Why Would You Want to Lead Quiet Hour?

Good question.

Let's talk about what it is, the problem it solves, and how it can help you as a leader.

Noise and Stress on Mental and Physical Health

Rumbling traffic, blaring car alarms, pinging message alerts, upsetting 24-hour news. Today, we're more disconnected from nature and bombarded with noise and stress than ever.

Research shows this noise and stress have some serious mental and physical health risks like anxiety and depression, aggression, hypertension, early death, and more.

On the other hand, research shows some surprising health benefits of quiet and nature like reduced stress, better mood, better social interactions, improved heart health, longer life, and more.

In fact, research indicates nature can meet psychological and emotional needs that are difficult to meet any other way.

But in today's noisy, hectic, high-tech world, these benefits are out of reach for most people.

That's Where Quiet Hour Comes In!

It can help bridge this gap and bring the benefits of quiet and nature to many more people.

It offers people something they value but are missing:

· A survey of 2,000 people shows outdoors is the number one place people wish they'd gone more in the past year.

· More than four thousand public comments show that what eighty percent of people want to do in parks is relax in nature.

· A review of 78 studies of nearly six thousand people shows still, passive outdoor activities reduced negative mental health issues, like stress, more than physical activities did.

· Studies show feeling connected with nature increases a sense that life is worthwhile, four times more than money does.

· And the best way to feel connected with nature is to simply notice it.

· But, of thirty random organizations' more than 300 guided outdoor programs, zero focus on these things.

Again, Quiet Hour can help bridge this gap. Adding it can appeal to more people and help them even more.

What is Quiet Hour?

It's an easy way to help people reduce stress and feel inner peace outside.

Unlike most outdoor group activities or interpretive programs, it's not about learning a skill or information.

It's about enjoying nature as a refuge from the pressures of modern life.

It's based on a simple four-step process. Center, breathe, notice, and appreciate. Woven into this process are nine techniques or influences that research shows have a calming or uplifting effect. They're things like sensory awareness, earthing or grounding, and effortless attention or soft fascination.

Also, the group sessions offer social support without social pressure. They let people rest in nature together without having to talk, concentrate, perform in some way, or worry about being judged. And this creates a rare feeling of ease.

The response is great. For example, a series of eighteen sessions were led for different random participants. Here are surveys from just a few of them. After every session, 100% of participants surveyed said they enjoyed it, it was relaxing, and it helped them feel closer to nature. One hundred percent of their optional comments were positive too.

What are Quiet Hour's Benefits for You as a Leader?

You'll get a new way to serve audiences. It's for everyone, including people with disabilities and other groups.

That's because it's:

Audience-centered, being customizable, highly experiential, and offering participants a meaningful personal benefit.

· It's done seated and is multisensory.

· It can easily be delivered in a second language, since it doesn't involve much speaking.

· And, it's trauma-informed, emphasizing things like participant's sense of safety and choice.

You'll also get a new way to turn nature into a stress-relief and mental-wellness resource. You'll help people enjoy nature in a new way, not by learning about it, playing in it, working in it, or exercising in it, but by feeling inner peace in it. And this feeling will probably increase people's appreciation for your organization, and nature, for bringing them that experience.

It will probably also increase their sense of stewardship. It builds what research shows is the number one factor in whether people help nature. More than knowledge, that factor is feeling connected with nature by noticing it.

You'll get a program that's flexible. You can offer it in any natural spot, from a desert to a rainforest, a city park to a campground. You can offer it in any season, at any time of day or evening, and for either an hour or a half-hour.

You'll also get a program that's easy to incorporate into your schedule. It can be led by anyone, after less than an hour, studying the group leader's training program.

It's easy to conduct. It has a relaxed pace and doesn't require much speaking or materials or any physical fitness or special expertise. Plus, it's easy to lead because nature is your co-facilitator.

It's also easy to measure. You'll get to see how effective it is through the included optional surveys.

And, you'll get a program that's versatile. You can offer it as a standalone activity or as an addition to other activities. For example, if you're leading an educational nature walk, you could start it with Quiet Half-Hour and then do the walk. Starting with it will probably help participants feel more settled, more personally connected to the area, and more interested in learning about it during the walk. Adding a version of Quiet Hour like this, you can enhance nearly any outdoor activity.

It's also versatile in the audiences it can help. You can use it with ones that are external, like visitors and customers, as well as ones that are internal, like employees and volunteers. Offering it internally on a regular basis can help increase engagement and prevent burnout.

For both audiences, Quiet Hour can make their experience with your organization even better.

Quiet Hour Variations

Plus, in addition to standard Quiet Hour, you can offer variations of it. The training explains how to offer variations like:

· Quiet Birdwatching

· Quiet Nature Art

· Quiet Picnic

· Quiet Stargazing

· and more.

They'll help you reach people with different interests.

Versatile in How It Can Be Delivered

Plus, it's versatile in how it can be delivered. You can deliver it in leader-led group sessions and you can offer it for self-led solo sessions. People can do solo sessions on their own or with their friends or relatives in any natural spot anytime they like. This lets you easily share Quiet Hour's benefits with far more people.

The Quiet Hour Kit

You'll get tools to reach everyone with the Quiet Hour Kit. For leader-led sessions, it gives you the training for group leaders.

Training for Group Leaders

The training includes videos. These explain everything about offering sessions from planning, to leading, to evaluating how sessions went.

The training also includes audio recordings. You can play the audios for most of each session, making leading much easier.

And, the training includes an e-book. It has all the guidance and reproducible forms, like a checklist, flyers, and surveys.

The training is thorough, but concise. So after less than one hour with it, anyone can start offering group sessions.

Training for Self-Led Sessions

For self-led sessions, you'll get the individuals' audio program. This tells people about Quiet Hour and lets them listen along to recordings of the process in different lengths. Your organization could add the audio program to your online portal or mobile app, and encourage people to listen to it.

There's also a transcript of the audio program. It has the program written out, and more tools people can use to do sessions.

You'll also get a template for a rack card. It summarizes Quiet Hour and has the main steps people can do on their own. You could customize the card and offer it in brochure holders, with other handouts, or printed as part of another brochure.

With all these tools, the program empowers you to help everyone involved with your organization.

To Sum It Up

Quiet Hour gives you a one-of-a-kind way to engage current audiences and attract new ones.

It's potentially transformative, since it can improve how people manage their stress and care for nature.

And, they can keep practicing it on their own for the rest of their lives.

So, it's win-win for you, your organization, your participants, and nature.

To preview the full program, please contact us.