| Upon attending recent seminars, concerts, movies, and | | | | that others do not see the glow of the mobile device |
| other public events I am appalled at the seeming | | | | nor are disturbed by your raising and lowering the |
| discourtesy demonstrated by attendees and | | | | device. |
| participants in learning venues. As I criticize others, I | | | | Worse yet is your leaving your mobile device "on" so |
| look at myself and realize, to my chagrin, that I practice | | | | that it rings audibly. Most of the time you receive a |
| some of these behaviors. Now that I realize how | | | | request before a program begins to turn off your |
| annoyed I am by others, my commitment to myself is | | | | device or to put it on vibrate. I, however, assume that |
| to be a more respectful, attentive audience member | | | | the request is a given whenever I enter an event |
| and learning participant. | | | | venue. As soon as I sit in my seat, I reach into my |
| What is your participant profile? Take this self-test to | | | | pocket and turn my mobile device to vibrate-or off |
| see if you practice any of these behaviors. Then read | | | | completely. When you forget to turn the audio on your |
| on to discover how to be a better-or great-audience | | | | device off and it rings during the program, it takes |
| member or learning participant. | | | | several rings before you locate, extract, and fidget |
| Member, Learning Participant Profile Self-Test | | | | with the controls to turn it off. By then you have |
| For each stated behavior, identify the level of your | | | | distracted not only the audience in general but also the |
| own behavior (on a scale of 1-through-5, with "1" = you | | | | speaker. |
| rarely exhibit the behavior and "5" = you regularly do | | | | Even worse is answering the thing during the program! |
| so). | | | | Yes, people do this. They think that somehow |
| 1. I whisper to the person sitting next to me while the | | | | whispering when they answer will not distract the rest |
| speaker is speaking, movie is playing, or event is in | | | | of the group. This, I find, amazing, rude, and distracting. |
| progress. | | | | Get up and leave the room to make a call, take a call, |
| 2. I text, send notes, or otherwise use my mobile | | | | or handle email. Plain and simple. People beside you |
| device instead of giving my full attention to the activity | | | | can see your actions, which draws their attention from |
| at hand. | | | | focusing on the program they came-and most likely |
| 3. I sit back and disengage-mentally and physically-from | | | | paid for-to see. Practice good time management |
| the activity at hand. | | | | principles and hold your calls and messages until a |
| 4. I stare off into "nothingness" without making eye | | | | break or the end of the program. |
| contact with the speaker or focusing on the activity at | | | | When you set your device on vibrate, keep the device |
| hand. | | | | on your person rather than placing it on the table (if |
| 5. I lean forward, sit on the edge of the seat, stand up | | | | you are seated at a table). Put it on your lap, in a |
| and remain standing, or otherwise block the view of | | | | pocket close to your body, or slide it under your leg |
| the people behind me. | | | | while you are seated in order to feel the vibration. If |
| 6. I wear headgear or hairstyles that sit up high and | | | | you put the device in your purse or briefcase you will |
| block other people's views. | | | | not feel the vibration, yet this is the most respectful |
| 7. I cough, sneeze, clear my throat, or otherwise make | | | | thing to do overall. Out of sight, out of mind and you |
| noises continually throughout the session without taking | | | | can focus completely on the program at hand. When |
| steps to limit or muffle the noises. | | | | you put the device on the table and it vibrates, the |
| 8. I open candy or snack wrappers, pop drink cans, | | | | device buzzes so other people can hear it anyway |
| clink and stir ice, or ruffle through my bag or papers | | | | and it jumps around the table from the vibration. |
| noisily throughout the session. | | | | If you absolutely must text or handle an urgent |
| 9. I wear headphones/earbuds to listen to other audio | | | | communication, do so discretely under the table or |
| or video input that is unrelated to the event, during the | | | | shield the device within your jacket so that others |
| event. | | | | cannot see the light glow from the device. This is |
| 10. I keep my mobile device "on" and allow it to ring | | | | important to do especially when you are in a movie |
| audibly during the event. (Add 5 points to any score if | | | | theatre or otherwise dark environment. People can |
| you actually answer it in the event venue during the | | | | see the light from your device from far away. |
| event!) | | | | Disengagement [3, 4, 9] |
