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Life is what happen between meetings

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Mayte Mata Sivera PMO Leader | Speaker | Author Ut, United States
Hi,

I'm preparing a blog entry about meetings, no more spoiler entry, only the title.

In order to do it properly, I'm collecting some information in two different pools entries.

---What are the average attendees in your meetings?

https://www.projectmanagement.com/polls/36...your-meetings--

And

---How many meetings do you attend during a regular work week.

https://www.projectmanagement.com/polls/36...ular-work-week-

I would appreciate if you can collaborate in those polls.

Also, feel free to share here the first thought that you have in your mind when you check your email and you have a meeting request.

Example one of my thought is "No, Anoooother meeting, no"
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Mayte Mata Sivera PMO Leader | Speaker | Author Ut, United States
Jan 17, 2017 11:26 AM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
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You've completely missed my point Maria - Moreover, I do disagree with what you've mentioned regarding the different working hours in different countries which has nothing to do with how many hours on average people spend per meeting.

Anyways, it is your blog so you call the shots - It was just an idea.
Rami, yes, that's true, I missed the point. Instead of being thankfully for your proposal, directly I've written what I have in mind after several discussions with friends and read about the breakdowns for different jobs positions, I thought that from the perspective that I'm trying to give to the post will be no necessary. I should give maybe more details about what I wrote the second point.

Yes, that’s true is average, but in the case of a correct survey type I should ask more than one question, as what’s your role, an average of working hours, country, and using a maybe another tool and not the poll with only one choose that offer this site. But will be a simple blog entry, not an article or a white paper.

And yes, that's completely true that you've proposed an average, but sometimes when we talk about averages, we should take in mind that profiles that we are asking.

Example London School of Economics and Political Science found that the average CEO spends roughly 18 hours of a 55-hour work week in meetings. And, the Personal Productivity Challenge conducted by Microsoft in 2005 sampled over 38,000 people in 200 countries, in 29 languages about their productivity, one of the results was that people spend 5.6 hours each week in meetings; 69 percent feel meetings aren’t productive (taking into account an average from 45 working hours). From 18 to 5,6 is a huge bracket.

In this amazing community, we have CEOs, CIOS, VP’s, consultants, engineers…all of us with different roles, positions, countries with different weekly working ours…then, from my point of view I can not post something like “An average a project manager spend X hours in a meeting”, because will be not 100% a project managers if now is a CIO, or a project manager professional working by himself as a speaker, and something like “In Average a user of projectmanagement.com spend X hours in a meeting” doesn’t fit with my original idea.

I’m not trying to “bring you to my dark side”, but I hope that now I correctly explained why I missed the point. And please don't stop to disagree with me and pursuing me with your ideas.
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Jan 17, 2017 4:04 PM
Rami Kaibni
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I got what you mean right now. The question should be very specific and project based, not open ended but I hear you, it might be difficult to get a precise figure but you'll have a sense of timing at least.
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Rami Kaibni
Community Champion
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten Associates New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 17, 2017 12:15 PM
Replying to Mayte Mata Sivera
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Rami, yes, that's true, I missed the point. Instead of being thankfully for your proposal, directly I've written what I have in mind after several discussions with friends and read about the breakdowns for different jobs positions, I thought that from the perspective that I'm trying to give to the post will be no necessary. I should give maybe more details about what I wrote the second point.

Yes, that’s true is average, but in the case of a correct survey type I should ask more than one question, as what’s your role, an average of working hours, country, and using a maybe another tool and not the poll with only one choose that offer this site. But will be a simple blog entry, not an article or a white paper.

And yes, that's completely true that you've proposed an average, but sometimes when we talk about averages, we should take in mind that profiles that we are asking.

Example London School of Economics and Political Science found that the average CEO spends roughly 18 hours of a 55-hour work week in meetings. And, the Personal Productivity Challenge conducted by Microsoft in 2005 sampled over 38,000 people in 200 countries, in 29 languages about their productivity, one of the results was that people spend 5.6 hours each week in meetings; 69 percent feel meetings aren’t productive (taking into account an average from 45 working hours). From 18 to 5,6 is a huge bracket.

In this amazing community, we have CEOs, CIOS, VP’s, consultants, engineers…all of us with different roles, positions, countries with different weekly working ours…then, from my point of view I can not post something like “An average a project manager spend X hours in a meeting”, because will be not 100% a project managers if now is a CIO, or a project manager professional working by himself as a speaker, and something like “In Average a user of projectmanagement.com spend X hours in a meeting” doesn’t fit with my original idea.

