Without adding anything extra to your calendar you can:
- Increase your energy
- Enhance your concentration and creativity
- Enjoy more time outside, and
- Increase your daily steps.
Sound too good to be true? It’s not – walking meetings accomplish this!
What is a walking meeting?
Walking meetings are simply meetings that take place while walking, rather than in an office or at a place you usually sit down to have a meeting. These meetings can be in person or over the phone.
Really, are walking meetings worth the effort?
You’ve probably heard that prolonged sitting is detrimental to your health. And in contrast, movement is medicine. Walking increases oxygen flow through the body. It can also increase levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Those are hormones that help elevate energy levels. There’s even research to support that going for a walk may be a more effective energy boost than a cup of coffee.
Professor Shane O’Mara, author of the book In Praise of Walking: The New Science of How We Walk and Why It’s Good for Us, encourages us to “think of walking as something which lowers our blood pressure, aids the passage of food through our intestines, reduces inflammation, allows us to be creative and better at problem-solving and helps build resilient brains.”
Walking meetings can also enhance connection. It’s much harder to multitask when you’re walking! So the other person receives your full attention. And if you’re meeting in person, there’s something about walking side-by-side that creates alignment.
Research confirms that being in sunlight and nature can boost job satisfaction and engagement. Don’t gloss over that sentence! Enhancing employee engagement supports higher productivity and profitability. Heading outside for walking meetings offers a fun and simple way to elevate your impact.
Who do I meet with whilst walking?
Walking meetings may not be suitable for everyone or in all weather conditions. They are not suitable for large group meetings or when using audio-visual materials. They are ideal for meetings with one or two people. And are especially good for regular check-in style meetings; in person or over the phone. Channel your inner Steve Jobs who reportedly was a fan of walking meetings. Walking meetings can be effective with colleagues, clients and vendors.
How to do walking meetings well
According to Dr Russel Clayton (who I set up a call with after reading HBR’s How to Do Walking Meetings Right), walking meetings work particularly well when:
- The intention to walk is set up ahead of time
- The walk has a destination in mind, for example ending at a coffee shop or back at the office.
- Time parameters of the meeting are defined
- Background noise is kept to a minimum – a quiet local park or walking track is much better than a noisy road
- They are scheduled mid afternoon to overcome the afternoon energy slump.
Clayton also recommended recording meeting outcomes as you would in any other meeting. In my experience, it is easy to reference and record meeting notes using the OneNote app on my phone.
Use this email template to set up your next walking meeting
Here’s what I email when setting up an in-person walking meeting:
I’m grateful for all opportunities to walk and talk. Would it suit you to have a walking meeting to discuss < >? We could start at <the meeting point> and finish at <the end point>.
We can reference the meeting agenda from my phone.
Thank you.
P.S. Remember your comfortable walking shoes. 😊
P.P.S. Check out this article for info about the many productivity benefits of walking meetings.
And here’s what I email to set up a walking meeting held over the phone:
Looking forward to meeting with you about < >. Weather permitting, I’m planning on walking whilst we meet. I’m very happy to have my camera on or off, whichever is best for you. I’ll reference the meeting agenda from my phone. If it suits you, please also walk during our meeting.
P.S. Check out this article for info about the many productivity benefits of walking meetings.
Thanks for reading and sharing this article. I hope these tips help you to set up your next walking meeting.
For more tips about the importance of meaningful check-in conversations, see my Check-In Conversations Matter article.
