Another great trick for encouraging spontaneous conversation is to have a couple of cheap plastic-mould "visitors' chairs" at each desk. At my first office we

Another great trick for encouraging spontaneous conversation is to have a couple of cheap plastic-mould "visitors' chairs" at each desk. At my first office we had this arrangement and it was a boon for continuing ad hoc meetings which started in corridors or at the printer. "Grab a chair, let's have a look at the database..." Unfortunately we moved to a more "modern" office with higher-density desking and no spare space.