4 ms·

Walk and Talk

102 points by simonebrunozzi 3y ago

MrDresden 3y ago
Not quite the same, but I negotiated my current role while on a stroll around the neighborhood with the CTO. Really gave me a fresh perspective on how to do important meetings differently from now on.
haskellandchill 3y ago
I'm down.
robg 3y ago
Greatest gift from the pandemic was learning to walk outside during the many bs meetings.
timdiggerm 3y ago
He is almost certainly writing about the laktest Walk and Talk from Craig Mod and Kevin Kelley (https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/043/); https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/043/); Jason Kottke was also on that trip (https://kottke.org/23/11/please-welcome-edith-zimmerman-to-the-site https://kottke.org/23/11/please-welcome-edith-zimmerman-to-t...)
- simonebrunozzi 3y ago
  I love reading about Craig. This is also a good read [0] on his walks in Tokyo. [0]: https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/146/ https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/146/
- dewey 3y ago
  That is mentioned at the end of the post where the photo credit is given to cmod.
  - timdiggerm 3y ago
    I am disappointed that I missed that. Sorry
sixhobbits 3y ago
also a great format for 1:1s, meetings, updates, annual events, etc etc (doesn't have to be 8 days, 1h is already very good. I haven't done 8 days, but after 2-3 days I felt like I was ready to have a bed and an office again). The 'agreed group topics' sound awful to me, but I've also experienced this and it's really cool: > Everyone naturally goes in and out of little 2-3 person conversations while walking.
- jimbokun 3y ago
  Steve Jobs famously frequently scheduled one on one meetings as a walk.
1970-01-01 3y ago
I wish this was a thing in the US. There are thousands of miles of hiking trails and some of them wind through beautiful national parks. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/maps.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/maps.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-scenic-trails.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-s...
- Brajeshwar 3y ago
  I stumbled on this recently (I think here on HN); The Crosstown Trail: San Francisco in 17 Miles - https://crosstowntrail.org https://crosstowntrail.org
sf4lifer 3y ago
Walking and talking is my preferred method of communication. I use to wait until I had a call scheduled but now I just go (3-4X a day) and send/listen to audio messages.
dewey 3y ago
> Every night over a private dinner, the entire group has a single conversation around one subject, which the group chose the night before. Everyone stays involved in this one conversation, exploring one topic to exhaustion. All the other points make a lot of sense to me, but something about deciding on topics and sticking to these sounds a bit over engineered to me. I've never taken part in such a setting so maybe I just don't get it yet, but it seems very limiting.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > I've never taken part in such a setting so maybe I just don't get it yet, but it seems very limiting. Yeah, that's how it strike me, too. I suppose it depends on the purpose of the conversation. If it's for enjoyment, constraining it to a single topic sounds awful. Most of the joy of good conversation is in how it rambles across topics according to the mood of the participants and serendipity. But if it's a focus group of some sort, then limiting to a single topic is desirable.
  - TeMPOraL 3y ago
    Perhaps it's why I've never been good at such dinner conversations. Invariably, just as I've thought of something to contribute to the current topic, someone interrupts the previous speaker to throw a random non sequitur, and the topic and/or mood of the conversation changes to something entirely different.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      Oh, yeah, that happens all the time! I learned to just let it go and drop whatever contribution I had to add to the conversation before the topic shift. Instead, I switch to the new topic. It's a bit like dancing with someone in that respect. You have to be ready to alter your moves so that you can stay in sync with your partner. The magic is in the coordination.
      - TeMPOraL 3y ago
        I've learned the same. But I've never learned to keep pace. You can't stay in sync when you're constantly lagging. (Then again, I can't dance well either, so maybe I have some Generalized Pace-Keeping Disorder; is that a thing in DSM-5?)
tra3 3y ago
I've got a treadmill under my work desk. I notice that when I'm walking I can focus on meetings and actually process auditory information way better. Makes me wonder how I would've done in school if walking was an option. I did a 5 day wilderness backpacking trip this summer and it's a godsend for disconnecting and mental health though I guess what Sivers is talking about is a slightly different format. I'll have to think about this some for when I'm older.
- NickC25 3y ago
  >I've got a treadmill under my work desk. I notice that when I'm walking I can focus on meetings and actually process auditory information way better. Makes me wonder how I would've done in school if walking was an option. I wish I had a desk treadmill, but I completely agree with you. We are not meant to sit at desks all day every day. We are meant to move, to exercise, to be active. I would have done SO much better in school (and in life) had I been able to move more. I love tech, gaming, and solitary activities, but I really think that schools need to prioritize physical activity as well, because so many young children are diagnosed as ADHD and the reason for that is that they simply don't get the amount of exercise required. You show me a kid with ADHD, I show you a kid whose parents shoved a screen in front of them as a toddler, and a kid whose parents are afraid to make the kid work hard physically. I am one of them, although I did take to organized sports as a young teen (which helped me tremendously, but would have helped much moreso if I had started earlier). It carries into adulthood as well. People have concentration issues because they aren't physically conditioned to concentrate for long periods of time.
  - theonething 3y ago
    I tried an under desk treadmill. Couldn't focus when coding. Just too much body movement even on slow speeds. I returned it.
  - sureglymop 3y ago
    As someone with ADHD who grew up in the countryside without any screens and with a lot of physical work, that sentence made you seem as clueless as you could be.
malux85 3y ago
I would love to do this, if anyone is in NZ and wants to get one of these going count me in
- tmnvix 3y ago
  Given that you're in NZ, one place that I could recommend doing this would be the Abel Tasman track. It gets very busy during peak season but there are definitely times that it is much less crowded and the weather is still good (the last time I experienced this was August some years ago). The reason that I think this track would be a good choice is that it is relatively easy (coastal - little elevation), a good length (i.e. around 5 comfortable days), and you can have the water taxis transfer your bags between huts/campgrounds. It's also absolutely beautiful of course. On a related note, it's interesting to read this here as I'm an avid walker-and-talker and pretty sure that I live within about 20min walk of the author (unless he's moved of course). In fact, only last week I went on a great hill/bush walk in the area with an old friend that recently returned from Germany to work here doing materials science for a space-tech organisation. Not something I know much about, but I know a lot more about it since that walk! Edit: Another walk where I think the same thing might be possible (using water taxis to transport bags) is the Queen Charlotte track in the Marlborough Sounds. I haven't yet done it myself but I understand that it is also an easy walk and might even have the added advantage of lodges with restaurants along the way!
jph 3y ago
Want to do a walk and talk on the Wales Coast Trail in April or May? I'm doing these to/from Aberystwyth, a seaside university town. https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/ https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/ You can message me at joel@joelparkerhenderson.com.
pentagrama 3y ago
This reminds me the Russian movie Stalker in some way. > A guide helps a writer and a professor to infiltrate a restricted area, the Zone. Paying no heed to the dangers which lay ahead, they proceed towards the Room in order to fulfil their desires.
simonebrunozzi 3y ago
I am planning to organize one in Venice, Italy in 2024. If interested, please email me at $HN_username at gmail

