Soundwalk
A Soundwalk is a silent walk whose only purpose is to listen to the surroundings. The term comes from the World Soundscape Project around R. Murray Schafer in Vancouver in the 1970s, and the practice was set out by composer Hildegard Westerkamp in her 1974 essay 'Soundwalking'. Attention moves in stages from the sounds of your own body outwards to near, distant and very quiet sounds, and finally to the whole place heard at once.
Facilitation script
- 1
Brief the group in the room: purpose, silence, the listening stages, the hand signals and the route.
5 min - 2
Start walking slowly; listen to your own body sounds.
5 min - 3
Signal the shift to nearby sounds and their sources, and to what is constant and what comes and goes.
7 min - 4
Stop at a quiet point and listen for the farthest and then the quietest sound.
5 min - 5
Walk the final stretch listening to everything at once.
6 min - 6
Return, make silent notes or a sound map.
2 min - 7
Debrief in pairs and then in plenary.
10 min
Tips
Give all instructions before you leave and agree hand signals for the cues, otherwise you break the silence you asked for.
Walk more slowly than feels natural, since a normal pace turns it into a commute.
Lead from the front and have a second person at the back if the route crosses traffic, because people who are concentrating on listening pay less attention to where they step.
Common pitfalls
Giving instructions along the way in a normal voice, which keeps pulling attention back to the facilitator instead of the place
Walking at commuting pace, so people cover distance but never get beyond the loudest sounds
Skipping the debrief, which leaves the walk as a pleasant break with no link to the session
Running the eyes-closed variant on stairs, kerbs or near traffic, or without asking consent, which risks injury and makes some people anxious
Letting a few people chat at the back; one conversation is enough to end the silence for everyone
Variations
Pairs with eyes closed: one person closes their eyes or wears a blindfold and is guided by a partner, then they swap; hearing sharpens noticeably, but it needs a safe route and explicit consent. Solo: send people out alone with a card listing the stages and a return time. Stationary: if walking is not possible, sit in one spot for ten minutes and listen through the same stages. Remote: each participant walks alone near home during a 20-minute break and returns to the call to compare what they heard. Fieldwork: for service or urban design, add a sound map on which people mark where each sound was heard.
Where it fits
When to use it
A group has spent hours talking and looking at screens and needs a real change of mode, not a coffee break
You are about to work on listening skills and want people to experience how much they normally filter out
A design team is studying a place, such as a station, a ward or an office floor, and has only looked at it so far
The venue has interesting surroundings and the agenda has 30 to 45 minutes of slack
You want a quiet shared experience at the start of a retreat before people begin to talk
When not to use it
The group needs to raise its energy quickly: a short physical energiser does that better than a slow silent walk
You want people to talk something through while moving: use a Paired Walk instead
The only available route is unsafe, very loud or inaccessible to some participants: run the stationary version
Participants include deaf or hard-of-hearing people and the exercise has not been adapted with them: offer a wider sensory walk covering sight, touch and smell
You have less than 20 minutes: the outward stretch of attention needs time to settle
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Soundwalk?▾
A Soundwalk is a walk taken in silence with the sole purpose of listening to the environment. Participants move their attention step by step from their own body sounds to near, far and faint sounds and then to the place as a whole. It can be done alone, in pairs or as a group.
Where does the soundwalk come from?▾
The term was introduced in the 1970s by members of the World Soundscape Project, a research group in Vancouver led by composer R. Murray Schafer. Hildegard Westerkamp, a member of that group, described the practice in her essay 'Soundwalking', first published in 1974. Its roots are in acoustic ecology, not in mindfulness training.
How long should a soundwalk last?▾
In a workshop, plan 30 to 60 minutes including briefing and debrief, with 15 to 30 minutes of actual walking. Shorter walks rarely get past the obvious sounds. Westerkamp's essay itself sets no duration.
Can a soundwalk be done indoors?▾
Yes. Office buildings, stairwells, canteens and car parks have distinct soundscapes, and an indoor route is useful in bad weather or for workplace design research. Agree the route with the venue so a silent group does not surprise people at work.
What do you ask in the debrief of a soundwalk?▾
Start with the concrete: which sound surprised you, which did you only notice late. Then link to the purpose of the session, for example what the group habitually tunes out in meetings, or what the sounds reveal about how this place is used.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Hildegard Westerkamp; World Soundscape Project.