Benefits of Walking Meetings: What the Research Says and How to Run Them

Walking meetings – or walk-and-talk meetings – swap the conference room for a path, a park or a corridor. They add movement to the workday and often lead to better conversations. In a previous article we shared how our own team made walking meetings a daily habit. Here we look at what research says about the benefits, when walking meetings work best and how to run them well.

What the Research Says

• More creative ideas. In a series of Stanford experiments, walking increased people's creative output by about 60% on average compared with sitting, and the boost carried over for a short time after the walk.
• Less sitting. The WHO recommends limiting sedentary time and replacing it with physical activity of any intensity – a walking meeting does exactly that.
• Lower stress outdoors. In one study, a 90-minute walk in nature reduced rumination compared with an urban walk, and spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature has been linked to better health and wellbeing.

7 Benefits of Walking Meetings

1. Better brainstorming: walking helps ideas flow.
2. Movement during the workday: a 30-minute walking meeting adds around 3,000 steps.
3. Fresh air and daylight, especially valuable in the darker months.
4. Easier conversations: many people find talking side by side less formal than sitting across a table.
5. Fewer distractions: no screens, no notifications.
6. More energy for the rest of the afternoon.
7. Stronger relationships: walking together builds trust – see the neuroscience of team walks.

When Walking Meetings Work Best (and When They Don't)

Great for: one-to-ones, brainstorming, check-ins, coaching conversations and small groups of two to four people.

Less suitable for: meetings that need screens or detailed notes, confidential topics on busy routes, and large groups.

How to Run a Great Walk-and-Talk Meeting

1. Share a short agenda with one to three topics.
2. Plan a 20–30 minute loop that ends where you started, on a safe, quiet route.
3. Tell people in advance so they can bring comfortable shoes and a jacket.
4. Capture decisions right after with a quick voice note or a few lines in your notes app.
5. Make it inclusive: choose step-free routes, keep a comfortable pace and offer a seated or call-in alternative for anyone who prefers it.
6. Have a bad-weather plan: corridors, covered walkways or an indoor track work too.
7. Keep sensitive topics private: choose quiet routes or move confidential discussions indoors.

Make It a Habit

Leaders who hold walking meetings themselves make it normal for everyone else. Linking walking meetings to a team step challenge is another easy win – the steps count automatically from phones and wearables. See the walking challenge app and our corporate step challenge ideas.

Want to get your team walking more? Book a YuMuuv demo.