Not quite the same, but I negotiated my current role while on a stroll around the neighborhood with the CTO. Really gave me a fresh perspective on how to do important meetings differently from now on.

haskellandchill 3y ago

I'm down.

robg 3y ago

Greatest gift from the pandemic was learning to walk outside during the many bs meetings.

timdiggerm 3y ago

He is almost certainly writing about the laktest Walk and Talk from Craig Mod and Kevin Kelley (https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/043/); https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/043/); Jason Kottke was also on that trip (https://kottke.org/23/11/please-welcome-edith-zimmerman-to-the-site https://kottke.org/23/11/please-welcome-edith-zimmerman-to-t...)

simonebrunozzi 3y ago
I love reading about Craig. This is also a good read [0] on his walks in Tokyo. [0]: https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/146/ https://craigmod.com/ridgeline/146/
dewey 3y ago
That is mentioned at the end of the post where the photo credit is given to cmod.
- timdiggerm 3y ago
  I am disappointed that I missed that. Sorry

sixhobbits 3y ago

also a great format for 1:1s, meetings, updates, annual events, etc etc (doesn't have to be 8 days, 1h is already very good. I haven't done 8 days, but after 2-3 days I felt like I was ready to have a bed and an office again). The 'agreed group topics' sound awful to me, but I've also experienced this and it's really cool: > Everyone naturally goes in and out of little 2-3 person conversations while walking.

jimbokun 3y ago
Steve Jobs famously frequently scheduled one on one meetings as a walk.

1970-01-01 3y ago

I wish this was a thing in the US. There are thousands of miles of hiking trails and some of them wind through beautiful national parks. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/maps.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/maps.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-scenic-trails.htm https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-s...

Brajeshwar 3y ago
I stumbled on this recently (I think here on HN); The Crosstown Trail: San Francisco in 17 Miles - https://crosstowntrail.org https://crosstowntrail.org

sf4lifer 3y ago

Walking and talking is my preferred method of communication. I use to wait until I had a call scheduled but now I just go (3-4X a day) and send/listen to audio messages.

dewey 3y ago

> Every night over a private dinner, the entire group has a single conversation around one subject, which the group chose the night before. Everyone stays involved in this one conversation, exploring one topic to exhaustion. All the other points make a lot of sense to me, but something about deciding on topics and sticking to these sounds a bit over engineered to me. I've never taken part in such a setting so maybe I just don't get it yet, but it seems very limiting.

