Meet & Walk & Talk

We’ve all sat through long meetings, feeling hot & stuffy and, no matter how interesting the subject matter, worrying that you might just nod off. How much better can you feel going out into the fresh air & (ever hopeful) sunshine?

As we spend a majority of the working day glued to a screen (& even more when we get home too), walking meetings may be more beneficial than ever before.

Have a meeting on the go doesn’t have to be a big commitment. It may take a little longer, but there are so many benefits.

The plus points

• Clearly, you get a bit of easy physical activity – helps your general health & immediately lifts your mood
• Can promote inspiration & even clarity just from being in a new setting
• It can help you focus (after all it’s difficult to walk & text)
• A slightly more relaxed setting can put staff at ease, allowing them to open up & connect
• It helps you connect with your local surroundings – if you experience things you appreciate them more
• Work relationships can be strengthened by shared activity.

Obviously I wouldn’t recommend a walking meeting when it’s tipping down with rain (although that could be refreshing!!).

Here are some top tips for planning your walking meetings: 

• Plan the route, with defined start & finish points. This will help keep to time.

• Be flexible to avoid noise & distractions. Try an alternative route or just a quick detour down a quiet side street

• Limit spontaneous meetings to four people. Large groups work too, but these need extra planning.
• If it’s convenient, add a destination to your walk, whether to get an errand out of the way or take in a special view. People will feel more inclined to join you.

• Rather than a formal agenda, have a general itinerary in mind before the walk and use time and/or location benchmarks to guide discussion.

• Be aware of the time – keep it to 30 minutes or less, or you’ll all get tired.

• You may all have different walking speeds, so adjust your speed or gait to keep together. If you’re with a big group, try to let mini-groups form naturally.
• If you need to take notes, you can use your phone (e.g. note-taking apps available, like Evernote) or a good old notebook.

• If people need extra persuasion, you could tempt them with a coffee during the first outing.

Walking won’t be right for some meetings, but it might just be a fun, healthy & even productive thing to try.

 

 

 

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