I love walking meetings or what I like to call walkie-talkies. I try to have them as often as possible and typically know who will be game to do them. Walking meetings don't have to be power walks where you're sweating in your dress clothes. Even a stroll has loads of benefits.
Getting out of your boring, dark office can boost creativity. Getting out of the coffee shop can save you money. Walking while you're talking can lift your butt, your mood and inspire new ideas in your noggin.
Walking meetings typically work best with 2-3 people. When walking, you can't be checking your phone under your desk or typing away on your email. You have to be focused on what the other person is saying. It's more conversational and is ideal for a hierarchical relationship. If you really want to know what someone is thinking, remove the intimidation factor of your big desk and walk side by side.
The calorie burn of 1-2 weekly walking meetings is good for your heart, waistline, and overall mental health. However, the break itself is good for productivity and creativity.
Walking meetings across time zones!
Follow these walking meeting steps:
- Make sure it's an area – park, sidewalk, greenway – that you know. This is not the time for exploring.
- Try to do it in the morning in the middle of the summer or in the afternoon in the winter. Alternatively, make it the last task of the day, and you can go home when you're done.
- Warn the person and make sure they are okay with it. Don't surprise them with a walking meeting on a day they are wearing a 3-piece suit or 3-inch heels.
- Keep it short if you need to. This is not a time to show your physical prowess or prove how fast you can walk a mile.
How do I use walking meetings?
- I walk with our RaderCo Concierge at least once a month for about an hour. We catch up on personal stuff and throw in work ideas, and it's a much-needed break when we are co-working together. When we go away to the lake for RaderCo Design Days once per quarter, we easily walk 8-10 miles in two days, taking walk breaks in the morning and afternoon.
- Social catch-ups with friends or for networking. I almost always ask people if they would like to go for a walk rather than meet for coffee. About 50% of the time, people choose to walk, depending on the time of year! I often meet at a greenway near a coffee shop to have a backup plan for inclement weather.
- One-to-ones with my Team Specialists are ideal as walking meetings. After 10-15 minutes of walking, your neurons start to connect between the hemispheres of your brain, increasing creativity and collaboration. We get great client and business ‘sparks' during these meetings!
If you still aren't convinced, check out these podcast episodes:
Walking Meetings Guest Episode with Charity Miles founder Gene Gurkoff
Banish Burnout and Restore Tech-Life Balance
Challenge this week: Find one meeting in the next week that you can change into a walking meeting. Attendee skeptical? Send them this post!
