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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWalking meetings may help people generate more varied ideas, but they are not proven to make every meeting—or every kind of thinking—better. Research finds the clearest benefit for divergent thinking: coming up with multiple possibilities. Evidence is weaker for evaluating options, finding one correct answer, or improving workplace decisions. Try a walk for open-ended brainstorming; use a seated format when the task calls for documents, detailed notes, or a firm decision.
What the evidence says about walking and creativity
The best-known experiment measured creative-thinking tasks, not workplace meetings. In four experiments published in 2014, Marily Oppezzo and Daniel L. Schwartz found that walking improved performance on divergent-thinking tasks, including Guilford’s alternate-uses test. The effect also remained briefly after participants sat down. The researchers tested both indoor and outdoor walking, but those experiments do not establish that a walk outdoors makes an ordinary team meeting more creative.
The distinction between generating ideas and judging them matters. Walking showed a stronger result for alternate-uses tasks, which ask people to produce different possible uses for an object, than for compound remote associates, a task that asks people to find a fitting answer. Stanford’s account of the study describes those as different stages of creative work: producing possibilities is not the same as focused evaluation.
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis by Thabane and colleagues included 23 studies from 16 articles, with 1,036 participants; most were post-secondary students. It reported moderate-certainty evidence of a large effect on divergent thinking (d = 0.93; 95% CI 0.44–1.42). For convergent thinking, the estimated effect was small and statistically uncertain (d = 0.16; 95% CI −0.31–0.63); the authors rated the evidence very uncertain. These are group-level estimates from studies of creative tasks, not a promised gain for an individual or a typical workplace team. The authors also noted limitations in the underlying studies and search.
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Direct evidence about meetings is more limited. A 2023 proof-of-concept study had 81 same-gender pairs negotiate a simulated job offer while sitting indoors or walking side by side outdoors. Walking was associated with greater mutual liking and lower negative emotions, but the study found no significant effect on total negotiation points or mutual trust. Associations with outcome equity differed by gender. This is a narrow simulated negotiation, not proof that walking meetings improve team creativity or meeting results generally.
When a walking meeting is a good fit
Use a walk when the work is exploratory and the group needs to create options rather than select one immediately. For example, a small team could use one to brainstorm approaches to a product problem, identify possible causes of a technical issue, or explore themes for a project. These are practical applications of the divergent-thinking findings, not workplace scenarios directly tested in the experiments.
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- Good fit: open-ended discussion, generating alternatives, or seeking a fresh perspective.
- Less suitable: reviewing a shared screen or document, writing extensively, taking detailed notes, checking precise facts, or settling on one correct answer.
- Keep the group manageable: participants need to hear one another and contribute comfortably. No ideal group size for workplace walking meetings has been established.
Oppezzo told Stanford in 2014: “This isn’t to say that every task at work should be done while simultaneously walking, but those that require a fresh perspective or new ideas would benefit from it.”
How to run a practical walking meeting
The following is a reasonable way to apply the findings, not a standardized protocol tested in a trial.
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- Choose an idea-generation question. State what the group is trying to explore before leaving, such as “What are three ways to reduce setup time?” Avoid making a walk the default for a review or decision meeting.
- Pick a familiar, low-distraction route. Choose a route where people can talk without needing to navigate complicated crossings, manage noise, or watch for hazards. No particular route or scenery has been shown to independently improve creativity.
- Offer an equally valid seated option. Tell invitees that walking is optional. Do not make walking a condition of participation; people may be unable or unwilling to walk, or may find it uncomfortable.
- Capture ideas without interrupting the conversation. Agree on a simple way to remember ideas, such as having one person jot brief notes when practical. A prototype automated note-taking device has been studied, but it is not a necessary or validated consumer recommendation.
- Record and sort the ideas afterward. Once the walk ends, capture the suggestions and move into a seated or otherwise accessible session if the next step requires document review, prioritization, or a decision.
Drawbacks and limits to consider
Walking is not a substitute for focused evaluation
The evidence supports idea generation more clearly than convergent thinking. If the group must compare specifications, confirm details, draft text, or choose a single answer, a seated session is often more practical and better matched to the task. A walking meeting is not established as a general productivity or decision-quality intervention.
Participation and accessibility affect whether the format works
Walking can make it harder to share materials, write, or take detailed notes. It can also exclude or inconvenience people who cannot or do not want to walk. Keep an equivalent non-walking way to participate, and make sure everyone can hear and contribute in the chosen format. The cited creativity experiments do not quantify these access effects; they are practical considerations for planning an inclusive meeting.
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Workplace adoption may be low
A 2020 workplace feasibility study, titled Standing Meetings Are Feasible and Effective in Reducing Sitting Time among Office Workers—Walking Meetings Are Not, found that only a few walking meetings were completed. Participants described barriers and perceived the meetings as ineffective. Participation was not significantly associated with a change in sitting time, likely in part because so few employees used the option. This setting-specific result warns that a format can be hard to adopt; it does not show that all walking meetings fail.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Walking or sitting: choose by task
| Meeting need | Walking format | Seated format |
|---|---|---|
| Generate a range of ideas | A reasonable option; walking has the clearest research support for divergent-thinking tasks. | Also workable, but the cited experiments found a benefit associated with walking on certain divergent-thinking tasks. |
| Evaluate ideas or find one answer | Not the strongest fit; evidence for convergent thinking is very uncertain. | Often more practical for focused comparison and decision-making. |
| Review documents, write, or take detailed notes | Can complicate participation and information handling. | Usually better suited to shared materials and written work. |
| Ensure comfortable participation for everyone | Offer only as an option and provide an equivalent accessible alternative. | Can provide that alternative without requiring participants to walk. |
Evidence directly comparing these choices across ordinary workplace teams remains limited, so treat the table as a task-based decision guide rather than a guarantee of meeting outcomes.
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