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Forget standing meetings, try this instead

2015-05-05 05:59:14

Alina Dizik

When it comes to meetings, an increasing number of workers are ditching the

conference room and heading outside.

The walking meeting, favoured by tech executives including Jack Dorsey of

Twitter and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, went viral after management innovator

Nilofer Merchant s 2013 TED talk espoused the benefits. The video got 1.7

million views and started a movement of sorts a way for colleagues eager to

solve problems while moving around outside rather than gathering around a desk.

Endless meetings are the scourge of many offices, a sort of professional

penance. And just one bad meeting one that lacks a focus or action items at

the end, or where creativity is quashed can ruin your entire day.

It s no wonder, say experts, that people resort to playing games on their

smartphones or checking email during these confabs. Standing meetings, which

some companies have adopted to hasten the end of the gathering, only solve part

of the problem.

That s where walking meetings come in. In addition to the known health

benefits, taking time for a short stroll can boost creativity and help

brainstorm an existing problem, without distractions from electronics. And

without a PowerPoint to ignore, seat-jockeying to do, or superfluous chit-chat

from attention-seekers to sit through, there s room to converse, potentially

creating a constructive and informal way for colleagues at different levels to

discuss important issues without being bogged down.

There s some evidence it works. A 2014 Stanford University study of 176 college

students found that those who walked instead of sitting came up with more

creative responses to answers on tests that are used to measure creative

thinking.

(Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

People are far more comfortable walking, and there s better quality of

conversation, said Phil Jones, managing director for office technology vendor

Brother UK Ltd who hosted his first walking meeting a year ago. You get more

of a human connection.

So, how, exactly, do you host a walking meeting?

How to do it

For starters, don t create a route from scratch as you walk. It s less

stressful and more productive to lead a colleague along a well-timed path, said

Jones.

The last thing you want to do is distract your meeting with, where should we

go next , he said.

Before his first stroll with colleagues, Jones timed himself to create a

30-minute route near his office in suburban East Manchester in the UK. Nowadays

he holds one or two walking meetings a week along the same 30-minute path and

takes another lap for longer hour-long meetings.

Narrow down the agenda to just one topic in order to keep the meeting short and

to cut down the need to take notes, suggested Stephen Waddington, London-based

chief engagement officer at Ketchum, a public relations firm.

Walking meetings don t work for 10-point agendas, he said. Send a note to

participants to set the meeting s agenda and write out the intended outcomes to

prevent participants from feeling anxious about not taking notes during the

walk.

It s easiest to start with a group of two or three people, to ensure no-one is

left out of the conversation, especially if there s no room on the sidewalk to

create one long row, said Natalie Wilkins, a management coach in St Cergue,

Switzerland. An outdoor route near a park or another place that s relatively

quiet is best.

(Credit: Warner Bros Television)

Problem solving with just a few steps? The art of the walk and talk, on display

during a scene of the US show West Wing. (Credit: Warner Bros Television)

Start small and go deep

Rather than carrying a notepad or a phone, focus on good deep conversation,

Jones said.

If colleagues are joining him for the first time, Jones tells them to leave

electronics behind or put away smartphones during the walk, but he allocates 10

minutes of desk time after the meeting to tie-up loose ends and create a

follow-up plan for the conversation.

Those who regularly conduct walking meetings say they find the meeting style

effective especially for potentially awkward conversations, said Waddington,

who remembers a mentor calling a walking meeting to raise issues that

Waddington hadn't been aware of. Since colleagues are looking ahead at the

route, the less formal and private atmosphere of the outdoors combined with

the lack of direct face-to-face contact makes it easier to deal with sensitive

issues, he said.

Grab a raincoat?

One downside to a walking meeting, particularly if they grow to more than two

or three people: being able to hear each participant as you walk. While visual

aids can distract and bore people, sometimes they do help explain a topic. But

they can t be used in walking meetings. That s why Wikins recommends not using

walking meetings to introduce complex new concepts.

One of the more practical considerations of holding a walking meeting is sizing

up attendees for both their dress (such as appropriate footwear or a warm

jacket) and physical abilities, said Ted Eytan, physician director of the

Center for Total Health with Kaiser Permanente in Vancouver, Canada, who has

been conducting walking meetings for the last 10 years.

(Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

US President Barack Obama takes a walking meeting with Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi. (Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Before he invites someone for a stroll, Eytan makes sure the invitees are

dressed for the outdoors and are comfortable taking a walk. He s well prepared

even to walk and meet during inclement weather. During a drizzly meeting in

Seattle, for instance, Eytan took turns holding the umbrella with another

colleague. The experience provided a memorable backdrop for an in-depth

discussion, he added.

Despite this extra preparation, Eytan said so far his colleagues have jumped at

the chance to walk outside during a long day at the office.

The most boring thing is sitting in a room and staring at someone for half an

hour, said Eytan. If you tell me it s a walking meting, it s overall a bright

spot in the day.