JohnFen 3y ago
> I've never taken part in such a setting so maybe I just don't get it yet, but it seems very limiting. Yeah, that's how it strike me, too. I suppose it depends on the purpose of the conversation. If it's for enjoyment, constraining it to a single topic sounds awful. Most of the joy of good conversation is in how it rambles across topics according to the mood of the participants and serendipity. But if it's a focus group of some sort, then limiting to a single topic is desirable.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  Perhaps it's why I've never been good at such dinner conversations. Invariably, just as I've thought of something to contribute to the current topic, someone interrupts the previous speaker to throw a random non sequitur, and the topic and/or mood of the conversation changes to something entirely different.
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    Oh, yeah, that happens all the time! I learned to just let it go and drop whatever contribution I had to add to the conversation before the topic shift. Instead, I switch to the new topic. It's a bit like dancing with someone in that respect. You have to be ready to alter your moves so that you can stay in sync with your partner. The magic is in the coordination.
    - TeMPOraL 3y ago
      I've learned the same. But I've never learned to keep pace. You can't stay in sync when you're constantly lagging. (Then again, I can't dance well either, so maybe I have some Generalized Pace-Keeping Disorder; is that a thing in DSM-5?)

tra3 3y ago

I've got a treadmill under my work desk. I notice that when I'm walking I can focus on meetings and actually process auditory information way better. Makes me wonder how I would've done in school if walking was an option. I did a 5 day wilderness backpacking trip this summer and it's a godsend for disconnecting and mental health though I guess what Sivers is talking about is a slightly different format. I'll have to think about this some for when I'm older.

NickC25 3y ago
>I've got a treadmill under my work desk. I notice that when I'm walking I can focus on meetings and actually process auditory information way better. Makes me wonder how I would've done in school if walking was an option. I wish I had a desk treadmill, but I completely agree with you. We are not meant to sit at desks all day every day. We are meant to move, to exercise, to be active. I would have done SO much better in school (and in life) had I been able to move more. I love tech, gaming, and solitary activities, but I really think that schools need to prioritize physical activity as well, because so many young children are diagnosed as ADHD and the reason for that is that they simply don't get the amount of exercise required. You show me a kid with ADHD, I show you a kid whose parents shoved a screen in front of them as a toddler, and a kid whose parents are afraid to make the kid work hard physically. I am one of them, although I did take to organized sports as a young teen (which helped me tremendously, but would have helped much moreso if I had started earlier). It carries into adulthood as well. People have concentration issues because they aren't physically conditioned to concentrate for long periods of time.
- theonething 3y ago
  I tried an under desk treadmill. Couldn't focus when coding. Just too much body movement even on slow speeds. I returned it.
- sureglymop 3y ago
  As someone with ADHD who grew up in the countryside without any screens and with a lot of physical work, that sentence made you seem as clueless as you could be.

malux85 3y ago

I would love to do this, if anyone is in NZ and wants to get one of these going count me in

tmnvix 3y ago
Given that you're in NZ, one place that I could recommend doing this would be the Abel Tasman track. It gets very busy during peak season but there are definitely times that it is much less crowded and the weather is still good (the last time I experienced this was August some years ago). The reason that I think this track would be a good choice is that it is relatively easy (coastal - little elevation), a good length (i.e. around 5 comfortable days), and you can have the water taxis transfer your bags between huts/campgrounds. It's also absolutely beautiful of course. On a related note, it's interesting to read this here as I'm an avid walker-and-talker and pretty sure that I live within about 20min walk of the author (unless he's moved of course). In fact, only last week I went on a great hill/bush walk in the area with an old friend that recently returned from Germany to work here doing materials science for a space-tech organisation. Not something I know much about, but I know a lot more about it since that walk! Edit: Another walk where I think the same thing might be possible (using water taxis to transport bags) is the Queen Charlotte track in the Marlborough Sounds. I haven't yet done it myself but I understand that it is also an easy walk and might even have the added advantage of lodges with restaurants along the way!

jph 3y ago

Want to do a walk and talk on the Wales Coast Trail in April or May? I'm doing these to/from Aberystwyth, a seaside university town. https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/ https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/ You can message me at joel@joelparkerhenderson.com.

pentagrama 3y ago

This reminds me the Russian movie Stalker in some way. > A guide helps a writer and a professor to infiltrate a restricted area, the Zone. Paying no heed to the dangers which lay ahead, they proceed towards the Room in order to fulfil their desires.

simonebrunozzi 3y ago

I am planning to organize one in Venice, Italy in 2024. If interested, please email me at $HN_username at gmail