Many people assume that meetings must take place sitting around a table and within the confines of four walls. In reality, the most creative moments take place outside them. Call a walking meeting and you’ll get a change of scenery, boost your energy, get some fresh air and burn a few calories too.
“Walking is good for solving problems, it’s like the feet are like psychiatrists.”-Pepper Giardino
Why have a walking meeting?
- A chance to fit some physical activity into your day
- Different environments to inspire new ideas
- A chance to get some fresh air and natural light
- A shift in group dynamics
- Improve the group’s physical and mental well-being
- An opportunity to re-energise
Walking meetings are also great for one to ones; making it easier for people to feel more relaxed and discuss what’s on their mind.
What should you bear in mind?
If you want to test the waters before taking the plunge try having the meeting at a nearby external venue, e.g. local coffee shop. Arrange to walk there with your colleagues and go through what the meeting will cover on the way there; this will give you a chance to see if you are happy talking whilst you walk. Here’s a checklist for things to consider for a successful walking meeting:
Numbers: For interactive meetings, we suggest you limit numbers to no more than four people. This will enable everyone to have a chance to hear and participate
Noise: Consider the environment you’ll be walking in-choose routes along quiet streets or in a nearby green space. Avoid busy roads that might make it challenging for everyone to hear.
Clothing: Give advance notice for walking meetings so that participants are wearing appropriate clothing. It might be useful to have some extra umbrellas available if rain is in the forecast.
Pace: Make sure the walking pace is comfortable for everyone.
Involvement: Make sure you talk to everyone. Try walking two to three abreast (Bearing other pedestrians in mind!) and make sure everyone can hear what is being discussed.
Capturing actions: Assign someone to scribe and take along a small notepad to jot down any actions. Be sure to recap and identify next steps and circulate these after your walking meeting.
Evaluate: After the first few meetings, ask participants for feedback on what can be improved and ideas of which make good routes.