When "Presenter" Becomes "Grade School Teacher"

For most of us, when asked to conduct an event or meeting (or even simply be a presenter at one), our nerves immediately shift into overdrive. Public speaking is a huge fear among many and oftentimes, the outwardly inconsiderate display of actions from attendees can cause many of us to never want to present in a meeting again.

When presenting in front of a group of colleagues, one would hope that the level of professionalism does not dip down past that of college students but that's simply not the case in some areas of the professional world. All too often presenting at a meeting or event differs little from a teacher giving a lesson to a group of eighth graders. There are many reasons why attendees might act unprofessionally; maybe they are disgruntled at your position or have a general issue with authority. Why attendees choose to be disruptive is really not your concern. Your concern is with attempting to contain such disruptions so that attendees can receive the message of the meeting.

Identify the Disruptors

If you are presenting to a crowd you are familiar with (such as at a monthly staff meeting), then it's likely that you are already aware of those that have a history of being disruptive. If so, I suggest speaking to each individual prior to the next meeting. Tell Joe from accounting that text messaging during the meeting is unacceptable and ask him politely to please refrain from doing so. If you continue to hold the meetings and ignore the fact that Joe is texting away, he will continue to do so and believe that there is nothing you can do about it. He may not even know that it is a problem in the first place.

Be Firm & Follow Through

At the beginning of each meeting, suggest to all attendees that they only have out items necessary to conduct the meeting/event. Give them time to put away any unnecessary items as well as turn off cell phones, PDAs, etc. By setting this firm standard at the start of the meeting, there is no question whether or not it is okay to take a call and walk out of the meeting. After setting all necessary guidelines, be certain you stick to them. For example, if you state that there will be a break that will last exactly 10 minutes but notice at the end of the break that attendees are still milling around, do not wait another 2 minutes to begin. By using a loud voice and sticking to your firm deadline, those attendees will not linger after the next break.

Point Disruptions Out - Professionally

If attendees are having a loud conversation during your presentation, make it known that you (and others) are aware and disrupted by their behavior. While you cannot act exactly as a teacher would by stripping them of their recess privileges, you can let them in on the fact that you do not appreciate their intrusive gabbing. Something as simple as an abrupt, dramatic pause mid-sentence should do the trick. The attendees will notice that there is not one bit of background noise to camouflage their talking and will most likely stop. If you tried to talk over them, odds are they would raise their volume - besides, the goal is to let attendees know that whatever the behavior, if it's disruptive, it is inappropriate and inconsiderate.

Conducting a meeting that includes a handful of unprofessional and disruptive attendees can be highly stressful for both the presenter and other attendees. Standing your ground and not allowing such behavior to continue is the only way to get the point across that it is unacceptable.