[wplug-plan] Problem with rude audience members at recent talks

[Beth Lynn]

Hello,

On Saturday I received many complaints regarding the cell phone call and 
the comment outbursts.

I hoped that everyone would be on good behavior since there was a 
significant amount of people there who were new to wplug. <sigh>

Unfortunately I forgot to give my "turn off your cell phones or else I 
will answer it" threat. I'm sorry folks.

We've also had some complaints (not last Saturday, but on many other 
times) that the pizza was cold because the talk had not ended yet. Why do 
our talks end late? It's because some audience members go off on tangents, 
attempt to debate, and interject with side comments.

Really, seriously - the side comments have to stop. All of you, please.
Presentations are not discussions. If you want to give the speaker a cue
that you are in support, nod your head. If you want a dialog, for 
everyone's sake, please take it off-line. There is plenty of time after 
the talk to have discussions and debate. Some of you do make intelligent 
side comments but I'm asking you  all to please stop because it encourages 
ignorant behavior all around.

Unless the speaker addresses you directly, you have no reason to say a 
word while the speaker has the floor. Raising your hand is a good way to
attract the speaker's attention. However, before doing so, please 
formulate the question in a way that engages the speaker and the rest of 
the audience. Do not interject each time the speaker says something that 
you disagree with philosophically. And most importantly, do not attempt to 
steal the floor with your own comments on the topic; if you are also an 
expert, why don't you give the talk next time. A good rule of thumb to 
make sure that you are not stealing the show is to limit your questions to 
two and take the rest off-line. Perhaps we should ask the speaker if he or 
she wants to take mid-talk questions at all.

If you do not intend on paying attention to the talk because you'd rather 
chit-chat with the folks around you, please leave the lecture area. We 
have the space for this reason. Moreover, the room is open for at least an 
hour before and an hour after the talk. Socializing can wait or relocate.

I think that the worst offenders are selfishly doing what they think is 
best for them at the time.

For this reason I close with selfish reason why one should behave:
1. If we disgust a speaker, chances are that person will never speak for 
us again.
2. If we disgust our audience, new people will go away never to return 
which guarantees that our community will never grow.
3. Regular wplugers might feel discouraged from speaking if the audience 
gives the speaker a hard time.
4. Even regulars may not want to come back if we consistently fail to 
conduct professional lectures.
5. If you are particularly disruptive, the speaker will not be able to 
cover all of the intended content therefore everyone loses out of the 
additional learning experience.
6. If the talk is interrupted too often, you get to eat cold pizza.
7. If you stop to answer a phone call, you are stealing your own time from 
listening to the presentation.
8. When we record a presentation, would you prefer to hear what the 
speaker came to say or would you rather hear your own voice?

Thanks,
Beth Lynn

  On Mon, 2 May 2005, Jonathan S Billings wrote:

> ...And its time for me to start another rant about rude members.
>
> Lately, WPLUG has been having some really cool talks, attracting people
> from all over the area.  Unfortunately, we've had some problems with
> audience members.  In particular, I can think of one person at the talk
> last Saturday who was constantly interrupting the speaker, and who even
> had the gall to answer his cell phone and talk on it.  Finally, the
> speaker had to politely tell him to take the phone outside.
>
> I would like to think it's common courtesy to pay attention in the
> talks.  Maybe we need a simple introductory speech before talks telling
> people to turn off their cell phones and not interrupt the speakers.  I
> hate to think we have to stoop this low, since most of us are
> professionals and don't need to be told to behave.
>
> Any ideas?  Am I being too easily annoyed?  Did anyone attending the
> talk have any comments?
>
> -- 
> Jonathan S. Billings <billings at negate.org>
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