TLUG meeting suggestions/comments

[Tom Legrady]

I've drastically cut down on my attendance at TLUG and several other 
events, because certain audience members see the meetings as an 
opportunity to attract attention on themselves, to present 'standard 
wisecracks' and other humorous interjections, whether relevant or not.

Tom

Chris Aitken wrote:

>Madison Kelly wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>   I -really- hope this doesn't sound bad; e-mail can be a tenuous place
>>to make suggestions because body language and tone are not visible. I
>>want to make some recommendations on how I think the TLUG meetings could
>>be made more inviting in the future for both speakers and members. I had
>>a really fun time last night so please don't think I am complaining! :)
>>
>>   I don't know if "heckling" is the right word, but if not there was an
>>apparent need by some to interrupt in order to say something that really
>>wasn't within the scope of the topic being presented. Obviously if a
>>speaker makes a notable mistake, like I did with the with the MAC
>>address matching, then by all means point out the mistake. On the other
>>hand, repeatedly nit-picking details only serves to present the person
>>making the comments as desperate to prove something and make the speaker
>>feel frustrated and flustered.
>>    
>>
>
>When I teach/present, I nip problems like that in the bud with something
>like, "If I make
>little mistakes please let me know during the break. Unless I make huge
>mistake
>please let me proceed with my presentation. I don't know everything, but
>I do know what I
>want to present - and I don't want that interrupted. Thank you."
>
>If someone is persistently rude, "You are interrupting the presentation. If
>you and the
>audience would prefer that you give the presentation, be my guest.
>Otherwise please let
>me proceed."
>
>Trust you gut. If it feels like people are being rude, say so. Even the
>language of this email
>may be too soft. Aren't you trying to ask, "How do we get showoffs to
>either shut up or leave
>the meetings?"
>
>Unless I am mistaken I have met you (you live in St. Jamestown?) and you
>gave me a bunch
>of software. I found you generous and congenial. You don't deserve anything
>short of respect
>for giving a presentation. There is a whole breed out there that doesn't
>quite have its shit
>together to the point of actually giving a presentation - but God knows
>they can punch holes
>in those that do.
>
>Chris
>
>
>--
>The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org
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>  
>
--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml