Next week the GLP partners and staff convene in Raleigh, North Carolina for our semi-annual retreat. One of the things that’s very common at our gatherings are “walk and talk” meetings during our extended lunch hours. Something about talking while walking jogs (ha ha) the brain in ways that talking while sitting does not, and it’s a great facilitation tool to use to engage your learners, especially when energy levels are low.
Apparently the serotonin levels in your brain are elevated when you walk so you feel happier, a good thing for learning. There are even some therapists who are using the walk and talk method rather than the proverbial couch.
Kate Hays, PhD, author of Working It Out: Using Exercise in Psychotherapy “cites three key reasons for combining exercise and therapy:
- It encourages a patient to be more physically active for mental and physical reasons.
- It helps a patient get “unstuck”when confronting difficult issues.
- It spurs creative,deeper ways of thinking often released by mood-improving physical activity.”
Turns out that the “walk and talk” really originated as a handy story-telling technique for television and the big screen. Maybe that’s part of why we enjoy it so much; we can feel as important as film characters (like some of my favorites on The West Wing, where they’re always walking and talking).
“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.” ~ Soren Kierkegaard
As a facilitator, think about using the Walk and Talk when energy is low, you need to change spaces, or your learning design has involved a lot of previous sitting. Give clear instructions about what to talk about for a specific amount of time.
And hey, while you’re designing your learning event, if you’re stuck on something and can’t figure it out, take a break and take a walk. Chances are good you’ll jog your brain into some great new thinking.
What kinds of walk and talk tasks have you used?
(And if you’d like to learn even more great facilitation ideas, consider joining us for The Art of Facilitation on March 8 & 9 in Raleigh, North Carolina.)
I love the idea of a walk and talk. How is this best incorporated into a classroom or larger group? Is time given for individuals or small groups to walk,or does the larger group walk together? Is this applicable to a college classroom?
On a similar note,my son’s preschool uses Minds in Motion (http://www.mimlearning.com/) to prepare them for learning. I guess we could all use a little motion for our minds.
Lori
Glasser,with his Reality Therapy,was perhaps origninally the best known therapist to move talk off the couch and into walking. It’s wonderful to see brain research suppport his intuitive understandings.
Thanks,Jim. For those who are interested,here’s a link to the Glasser Institute:
http://www.wglasser.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=28.
Interesting stuff!
Walking is something I do when I want to clear my head or sometimes think and reflect. Aside from its calming/therapeutic effect on me,I get healthy benefits,too!
There’s a great book focusing on learning and exercise called,Spark:The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey,MD with Eric Hagerman. It was a fun and interesting read (actually “listen”which I did while I exercised!).
Love that you practiced what they were teaching,Darlene! thanks for the recommendation. Sounds fascinating!
When we were doing LEARNING TO LISTEN LEARNING TO TEACH at the Avila Retreat Center in Durham,we would often send pairs out into the cold or into the idyllic May sunshine to complete a learning task.
I didn’t’know about serotonin levels,but I knew it worked for all involved!
Jane
While working at a wilderness camp for a number of years,we would use a ‘walk and talk’the very first day as a way for incoming instructors to get to know one another better. It provided a focused time for discussion,but also allowed for movement (wilderness instructors get restless
) and reomved the potential akwardness of first-time conversation. A wonderful exercise!
And here’s a perfect example of the task suiting the audience (the WHO). Sounds like the walk and talk is perfect for the outdoorsy folks. Thanks,Lina.
After reading your blog and writing a few words in response,I read an email from my brother. He has no connection to DE or the GLP community,but somehow knew I/we needed to see this quote:
“Above all,do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts,and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”
~ Soren Kierkegaard
Perfect.
Ha,that’s great,Jeanette! I love it when these things happen –same quote,different venues,serendipitous!
It’s funny but I often struggle with these “walk and talks”and prefer to look eye-to-eye with the person I am talking to. I’m used to walking being a solo thoughtful thing with the purpose of “clearing my head”. If I stroll…well then it works better.
Definately it’s a good energy booster though!
Maybe you can walk sideways,Jeanette,so you can face the person . . . or backwards!
I would imagine like every other learning task,some work better for others than not and this one just doesn’t suit your style.