Fireside Chats: from living room to garden
Since the health crisis we are experiencing, we need more than ever to soften our working conditions and adapt them to our vital natural needs.
Alternating indoor and outdoor work sessions is a new norm, both to create breathing space in long working days and to generate dynamism and creativity.
Certain meeting formats, such as Fireside chats or Stand-up meetings, lend themselves well to this alternation of in & out, and no longer necessarily take place...by the fireside!
Fireside Chats: chats that combine conviviality and efficiency
The concept of Fireside Chats - which could be translated as "fireside chats" - originated with U.S. President Roosevelt, who from 1933 to 1944 addressed his compatriots on the radio in the evenings, explaining his policies in a rather informal way. At this time of day, citizens listened quietly by the stove or hearth.
Since then, the corporate world has seized on the concept to develop these friendly, interactive work sessions. After all, the aim of these Fireside Chats is to encourage interaction between leaders and employees. The question-and-answer model around a specific theme is often the most widespread.
The atmosphere of these meetings needs to be convivial. Held at the end of the day, at aperitif time with complimentary drinks, the cosy decor encourages relaxation and conversation.
If you want to break down hierarchies and establish a close relationship with the leader, you'll have to forget about slides and presentations. These oral meetings will be held without note-taking.
A concept now exported abroad
Once confined indoors, like a fireside chat, these Fireside Chats now cross the threshold of meeting rooms and take place in the open air.
It's easy to recreate a warm, intimate atmosphere outdoors. With a suitable set-up, in a quiet location, but not exceeding 20 people, these informal meetings are best held in a natural environment, as contact with nature greatly enhances the feeling of well-being and the emergence of new ideas.
These nomadic meetings can be held outdoors, on a rooftop terrace, a patch of greenery, beside a pond, in a meadow, and so on. Think also of blurred indoor/outdoor boundaries in rooms with large bay windows opening onto the outside.
This inside/outside concept is also perfectly suited to other meeting formats such as stand-up meetings or walk & talk.