To think talking to 15 sperate people in a day isn't really that many?

[orangesandlemonssaythebellsofstclements]

I've seen a meme going round Facebook three times now. Apparently the average number of different people a person talks out loud to in a day is 15.

The comment section is always full of people saying they don't speak to anywhere near that amount of people in a day and some quite horrified by the mere idea of it.

But on three separate occasions, I think I have had fairly quiet days and each time my number has been between 12-18. Is 15 really very much??!!

Today it has been:
My husband and both of my kids
my daughter's teacher
the lady in tesco express
Another mum I saw in tesco express
3 separate customers
my supplier
Two different people on the phone about a bill
A taxi driver

Total: 13

I've only left the house to do school runs and pop to tesco express while out.

So... how many people do you speak to in a day? For the purpose of the experiment, online or messages does not count. It needs to be spoken out loud.

I’m a teacher in a busy secondary school in a pastoral role so I reckon I speak to 200 + a day. Just walking from the car to my office I probably exchange greetings with 15-20 people. On average when I’m in my office I am interrupted every 2/3 minutes, plus teaching 3 lessons a day on average with 30 kids.

I am tired all the time 😂

Ok so I have been WFH today on my own.

1x my partner briefly before he left at 6am
3x people at the gym
1x person who had dropped his bags whilst I was walking to the office
2x security guards during my 5 min stint in the office
1x IT technician fixing my laptop in the office

8 people. I am going to count how many people I speak to tomorrow in person when I will actually be out and about !!!

I'm wfh today and I've spoken out loud only to DP and someone who is coming to do some work in my house on next week. But I've had three or four Teams chats with colleagues and a conversation with two friends on WhatsApp.

Yesterday I was in the office and spoke to:

DP
The other three people from my team who happened to be in the office
A colleague from another team (although only a quick hi in passing as our paths didn't otherwise cross)
Someone via Teams that I was interviewing for an article in a newsletter
Starbucks barista

I'm a self employed dog walker and don't have any colleagues. I consider my job quite solitary, but I do love people albeit in not in huge quantities all at once.

My count for today will be at least 34:
DS
6 people when I swam in lake this morning.
3 people at the garage where my car was booked in.
3 customers when I dropped off / picked up their dog.
My mum and step dad
Estate agent
Solicitor
Petrol station cashier
Next door neighbour
Friend who I bumped into at petrol station
A couple who I passed whilst out walking, both strangers and had a nice conversation.
2 friends on phone.
Meeting for a friends birthday this eve. I'll know 4 people and there will be 6 others who I've never met.

7 for me today but it's been an especially quiet day, usually it's more

15 quite possibly in the office. But if I'm WFH just a few. But those conversations will be much more challenging and intense that 'Morning, how you doing?' in the work kitchen. You can't weight all interactions equally. If I had to do 15 of the phonecall I just had I'd crack up.

I speak to two people each day. Or maybe three or four if you include delivery person or shop staff. I know that's less than most. When I was working it was probably in the hundreds!

My Husband, Hello to 2 strangers on the beach, a quick natter in the shop to 2 people, and a quick word with a crazy Texel sheep. Longest conversation was with the dog.

8 today - 3 at home and 5 at work. That's pretty average.

Monday - 10 total I think
Tuesday - 5
Wednesday - 5
Thursday - 4

This is interesting ! I’m going to work mine out now as I type !

Son
Husband
12 colleagues throughout the day
6 students
1 visitor

I have spoken to all these multiple times throughout the day , aside from the visitor

So , 21.

Today I have spoken to three people in person - friend who's staying with me and two shopkeepers, and a total of about 12 in 4 online meetings, so I guess that's 15. But not sure online really counts

I’m a headteacher so probably slightly more than average 😂

Dh and Ds
Dm, dd and gf on phone
my friend, her dd and dh
tesco checkout man
my neighbour
There will be at least one or two more when I go for petrol and drop Ds at his club later

9 today but that’s been a busy day. Usually 4?

do texts and WhatsApp messages count? If so, you can add another 3.

DH
DS2
DD
DS1
Man in line at Tesco
Self checkout assistant in Tesco
Sister
Random man watching murmuration at same time as me.

I work in a shop and definitely speak to more than 15 people a day although, most of them I'd rather not.

Also do the voices in my head count?

Hundreds in teaching lol 😆

I know others who wfh and if they have no meetings don't talk to anyone at all! Once I popped by to see a friend after work and it was the first time she had opened her mouth to talk and voice was like early morning croaky.

When I go home and DH starts talking immediately because he hasn't had many conversations that day I just want to run and not speak at times. Xx

When I was a nursery nurse it was loads maybe 30 to 50. Now as a SAHM it's usually more like 10 on a busy day.

This is fascinating! I think it goes a good way towards explaining why teaching is such a mentally exhausting job to be honest. I’ve just counted up and got to 24 colleagues (these are people that I’ve had an actual face to face conversation/meeting with - many more via email). A relatively light teaching day for me today, so only 3 different classes, but that’s 72 (and yes, I have spoken individually to each one). 8 kids at my lunchtime club. 7 others whom I’ve chatted with around school.
Husband and 2 kids at home.
DPD driver.
Going to a committee meeting tonight - 12 on the committee.
Will pop to shop on the way home for much needed 🍷.

128 people

Tomorrow - I’ve got an event related to work so it will be at least 30, despite it being a Saturday.

Sunday - I intend to stay in single figures.

The social battery analogy is a really good one. At the end of a particularly busy day at work I need half an hour by myself (often under my weighted blanket with a book/phone) before I can really engage with my family. I view myself as a really sociable person.

On my days off I would say 10-12 but can be as few as 5 . I work in healthcare so on a working day I lose track.

Today? Nobody. I'm off work and at home not doing much

At work usually - around 120-150 people a day
By the weekend I am done talking

I would say about twenty today.
Four at home, four at the car check, one in the train, and about 11 colleagues. So if I hadn't had my car checked up it would be about 15 - and that's a working day and with a big family. So 15 seems right but not particularly low.

More than me!

My (single, retired, childfree) total is 2. One woman in the supermarket car park, one self serve assistant. And if AI was as good as they claim, the second conversation would be unnecessary as I am quite clearly over 18 and the damn machine has a camera.

PS Where are you with all the doormen? US? Posh bit of London?

Today:

Husband
Receptionist at the gym
Couple of people in my exercise class
Long chat with a friend
Cafe staff x 2
Shop assistant

So 8.

I'd say that was a fairly typical number for a weekday, although the people involved might vary. Weekends would be more, as we often do something with adult kids and grandchildren.

I speak to a lot less but that’s because I’ve encountered a lot of the people who talk at you in life. Sometimes when I’m out and about it feels like a giant game of PacMan, trying to dodge ‘talkers at you’ there are an awful of people out there looking for supply as opposed to connection. And right now in my life I’m so tired I have nothing left. Im not judging them I’m just exhausted by them.