation content perfectly. This is similar with lecture session. We cannot force people to remain conscious and focus on presentation session that are too long (not to mention if the presenter is not communicative enough with monotonous way of communication).
As mentioned above, "coffee break" give benefit to us in providing networking time between attendees. Why is it important? Because one of the audience's motivations to attend your event may lead to networking session (on top of get new knowledge from the presentation itself indeed). "Coffee break" also contribute to give the audience a "break" time to relax and re-energize in undergoing a long presentation session. In addition, the "coffee break" also gives a friendly indication of both the host and the committee in pampering the audience. This will create a positive impression about yourself and your company.
As the name implies, a simple "coffee break" can be held by provide drinks in the form of coffee and tea within the break session of presentation. It's also can be completed with other small dishes such as cakes and fruit. This is totally optional and depends on the budget you have set. For the duration of "coffee break" can be last for 10 to 15 minutes in general. For example, if you hold a series of presentations that last approximately 6 hours, then it's a good idea to provide 3x "coffee break" sessions (every 2 hours). The "coffee break" session is also provided when there's a transition between speakers or new topic (you can adjust it again for the duration).
If your presentation session passes through lunch or dinner hours, then it can be considered to include a joint meal session. However, especially when welcoming the Fasting Month (Ramadan) the committee will usually tend to start the presentation before the breaking of the fast when participants will be treated to a meal as a friendly session and open together before starting the presentation. Hence it's all about what kind of food you've provided and the duration itself. Coffee break tends to be shorter and lighter in terms of food/drinks.
Depends to the budget you've set and specify, also the total duration of your presentation. If your presentation is only around 2 hours, it is not mandatory to have a "coffee break" session. But as a good host, then you can provide the most basic consumption, for example mineral water during the session. If you want to have routine kind of internal meeting, then of course it won't need any coffee break, except if the session will be sort of long training session.
Don't forget to prepare special presentation slide about "coffee break" information such as the total duration, toilet directory, and maybe a sponsor message that you can place on the presentation screen. Make sure the slide is well-designed and professional.
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Disclaimer: this article originated written in Bahasa and being translated using Google Translate hence please understand if there's any mistake of tenses and/or misunderstanding that occurred. Read the original version by switch this web to Bahasa version on upper right button. Thank you for reading!
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