| TOTAL SCORE (Sum of sub-totals): | | | | Speakers and trainers value audience engagement. |
| Add your score per the instructions for sub-totals and | | | | You learn best when you are engaged and active in |
| total score. If your total score is: | | | | your learning process. Adults need to be engaged to |
| · 10 or lower: I want you as an audience member or | | | | best learn new skills and retain new information. If you |
| participant in my training programs! Way to go. | | | | paid to attend the event, you want it to be interesting |
| Continue practicing your respectful and attentive | | | | for you. |
| behaviors, and suggest to the people around you that | | | | When you mentally disengage, you give physical |
| they do the same. | | | | signals that your mind is no longer on the program. |
| · 11-to-30: Most of us are "guilty" of some of these | | | | Your eyes tend to fix on nothing in particular and look |
| behaviors at some point in time. The key is that you | | | | like they are glazed-over. You may frown a lot or, |
| recognize that you do so and that you now make the | | | | worse yet, fall asleep right in front of the speaker! We |
| commitment to be more respectful and attentive when | | | | tend to cross our arms and otherwise adopt what |
| you participate in a learning venue or attend an event | | | | looks like a defensive or challenging position-not a |
| as a member of the audience. Brush-up on the | | | | welcoming sight to the person in front of the room. |
| suggestions for how to be a better audience member | | | | Yawns, whispering, fidgeting, looking around the room, |
| (in this article) and see where you might be an even | | | | and other distracting behaviors are typical of our |
| better attendee or participant next time. | | | | mental disengagement. |
| · 31-to-50: Whoa! How do you think your behaviors | | | | Rather than sit back and physically disengage if the |
| affect the rest of the audience or group? If others do | | | | session is boring, let the speaker or event planner |
| not bother you, at least be aware that you may bother | | | | know your feelings via the event evaluation rather than |
| them. Few people will say anything to you. | | | | through your physical mannerisms. Attempt to be polite |
| Unfortunately, those who do speak up tend to do so | | | | enough to look attentive even if you are bored...or |
| as disrespectfully as the level of annoyance they feel, | | | | leave the room. When you provide your feedback on |
| which results in elevated encounters and heated | | | | an evaluation, be specific with your observations and |
| emotions. Now that you are aware that you practice | | | | feelings. Identify specific parts of the program or |
| such behaviors, see the suggestions for how to be a | | | | aspects of presentation skills you find needing |
| better audience member (in this article) and adopt | | | | improvement. In order for anything to change, provide |
| some of the suggestions. | | | | constructive suggestions for improvement so that |
| Your Guide to Being an Exemplary Audience Member, | | | | whoever reviews your evaluation has something |
| Attendee, or Participant | | | | concrete with which to work. |
| Let us look at ways in which you can improve on the | | | | Physical Distractions and Blocking [5, 6] |
| behaviors in the self-test regardless of your score. A | | | | Several of the behaviors already identified in this article |
| review is just as important (if you are a great audience | | | | represent physical distractions. As mentioned |
| member) as discovering new information. | | | | previously, physical distractions are annoying to other |
| Whispering and Talking [1, 7, 8] | | | | people in the audience. Blocking is rude and |
| Ever sit behind two or three people who whisper and | | | | inconsiderate. |
| talk to each other? One person typically leans to the | | | | Blocking includes: leaning forward in your seat, sitting on |
| left or right towards the person to whom she | | | | the edge of the seat, changing your seating position to |
| whispers, thereby blocking your view of whatever is | | | | place yourself directly in front of someone behind you |
| going on in the front of the room. Auditorium seating | | | | (especially if you sit taller than they are), wearing head |
| purposely offsets each row from the row in front of it | | | | gear or a hair style that rises above the person's |
| so that people can see through the gap between two | | | | sightline behind you, standing when others are sitting, |
| seats in front. When you lean towards the person to | | | | and leaning towards the person next to you to fill-in the |
| whom you whisper you physically block the view of | | | | open space that is the sightline for the person sitting |
| the person behind you. That is just plain rude! | | | | behind you. I am sure there are other forms of blocking |
| Most whispers are audible, especially because of the | | | | in an audience yet these are the typical ways in which |
