Walking meetings

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A new love for meetings

For those of us in business, meetings are part of life. They are important. They are an opportunity to meet online or in person and talk through topics, explore, learn, expand our thinking, engage with others and get to know each other more completely. We learn to agree, disagree, unite, create, be inspired, and together we discover new approaches, ideas, reach decisions, find solutions, and build momentum and a way forward. They can be incredibly powerful and life fueling.

Meetings are also very overdone, there are mindless meetings, “covering backside” meetings, and generally wasting your own and other people’s time meetings. They can create friction, and can be unpleasant, particularly if members of the meeting are disconnected from who they are, are not aware of how they communicate and the impact they have, are unable to regulate, recognize or balance their own emotions and they hurl them at others to deal with, they allow their ego or fear to drive how they behave. Yes, as Yung Pueblo reflects, we are a “Young People” as a society, and that is true in business too. We have much to learn and much to evolve and grow into.

A new approach

One new dimension of meetings occurring in New York City, with growing popularity, are “walking meetings:”. Choosing to meet for 20-30-45 minutes and walking around the city together talking. While consciously and subconsciously observing shapes, sizes, colors and environmental sights, sounds, and smells that all fuel conversation and generate inspiration. Not to mention also getting a great dose of outdoor time, fresh air (as much as you can in a city), blue sky, winter sun, and well-needed movement.

After the meeting completes a sense of accomplishment floats in as you return to the office. You feel energized and encouraged that you’ve taken part in movement for yourself. You’ve had a conversation with someone that took you both into neutral calming ground, with moving “walls” around you that provide spontaneous prompts and pave the way to deeper more connected collaborations.

Have you tried them?

We are impressed to see how many walking meetings are starting to take place. If you’ve not tried the “walk and talk” approach, why not pick a meeting and make the suggestion. You’ll be directly inspiring wellbeing in your business culture.

Comment below if you’ve begun this practice and let us know what you’re discovering as a result.

Be well, live intentionally

Birch Cove is not a medical or therapy based business, we do not offer guarantees of any kind. We are not responsible for the well-being of businesses or individuals that read, watch, or hear our content, or take part in sessions, or use our services or the services we highlight. Individuals are responsible and accountable for their own well-being. Birch Cove and our Collective members are not responsible for the physical and mental health and well-being of individuals we interact with directly or indirectly. We work to share best practices that inspire healthy living and revitalize a quality of life.