Marti Sec
Timnit Gebru (she/her).Meetings should be 30 minutes by default unless there are circumstances that warrant more time. A lot can be done in 30 minutes. That's one thing I agree with Google people on, but then again, people added so many random meetings on calendars without even asking first.
arestelle@timnitGebru I'm a fan of the 25-minute meeting, if the end time is actually honored. You can probably get the same amount done, and then you have a buffer to get another cup of tea before the next whatever.
@arestelle @timnitGebru Agree! Having a 5 or 10 minute buffer in case of 1h or longer meetings is a game changer if you work in a meeting-loving company.
ansible42@timnitGebru ugh totally agree. I was forced to learn how to compress meetings it was a good thing, especially for an AuDHD person. New job has traditional(long rambling meetings) is less productive for sure
Olamina Free@timnitGebru
I sometimes think it depends how many people are in the meeting. I have a team of 7. We meet weekly and there is always a lot to discuss. So it's always an hour.
On the other hand, I have an extremely verbose boss and sometimes a 30 min 1-on-1 meeting with him barely covers one topic on the list.
Lance Bachmeier@timnitGebru I actually use 15 minutes as a default. Most of my meetings are one-on-one. I doubt it would work for group meetings.
Claire@timnitGebru I had meeting today that was 7 hours long. We got breaks, but ... I had zero attention (fucks) to give after lunch.
Deb has moved! (see profile) 🇨🇦@timnitGebru I love making my calendar public, with large chunks reserved just for me, and enforced pauses between meetings. People can book with me, but cannot make my week a hell of meetings :-)
Mark@timnitGebru Agree.
But, I think there are two groups in every company: A) the group that is keen to leave meetings to get back to their work, and B) the group that gets its work done through meetings. B only benefits from shorter meetings to the extent they can switch topics and rejig participants, but they’ll be talking to more or less the same people all day anyway. A never seems to understand this.
The most important thing in corporate life is to know which group you are suited to.