Remote Walking Meeting

A remote walking meeting is suitable for, for example, status updates and brainstorming and from meetings of a few people to team meetings of several people. During hybrid work, a remote walking meeting outdoors cuts off sitting and increases movement, which is good for the wellbeing of mind and body.

Aalto's staff are encouraged to have remote walking meetings outdoors as part of Aalto's hybrid way of working and to support everyone's wellbeing at work.

The benefits of a walking meeting

• A walking meeting increases daily exercise and reduces sitting, which is good for health. When you go outside during the working day, you can enjoy daylight for longer and get energy for the working day.
• The natural environment revives and reduces stress and, according to research, increases creative thinking. Being on the move can also activate thinking and thus walking outdoors can produce better ideas.
• A walking meeting forces you to focus on what you want to bring out before the meeting, and to remind you of what you agreed upon at the end of the meeting, because browsing notes is difficult when walking.

Practical tips

• Meeting invitations can already be added to a calendar invitation as a place tip "suitable for a walking meeting". You can attend a remote meeting in Teams or Zoom with a cell phone in your pocket and headphones in your ears.
• Before the meeting, you can write your own notes, for example, as keywords on a small notepad, and after walking it is easier to write better notes for yourself based on them and the discussions.
• The number of participants in a walking meeting depends on the nature of the meeting, but for example 2-8 people can be a good number to enable an active discussion
• The meeting can also be arranged partly outdoors and partly indoors, for example, first a 30-minute outdoor walking meeting and 15 minutes’ summary indoors.

Note weather and safety conditions

• A walking meeting is appropriate for many of us, but not necessarily for all of us, depending on our current life, health, or work situation. Obstacles to a walking meeting can also be a hurry and a tight schedule. If loaded, going out may feel like an extra effort.
• Weather can be an obstacle, but it can be affected by proper dress and attitude. If there is a storm / wind or sleet or the roads are slippery, you should stay indoors.
• When choosing a route, safety should also be taken into account - when immersing yourself in a conversation, you should not walk in traffic.

The source of the article is an article from the National Institute of Occupational Health
https://www.ttl.fi/tyopiste/kavelykokous-ajatustenvaihtoa-ulkoilmassa/