| acoustics in a room designed for ideal acoustics for a | | | | we block the view of the front of the room from |
| movie, seminar, or concert. When we whisper while a | | | | those behind us. |
| program is in progress, we tend to whisper loudly | | | | The solution to the blocking issue is to stop blocking. Be |
| thinking that we need to do so so that the other | | | | cognizant of your physical positioning and how it |
| person can hear our whispers. Guess what? The | | | | relates to the people around you. While you cannot |
| people around you can hear you, too. | | | | change your height or girth, you can be aware of |
| Hold your conversation until the break or the end of | | | | whether or not you may cause a problem for |
| the program. Take it out of the room or away from | | | | someone smaller than you who may be sitting behind |
| the rest of the audience if there is something you | | | | you. You may be able to slide down in your seat or |
| absolutely must say during the program. Motion and | | | | fidget less often. You may be able to switch your seat |
| whispers in the back of the room are as distracting as | | | | with someone else so that you are in front of |
| within the audience. Sound travels around the room. | | | | someone of equal size to yours. You can look around |
| The speaker in front of the room is looking out into the | | | | to see if you planted yourself directly in front of |
| audience and can see and hear you in the back. Other | | | | someone else, then move a little to the left or right of |
| people in the audience have trouble focusing on the | | | | him or her if you find you have done so. When invited |
| program when they sense distractions behind them. | | | | by the speaker, performer, or emcee of a program to |
| Extraneous talking and moving around distracts people | | | | stand up for a part of the program, sit back down |
| who are hard of hearing or who wear hearing aids | | | | when the appropriate time is over. |
| more than people without hearing challenges. Whispers | | | | Make "Common Courtesy" Common |
| and noises made by movement blend with ambient | | | | Society in the 21st century, and anyone born after |
| background noise and make it difficult for a | | | | 1980, is more plugged-in and turned-on as individuals |
| hearing-challenged person to discern the speaker or | | | | and small groups than previous generations. Television, |
| program audio from the rest of the noise. Creating | | | | movies, concerts, dramatic events, meetings, learning |
| such an atmosphere is unfair to your fellow audience | | | | opportunities, and other engagement can be |
| members and disrespectful to them. | | | | experienced by individuals while alone, or in small |
| Texting and Mobile Devices [2, 10] | | | | groups in private venues thanks to evolving technology. |
| I get it that pressing issues arise unexpectedly. Crises | | | | Therefore, being a member of an audience or a |
| and last-minute family situations arise at the most | | | | participant in a large-group event becomes something |
| inconvenient times and you need to be reachable. Just | | | | we experience less often. We become accustomed |
| because you are at an event or in a program or | | | | to expressing ourselves and behaving as we see fit |
| movie, the rest of the world does not stop. However, | | | | for ourselves without regard for our effect on other |
| you can control how you handle your unexpected | | | | people since we are with other people less often. |
| communications and limit those not related to the | | | | The irony of our situation is that because we |
| program at hand. | | | | participate less often in live programs with large |
| Your event experience may be great, in which case | | | | groups, we are less practiced in courteous, |
| texting about it can give positive and viral public | | | | considerate, and engaged behaviors commensurate |
| relations to the speaker, organization, movie, or event | | | | with being a "good audience". Yet we need to |
| planner. Your experience may be horrible in which | | | | participate in live events in order to connect with |
| case you want to warn others or make alternate | | | | people from whom we distance ourselves with our |
| plans. If you must text or otherwise use your mobile | | | | technology. Being a good audience member is really |
| device, get up and leave the room. Only when you are | | | | just practicing common courtesy towards our |
| invited as an audience to take pictures and post | | | | colleagues in the audience with us. Make the |
| comments during the program is it appropriate to do | | | | commitment, yourself, to make common courtesy |
| so. If you are in the audience with the specific purpose | | | | common. When each of us does the same, we |
| of publicizing the session, sit in the back of the room so | | | | become one great audience, together. |