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.

Today I've spoken to four people. Dh, DD, DS and the lady working at the petrol station. I don't speak to loads of people really. Quiet village, WFH which doesn't require telephone.
DD meanwhile has been at her retail job and spoken to endless as it was busy!

I'm a teacher, and have only spoken to 70 ish people today, this wass my quiet day with small 6th form classes and a free period. Yesterday was closer to 200 which is more normal for a work day. Not to mention email contact with at least 25 other staff and teams messages from 7 kids yesterday and one phonecall to a parent. My perimenopausal brain is really starting to struggle with so many thoughts, jobs and conversations. I've never really calculated how many people I interact with each day. It's relentless. Would love it to just be 15.

Yep - another who's likely to be heading to 60.

I work in a school and probably talk to at least 20 children and 20 adults a day.

Then ds is a swimmer. I probably speak to 10-20 people per swim session and he swims twice a day 4 times a week and once on a weekend.

Add into that galas and I could speak to 200 people in a day!

It's probably why if i don't have to go out and speak to people I very much don't

Today:
Partner
Dc
My parent
Shop cashier
People on phone wfh

There's many days where I only speak to dp and dc!

I'm a secondary teacher, and I taught six lessons today, so it feels like eleventy billion. No wonder I'm always exhausted!

3 everyday (in the house) and wouldnt say it us usually over 5. I'm not very sociable.

At work though could be 50 or so including colleagues and patients and their families. Sometimes more or less.

Just one person today. A lady at the park who's dog jumped up and sat next to me on a bench. She apologised and we exchanged a few words.
Many days I speak to no one.

School day: two-way conversation with 80-150 kids, 20-30 members of staff, probably a few parents, and then the standard family, after school club adults, probably a neighbour, maybe petrol station etc.

Weekend: (if I'm not on boarding/sports duty at work): family (5), 1-3 people at tesco, maybe play date + parent, a few at a kids party if I'm very unlucky. So very often less than 15.

WFH mainly. Speak to more people on office days, see/speak to friends/family at weekends. But I'm happy seeing friends 1:1 mostly.

Said 'morning' to DS2 before he left for 6th form and chatted to DH at lunchtime. DS1 is back at uni, but when he's home, we chat.

No work meetings today, although most days I do have a video call meeting with multiple people or individuals.

I don't really go out shopping but sometimes go to a cafe at the weekend with a friend and talk to the person serving me, and the friend of course.

That's enough to be honest. I was once a teacher and think I have talked enough in my life to deserve some quiet time.

Depends what you mean by "talked to".
More than 1-2 words:
My partner
My daughter
Three members of staff at my daughter's nursery.
"Hello" and "Have a good weekend" to a parent at pick up (my daughter is one of only a few who gets picked up after lunch so I don't see a lot of other parents)
My daughter's physiotherapist
Another physiotherapist when my daughter was watching the child she was working with instead of getting ready to leave
The woman behind the counter in the hospital café (physio is at the hospital)
The man serving us in the local shop (I said "Hello", "By card please" and "Have a good evening")
That's 10. Apart from that:
"Thank you" to someone who held the door open for me while I got my daughter's wheelchair on the bus
"I'm fine" to someone who asked whether I needed help getting the wheelchair on the bus home
"Sorry" to someone who was trying to get passed when my daughter stopped her wheelchair in the middle of a corridor for no reason (at physiotherapy)
"Hello" to a baby who was watching my daughter and I.
So 14 total. Fairly typical. If my child doesn't have physiotherapy I might talk to a parent at the local park or the people who run a local parent child session and maybe 1 or 2 of the parents there. Other days we video call one of my parents. If I was in the office (roughly three times a year) it would easily be 15 as that's how many colleagues I have but when we working from home we usually communicate by message/email.

1 for me today, just on the phone.
Most days it's zero.

Ugh, just another ‘10,000 steps’ thing…..absolute nonsense. How many people you speak to will vary wildly according to if you work, if you live with family etc….
I find these things are just another thing to make people feel they’re not doing enough.
Done your steps?
How many units of alcohol per week? (Also spurious basis)
Etc….

Also 13!

My 2 children and partner.
Nursery school teacher and 2 other women at drop off.
2 workers at stay and play.
5 other mums / grandma's at stay and play.
And acquaintance who went past on a bicycle, very briefly.

Plus a few babies / toddlers at stay and play, but don't think that counts as it was just me cooing at them.

Plus nodding and smiling during drop off, but again, don't think this would count.

It varies some days just my kids if I’m working at home.
Today about 9 - 4 shop assistants, my kids, my partner, my best friend, my therapist.
Earlier in the week I had a face to face meeting and there were 10 people just in the room. In my previous role it could be 25-30 in a day.

Hmm.
My brother, my son, my other son, my driver, a bartender, nine neighbours, three neighbour kids and four security guards. 21.

Oh and a couple of hellos to gardeners and people who held gates open for me etc.

I'd be surprised if I voice spoke to as many as 15 people in a day but I am retired and live alone. I probably average 3 and lets say a max of 7 voice conversations a day. When I worked in the NHS as a clinician and manager, I spoke to many many more and was peopled out by the end of the week. However I have live conversations on messaging and SM with people I know well, about half of them I know IRL but we don't live close together.

I've thought about a few recent days and 15 doesn't seem unreasonable. I live fairly rurally so when I'm out and about I don't see many people, but a lot of the ones I see, I know, so we stop to chat or at least exchange hello. I know the shopkeepers so buying something is usually more than just a business transaction. This afternoon I had a conversation with another dog-walker I'd never met which lasted several minutes.

This is such an interesting question! Today’s tally;

husband
customer service agent
two tradespeople
best friend
parents
brother
sister
aunt & uncle

Today:
3 x children (one too small to talk back, though!)
1 x DH
1 x delivery man
1 x class teacher
4 x other parents at school
= 10.

Yesterday:
3 x children
1 x DH
2 x nursery staff
1 x class teacher
3 x other parents at school
1 x GP
1 x GP receptionist
2 x strangers (baby is a magnet 🤣)
= 14

Some days I'll go to a playgroup and easily speak to 10+ in an hour... when I'm working (aka not on mat leave) I can easily speak to 15 or so colleagues per day if in the office (when working from home, it probably varies between 2/3 per day to around 10, depending on calls).

3 today (all on phone) because Off Sick.

Yesterday 17. Wednesday 25.

Today I’ve spoken to
DH
dd1
dd2
dd1’s teacher
3 parents at drop off
16 people at playgroup
my mum
the woman at the post office
the woman at the butchers
cashier at the supermarket
another mum at pick up
26 or so. No wonder I’m tired

Teaching:
150 different children a day on a full teaching day + probably 20 staff, DD, parents at swim club

Now I WFH
DD, DCat 1 & 2, approx 5 colleagues on Teams, possibly my parents

6, if you count the two people that I said “sorry” to due to us almost walking into each other in the street.

So far today - 3 of my sons, 2 cashiers in shops, 1 server in a cafe, 1 friend I was having lunch with = 7.

But I'm a Scout leader so by the end of this evening it will be 30+.