I’m not trying to “bring you to my dark side”, but I hope that now I correctly explained why I missed the point. And please don't stop to disagree with me and pursuing me with your ideas.
I got what you mean right now. The question should be very specific and project based, not open ended but I hear you, it might be difficult to get a precise figure but you'll have a sense of timing at least.
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Aaron Porter
Community Champion
IT Director| Blade HQ Payson, UT, United States
Another consideration on your question about the average number of attendees would be to specify whether it is for all projects or the largest project. With my current workload of projects and subprojects, my average is under 10 attendees, but two project's meetings have more than 10 attendees in almost every meeting. If I had fewer projects, my average might be higher than 10 attendees.
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Demetrius Williams Atlanta, Ga, United States
Maria, I completed both surveys. I am looking forward to reading your new blog entry.
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Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
After years the problem with meetings (virtual or on site) is "lack of planning". It is dificult to find a plan for the meetings. And that will impact (in my personal opinion and some personal data) in 20% of project delays. For example, if you think your meeting time will be 30 minutes because you think that you will get the meeting objective (other point you have take into account to plan) in that time and you spend 10 minutes talking about anything but not the topic (in my country Argentina we talk about futbol) then your meeting time must be 40 minutes instead of 30.
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1 reply by Mayte Mata Sivera
Jan 18, 2017 10:43 AM
Mayte Mata Sivera
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Sergio, sure, I've also worked in countries when if Wednesday was the Champions league soccer, I've learnt that I don't have to schedule meetings Thursday morning in order to avoid more than 10 min of chit chat.
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Mayte Mata Sivera PMO Leader | Speaker | Author Ut, United States
Jan 18, 2017 9:14 AM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
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After years the problem with meetings (virtual or on site) is "lack of planning". It is dificult to find a plan for the meetings. And that will impact (in my personal opinion and some personal data) in 20% of project delays. For example, if you think your meeting time will be 30 minutes because you think that you will get the meeting objective (other point you have take into account to plan) in that time and you spend 10 minutes talking about anything but not the topic (in my country Argentina we talk about futbol) then your meeting time must be 40 minutes instead of 30.
Sergio, sure, I've also worked in countries when if Wednesday was the Champions league soccer, I've learnt that I don't have to schedule meetings Thursday morning in order to avoid more than 10 min of chit chat.
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1 reply by Sergio Luis Conte
Jan 18, 2017 11:04 AM
Sergio Luis Conte
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You made a great comment. Just to clarify my position: you have to schedule the meeting if you need and you do not have to avoid the chit chat if and only if you have planned it. For example, I allow the chit chat between man and woman inside a meeting if I consider is an ice breaker. My point is: each meeting must be planned. Each meeting has an objective. You have to plan a meeting strategy. Inluding things like the meeting place, the lay out, etc. And that is tru for virtual teams too.
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Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jan 18, 2017 10:43 AM
Replying to Mayte Mata Sivera
...
Sergio, sure, I've also worked in countries when if Wednesday was the Champions league soccer, I've learnt that I don't have to schedule meetings Thursday morning in order to avoid more than 10 min of chit chat.
You made a great comment. Just to clarify my position: you have to schedule the meeting if you need and you do not have to avoid the chit chat if and only if you have planned it. For example, I allow the chit chat between man and woman inside a meeting if I consider is an ice breaker. My point is: each meeting must be planned. Each meeting has an objective. You have to plan a meeting strategy. Inluding things like the meeting place, the lay out, etc. And that is tru for virtual teams too.
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Cliff Gardner Louisville, Ky, United States
Jan 16, 2017 8:36 PM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
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Maria,

I look forward to your new blog. Maybe you can also issue a blog about the average time of meetings.

Cheers,
RK
I like Rami's suggestion. There is nothing worse than watching stakeholders' eyes glaze over in a 3 hour project meeting without a break.
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1 reply by Mayte Mata Sivera
Jan 19, 2017 12:48 PM
Mayte Mata Sivera
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3hours project meeting? OMG
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Mayte Mata Sivera PMO Leader | Speaker | Author Ut, United States
Jan 18, 2017 8:46 PM
Replying to Cliff Gardner
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I like Rami's suggestion. There is nothing worse than watching stakeholders' eyes glaze over in a 3 hour project meeting without a break.
3hours project meeting? OMG
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Elizabeth Harrin Director| RebelsGuideToPM.com London, England, United Kingdom
My first thought when getting a meeting request is 'what's that all about?'
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1 reply by Mayte Mata Sivera
Feb 01, 2017 8:03 PM
Mayte Mata Sivera
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Receiving a clear agenda with the meeting request is key to don't feel that we'll waste the time.
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