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Staying connected to nature increases levels of creativity and focus, which are vital to high performance in the meeting industry, according to Ciara Feely, an author who teaches listening skills to sales leaders and their teams.

"The natural world is our home; it is where we live. It is not something to try to enjoy at the weekend or when on vacation," she says. "It being part of us makes me conscious to make it part of my every day. Being outside improves our physical well-being. It is scientifically proven to improve sleep and reduce stress and anxiety."

The biggest impact nature has had on Feely: it has helped her become a better listener, to "slow down and really focus on the other person."

"It’s listening to understand rather than to reply, as John Maxwell says," Feely says.

She coaches sales leaders on the importance of listening because "business is lost when clients do not feel really listened to."

"Most importantly, when stakeholders fail to listen deeply, events risk missing their true purpose and the outcomes that matter most," Feely says. "You change the world by changing what people feel, think, say and do. It takes deep listening to figure out how to best design an experience that will do that." 

‘CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF’

A simple way to work the wonders of nature into your everyday habits is to pause more often, according to Feely.

"As Lao Tzu says, ‘Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.’ Check in with yourself and tune into what is going on around you," she says. "Back-to-back meetings are commonplace in the event industry, yet they don’t help us to accomplish more."

With this in mind, a couple of years ago, Feely decided to schedule more 30-minute meetings instead of one-hour meetings and “build in a break in-between these meetings to action what I just had the meeting about.”

“If you observe birds, in particular, they don’t sit on the one branch for the day. They are busy looking for food all day long. They pause on a branch or wire in-between their search—tweet for a while and then move on to their next task,” she says. “Perhaps we could take from that to schedule more pauses or breaks into our day. This helps our brain filter the conversation we just had, decide on some actions, then feel rejuvenated to focus on our next task or meeting.”

Feely has discovered that a great way to practice your listening skills is to sit and observe nature.

"Nature is everywhere, so even if you are in the middle of the city, you can do this," she says. "Sit and listen or do it on your commute. Simply observe: ‘What am I hearing?’ Count the different sounds you are hearing, try to identify them, try to tune into one that is pleasing to you. See how long you can do that without getting distracted or feeling the need to take out your phone! Listening is hard, but it can be learned."

‘I FEEL RELAXED, COMFORTABLE’

Feely witnessed a great example of integrating nature into an event during one of the MPI UK & Ireland Chapter’s "MPI Insights" events, the brainchild of Dara Gallagher, head of events for AVCOM.

"When people walked into the conference room, they felt like they were walking into a forest," Feely says. "The music was soothing soundscapes of birds and water. There were projected moving images of forests and leaves on the wall. The lighting was a dimmed green. It felt magical walking in there."

 Feely greeted attendees at the door, where she witnessed faces lighting up and gasps of surprise, including one planner who said, "We normally have loud music blasting to get everyone into the conference room pumped. This, however, is so much better and such a surprise. I feel relaxed, comfortable and excited to discover what is going to happen next."