How do you run a walking meeting?

There is something about walking side by side that changes a conversation. You are not staring at each other across a desk, nobody is checking a laptop, and the awkward silences become companionable ones because there is always a tree or a dog to look at. Walking meetings have a reputation as a tech-company quirk, but done well they are simply a nicer way to have certain conversations. Done badly, they are a damp shuffle round a car park with no notes. Here is the good version.

Choose meetings that suit walking

Walking works best for conversations, not documents.

• Good fits: one-to-ones, mentoring, catch-ups, brainstorming, talking through a tricky decision, a first conversation with a new colleague.
• Bad fits: anything with slides, spreadsheets or screens; meetings with more than three people; anything that needs careful notes in real time; confidential topics if your route is busy.

Some difficult conversations are actually easier on foot, because the side-by-side position feels less confrontational. Our page on having a difficult conversation has more on that.

Keep it small

Two people is ideal; three is manageable. Beyond that, someone ends up walking behind, trying to hear, and the meeting splits into two conversations. If a bigger group needs to walk, plan a standing pause at the end to agree outcomes together.

Plan the route

• A loop, so you finish where you started. Out-and-back works too, with a clear turning point.
• Matched to the meeting length. Walk it once on your own so you know how long it takes at a conversational pace.
• Quiet enough to talk. Parks, river paths, back streets, a campus. Avoid main roads where you have to shout over buses.
• Accessible. Level paths, benches along the way and a pace that suits everyone. Ask rather than assume.
• With a halfway point. A bench with a view or a coffee kiosk gives a natural moment to pause and summarise.

Set it up properly

• Say it is a walking meeting in the invitation, so people can bring comfortable shoes and a jacket.
• Offer an alternative. Some people cannot or would rather not walk, for all sorts of reasons. Make sitting down an easy, unremarkable option.
• Agree the purpose at the start. "We are deciding X" or "I want your thoughts on Y" keeps the conversation from drifting into weekend plans. Although some drift is part of the charm.
• Check the weather. Have a plan B for heavy rain.

Capturing what you decide

The most common failure of walking meetings is that nobody writes anything down. Options:

• Pause at the halfway point and note the key points on your phone.
• Record a quick voice memo at the end, summarising decisions and next steps, with everyone's agreement.
• Send three lines by message once you are back at your desk: what we decided, who does what, when.

Keep it light. The point of walking is not to replicate a formal meeting outdoors.

Making it a habit

If walking meetings suit your team, make them a regular slot, such as the weekly one-to-one on Thursday afternoon, so they stop being a novelty. They are also one of the simplest ways to add movement to a working day; our piece on moving more with a desk job has other ideas.