Walk and Talk
Walk and Talk integrates movement and dialogue to enhance creativity, clarity, and decision-making by engaging the body and mind simultaneously.
By: Atlas of Creative Tools®
Time: 10 minutes
For: Individuals and groups
Walk and Talk is an accessible tool from the Atlas of Creative Tools® that encourages participants to engage in continuous movement—such as walking or gesturing—while responding to guided prompts. This combination of physical activity and verbal expression can lead to surprising discoveries and moments of clarity, making it useful for generating new ideas, refining existing ones, or facilitating decision-making processes.
The activity requires no special preparation or materials and can be adapted to various mobility levels, ensuring inclusivity. Participants can adjust the duration and nature of the prompts to suit their specific needs, making Walk and Talk a helpmate for problem-solving, idea generating, and editing. This tool is a favorite among PI practitioners!
Try Walk and Talk, guided by Liz Lerman
Using Walk and Talk
When trying this tool for the first time, set yourself up for movement so that you can still hear Liz’s guidance in the video. She first introduces the tool, then asks a series of prompts so you can practice. There is an on-screen timer, accompanied by some background sounds of former students using Walk and Talk. Once you learn Walk and Talk, it is easy to use spontaneously! You can create your own prompts, use questions from others as prompts, and change the amount of time for each round based on whether you want to expand or narrow in on the topic.
Reflections and variations
Some people already have ways of combining moving while talking. Do you? It may sound surprising, but the simple act of being in motion while allowing yourself to talk through something specific can lead to surprising discoveries and moments of clarity. Did you discover something new or unexpected while responding to Liz’s prompts? What other questions might you try using Walk and Talk with? If you want to synthesize your thinking about an idea, you can ask yourself a question and start with a 1 minute round. Then repeat the same question, but shorten the time to 30 seconds, then 20 seconds. Then challenge yourself to respond to the question in one sentence.