A survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review has concluded that employees who participate in ‘walking meetings’ report better levels of creative solutions, cognitive engagement and productivity.
If you would like to implement walking meetings in your department or organisation, factor in the following:
* The basics. Limit the number of participant to a maximum of five because discussing important issues with a large group of people while walking is neither feasible nor effective, as comments and responses may not be audible. The recommended duration for walking meetings ranges between 15 to 30 minutes.
* Clothing. Ensure that all concerned individual are notified about the meeting in advance so that they can dress accordingly. Remember, a walking meeting will not work if people are dressed formal attire (dust, grime and perspiration are major concerns when you are not in an air-conditioned environment) or if their footwear is not conducive to walking.
* Prepare the agenda. Prepare the talking points in advance and communicate them to the relevant individual prior to the meeting. Limit the agenda to two or three topics; it is impractical to discuss 10 to 15 topics during a walking meeting because people will be tired by the time they have been covered. Management experts recommend that walking meetings are ideal for problem-solving and crisis resolution, as long as the initial research has already been conducted and a final decision has to be made.
*Pace. It is important that you set a pace (this responsibility usually falls on the highest ranking individual attending the meeting) that is comfortable for everyone.
*Minutes. Taking handwritten notes for these meeting is impractical when you are walking. A more effective solution is to use use devices such as smart phones or tablets that have apps and software-such as Minutes.io and Microsoft OneNote- that will allow you to record, edit and report on the meeting easily.
By Arshia Wasif Ahmed. The writer is a corporate trainer.