Walking is In!
Steve Jobs was well known for taking long walks while discussing business matters. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky would hash out decision-making theories on long walks. Jack Dorsey of Twitter and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook have been reported to use walking meetings as well.
Advantages Of Walking Meetings
What advantages are there to walking meetings? When you get up and relocate meetings outside you benefit from the fresh air and change of scenery. People tend to be more energized and alert while out on a walk than sitting around a table. This means better thinking which leads to better ideas and solutions.
How Big Can Walking Meetings Be
Of course, taking ten people on a walking meeting isn’t likely to work very well but you could encourage people to stand for the whole meeting or at least part of it. Walking meetings are perfect for one-on-one meetings and work well with up to 5 people. But you need to try it out and see what number works best for you.
Sure, on some days the weather may not be as conducive for a walk outside. Instead, consider heading to a mall. While you might think being at a mall would be distracting, it might also spark some ideas.
Healthy Meetings
One fact you can’t readily ignore is that getting out for a walk is much healthier than sitting in the office. Another benefit is the atmosphere is more relaxed while walking thus allowing the discussion to be more open between workers and management.
Take It One Step At A Time
You don’t need to consider switching all your meetings to walking meetings right now. Just choose your next one on one meeting and suggest taking it for a walk. See how it goes, notice how you feel, determine if the meeting was productive and if it went well try it again. If you get comfortable with one on one walking meetings, then experiment with three and work your way up to five people and see how effective the meetings are for larger groups.
Your Turn
Your mission if you choose to accept it; take your next one-on-one meeting for a walk. Have fun!
Photo credit: Thanks for the photo, Bonnie Kittle. Kinda partial to your name since we have several Bonnie’s in our family!