Who would have believed earlier that you could get more done when you are away from the office desk? However, the truth is that walking meetings create a better environment for productivity and are more helpful in making them focused and creative.
Moreover, it is backed by research too. Short breaks can help you be more focused and productive.
After all, well-being is a vital part of our daily life and working outside sounds like an added bonus!
However, if you need any more reason to get out there in the nature instead of being confined in the conference room, consider this: A walk outdoors can give you the needed creativity boost, which might have been so elusive in the boardroom.
The neurochemical perspective on walking meetings
Looking at it from the scientific perspective, walking outside is one of the novel ways in which you can boost up your creativity.
When you walk, it triggers a chemical release in the brain, which increases your creativity skills. It leads to a greater recall after you have stopped walking and increases creative output by around 60%. The creative boost occurs in real time. It opens a free flow of ideas and thoughts, letting you produce better results at work.
Examples of entrepreneurs who prefer walking meetings!
Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, has made walking meetings a part of his company. Since there is no direct eye contact, the meetings are more candid.
There is no distraction of cell phone or computers. Interestingly, this is a more productive way in the eyes of Jeff Weiner and it comes with the added benefits of fitness.
Similarly, Igor Perisic, LinkedIn’s vice president of engineering, expressed his dislike towards the conventional one-on-one meetings held in office. According to him, it creates a physical and mental divide between the two people and sitting across someone is not only uncomfortable but also unwelcoming.
He best compares it to sitting at principal’s office!
And how can we forget the legendary Steve Jobs who professed in his biography that he preferred long walks to have a serious conversation?
Benefits of walking meetings
So why should young entrepreneurs delve into this new trend and what is in it for them?
- They amp up the creative output of people by an average of 60%. Indoor and outdoor walks were found to be equally effective.
- Sitting is the equivalent of smoking for the current generation. Walking meetings are better for our health as they get us moving.
- Western Union CEO, Hikmet Ersek is a fan of the walking meetings as it is a way of getting the management and workers relaxed and at ease with other.
- Walking meetings make people feel more energetic and have improved engagement.
- They are also better for communication if we leave distractions such as cell phone in the office.
- They are essential in making the employees happier and a brief 5-minute outdoor exercise can boost your mood and sense of well-being.
- Just half an hour of walk each day can reduce your risk of breast and colon cancer, dementia, and heart disease. And isn’t physical health so very important for an entrepreneur’s productivity?
- Our working memory (short-term) is also shown to have improved when we are walking.
- You are exposed to sun, getting the required vitamin D.
- As an entrepreneur, you would want the best for your employees and ensure their wellness and engagement. That can be achieved from walking meetings.
