The Meeting Duration card states that generally meetings are scheduled for either 30 or 60 minutes, by default.
For most people their active engagement starts to drop significantly after 15 minutes, with most people having a 30 minute maximum active attention span.
Responses from the Global Meetings Survey showed the average meeting duration was 45 mins, which confirms that most meetings are scheduled for 30 or 60 minutes.
Previously we said that everything we do through Better Meetings by Design points towards fewer, shorter, meetings of better quality. We said that, by fewer meetings we mean less in number, shorter in duration, and with fewer people taking part. For better quality we said that meetings should be well-designed and more productive, with the right people in the right meeting roles, who have access to the appropriate technology.
We also said that meeting leaders need to be competent in selecting and applying the correct tools and techniques for their meetings, and they must be able to clearly articulate the purpose for meeting, along with its objectives and outcomes.
The typical 40 year career
Let’s re-consider the typical 40 year career.
If the average working week is 37.5 hours, and the average working year is 44 weeks, that means there are 1,650 working hours per year.
So, if you have a 40 year career, you’ll have 66,000 working hours during that time.
How much time will you spend in meetings?
Team Players
Well, if you are a team-player, you’ll average 14 meetings per week. Those 14 meetings are about an even split of 30 minute meetings and 60 minute meetings – so an average of 45 minutes per meeting.
That means 10.5 meeting hours per week, which equates to 462 meeting hours each year. You’ll be spending 18,480 hours in meetings during your 40 year career. That’s 11.2 years in meetings!
Team Leaders
By comparison, team leaders average 20 meetings per week of 45 minutes per meeting. That means 15 meeting hours per week, or 660 meeting hours per year. If you’re a team leader that means 26,400 meeting hours in your 40 year career. That’s 16 years in meetings!
Business Leaders
And if you’re a business leader, you’ll be averaging 25 meetings per week, of 45 minutes per meeting, minimum.
That means spending 18 hours and 45 minutes in meetings each week, which is 825 meeting hours per year, which is an enormous 33,000 meeting hours in a 40 year career. That 20 years in meetings, or 50% of your career.
While it’s more likely you’ll spend time during those 40 years in various positions that mean you experience being a team, player, a team leader, and may be a business leader, that doesn’t detract from the fact that you are going to be spending a significant amount of time in meetings, many of which will be pointless and unproductive, unless you do something about it.
Applying the 20:50 Rule
So, what happens if you apply the 20:50 rule to your meetings? Well, if that’s all you did this is what you’d get back.
Team Players
You’ll still be having 14 meetings per week, assuming that you have not eradicated any meetings. Your 30 minute meetings will become 20 minute meetings, and your 60 minute meetings will become 50 minute meetings. Your average meeting duration reduces from 45 minutes to 35 minutes.
As a team player this would be the impact:
- Meeting hours per week reduce to 8.2, down from 10.5 hours.
- Meeting hours per year reduce to 359.3, down from 462 hours.
- Meeting hours per 40 years reduce to 14,373 hours, down from 18,480 hours.
- Years in meetings reduce to 8.7 years, down from 11.2 years.
Team Leaders
As a team leader this would be the impact:
- Meeting hours per week reduce to 11.7 hours, down from 15 hours.
- Meeting hours per year reduce to 513.3 hours, down from 660 hours.
- Meeting hours per 40 years reduce to 20,533 hours, down from 26,400 hours.
- Years in meetings reduce to 12.4 years, down from 16 years.
Business Leaders
When you’re a business leader this is the impact:
- Meeting hours per week reduce to 14.6 hours, down from 18.75 hours.
- Meeting hours per year reduce to 641.7 hours, down from 825 hours.
- Meeting hours per 40 years reduce to 25,667 hours, down from 33,000 hours.
- Years in meetings reduce to 15.6 years, down from 20 years.
So, the 20:50 rule has a reasonable impact, whatever your role.
Applying the 25% Rule
Maybe the duration of your meetings doesn’t alter, but you decide to eradicate completely some of the pointless meetings from your calendar.
Our research shows that between 25% and 50% of all meetings could be eliminated. These could be meetings that you instigate, or it could be that you decline meetings that previously you would have accepted.
Eradicating 25% of pointless meetings...
- If you are a team player this removes 2.6 meeting hours per week, which equates to 2.8 years of meetings over the course of your career.
- If you are a team leader this removes 3.7 meeting hours per week, which equates to 4 years of meetings over the course of your career.
- If you are a business leader this removes 4.65 meeting hours per week, which equates to 5 years of meetings over the course of your career.
Eradicating 50% of pointless meetings...
- If you are a team player this removes 5.2 meeting hours per week, which equates to 5.6 years of meetings over the course of your career.
- If you are a team leader this removes 7.4 meeting hours per week, which equates to 8 years of meetings over the course of your career.
- If you are a business leader this removes 9.3 meeting hours per week, which equates to 10 years of meetings over the course of your career.
Again, the savings are significant.
As we said previously, the aim is fewer, shorter meetings of much better quality. Fewer means less meetings, with those meetings that do remain being of shorter duration, and with fewer people. So, we should work to combine the 20:50 rule to reduce the duration of meetings, along with eradication of pointless meetings.
With a combination of eradication and reduction we can remove pointless meetings, while designing the meetings that remain, making them more productive with fewer people, and delivering value outcomes that align to business objectives.