Walk and Talk – Meetings on the Move

The Walk and Talk method is a universal method that can also be easily used in guidance sessions. It combines movement with exchange. Participants walk in pairs or small groups (max. five people) while discussing a specific topic. In larger groups, several conversations are usually held while walking, which sometimes leads to participants gathering at one time. While this method promotes general exchange, it also ensures that the walk and talk meeting becomes merely a conversation while standing in the open air.

 Meetings while walking have a lot of advantages:

• Promotes improved physical and mental well-being among participants.
• Offers mental stimulation that often leads to new ideas.
• Strengthens the team and helps build a group identity.
• Is not perceived as a waste of time, regardless of the results.
• Levels hierarchies and status differences and promotes exchange on equal terms.

Despite all the advantages, there are of course some aspects to consider in walk and talk meetings that are not explicitly addressed in traditional meetings: the time of year, the temperature, the weather, the agenda, the documentation of results, access to necessary information, physical limitations of the participants, the openness of the participants to engage in a walk and talk meeting, the chosen route, the walking speed, etc.

Conclusion: A walk and talk meeting is not intended as a permanent replacement for all meetings, and the more participants participate, the more challenging the implementation becomes. For smaller groups, however, it can provide a successful change that promotes exchange within the team and is fun at the same time.