Walking meetings and conversations
Move one-on-ones and brainstorms onto a walk instead of a table.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Move one-on-ones and brainstorms onto a walk instead of a table.
- Why it works: A walking conversation inherits the divergent-thinking benefit and adds two more: side-by-side movement lowers the social pressure of face-to-face eye contact, making candor easier, and the shared rhythm tends to relax both people. Together these make walking talks better suited to open exploration than seated ones.
- Evidence: Backed by observational / correlational evidence.
- Avoid: Trying to run a detailed, document-heavy meeting on foot. Without a surface to reference or record on, precise work falls apart; reserve walking for the exploratory parts.
Why it works
A walking conversation inherits the divergent-thinking benefit and adds two more: side-by-side movement lowers the social pressure of face-to-face eye contact, making candor easier, and the shared rhythm tends to relax both people. Together these make walking talks better suited to open exploration than seated ones.
How to do it
- 1Use walking meetings for brainstorming, mentoring, or hard honest conversations — not for tasks needing screens or notes.
- 2Pick a familiar, low-traffic route so navigation doesn’t hijack attention.
- 3Keep groups small (one or two others) so everyone can hear and contribute.
What the evidence says
ObservationalThe creativity benefit of walking extends to walking while talking through ideas. The added social-ease effect is plausible and widely reported but less formally studied.
Honest caveat: The core idea-generation effect is well supported; the specific social benefits of walking meetings rest more on observation and self-report than controlled trials.
Common mistake
Trying to run a detailed, document-heavy meeting on foot. Without a surface to reference or record on, precise work falls apart; reserve walking for the exploratory parts.
IX Coach suggests turning the right kind of conversation into a walk and helps you protect a recurring slot for it instead of defaulting to the conference room.
Practice this with IX Coach →