8 tips for outdoor meetings
Indoor/outdoor, new meeting formats such as Walk & Talk, Stand-up Meeting or Energizer are becoming increasingly popular, enabling people to work together while enjoying the many benefits of nature.
Here are a few tips on how to make the most of this green working time.
1/ Be clear about your objective
No slides, note-taking, presentations or document sharing. Outdoor meetings are reserved for brainstorming, problem-solving and lively discussion. Your objective will be to get people talking, exchanging and debating ideas.
2/ Choose the right format
The right meeting format for every objective:
- Brainstorming? Think Walk & Talk
- An informal leader/collaborator meeting? Think Fireside Chat
- Team-building or a sub-committee in a busy schedule? Think Stand-up Meeting
- A group in need of a boost? Think Energizers.
And let the benefits of the natural world do the rest...
3/ Adapt group size
For optimum comfort, we recommend a maximum of 5 or 6 people for Walk & Talk, ten or so for Stand-up Meetings and more for Energizers. For Walk & Talk, the idea is to walk together, at the same pace, so that everyone can participate and hear well. Hearing comfort and speaking time will be much more convincing with smaller groups, just as with Stand-up Meetings. Energizers, on the other hand, draw their energy from a group, and support a large number of participants.
4/ Limit your time
Do you enjoy walking? 20, 30 or 40 minutes are enough. Beyond that, counter-productive fatigue can set in. Keeping to a time limit also helps you stay focused on the subject at hand. Stand-up meetings should last no longer than 20 to 30 minutes. Bear in mind that every outdoor meeting format should be suitable for all physical conditions.
5/ Disconnect!
For Walk & Talk, switch off your phone and encourage your participants to do the same. Enjoying the benefits of nature should be done without interference between you and the natural environment. It's also an opportunity to really get to know each other, and get back to basics.
6/ Debrief immediately
Don't go your separate ways as soon as the meeting is over: debrief "on the fly" and debrief immediately. Capture the energy and ideas accumulated during the meeting to move forward with your projects.
7/ Choose the right time of day
A few strategic moments in the day accentuate the effectiveness of Walk & Talk: mid-morning, to take advantage of the time when the brain is most apt to be focused and attentive, or around 5pm, to reboost and refocus. Energizers are most effective just before a long day and just after lunch. As for Fireside Chats, they are generally scheduled for the end of the day.
8/ Walk... but not just anywhere!
Walking is not enough to be productive. The environment of your walking meeting is of course essential. Choose a quiet location, free from noise pollution, with trees, easy access and adapted to everyone's physical condition. The ideal setting is in the heart of nature. Woods, parks, meadows, waterways, fill up on green. Nature revitalizes, reduces stress and boosts creativity, so make the most of it!
