Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Warning: Do Not Stare at this Speaker!
Audience members: no matter how great a speaker may be, do not stare at him or her! Staring makes most people feel uncomfortable.
But in some instances, staring can make a speaker feel, well, a little too comfortable! Here's a story that illustrates my point:
As a sophomore in college, I was in one of those enormous "201" classes, where the prof lectured to a room of 300+ students three times per week. I found the lectures to be oddly fascinating. I could not take my eyes off of the professor as he spoke.
Because the class was so huge, I never met the prof personally. But I have the habit of thanking my teachers on the last day of class. So as I handed in my final exam, I walked up to this stranger, shook his hand, and thanked him for being such a compelling speaker and story teller.
Usually, teachers just smile and say something like "thank you". But not this time...
When I thanked this teacher, he grabbed my outstretched hand and would not let go as he continued to shake it. Before long, he grasped my trapped hand, then starting caressing it!
"I'm so glad you enjoyed my lectures!" he beamed. "I would seek you out in the audience every day, and give my lecture just for you! I would stare directly into your eyes, and imagine that it was just the two of us in the room together. You would look back at me, and I knew we had a connection that would go far beyond this class."
He went on in this vein for a few minutes, while I struggled to get my hand back. Clearly, some line had been crossed!
(I did manage to break free and skedaddle. And I certainly never took another one of this prof's classes or spoke to him again.)
As an audience member, I have since learned not to stare intently at the speaker, no matter how interesting or entertaining they may be! Instead, I will show my appreciation for their words by
1. taking notes
2. contemplating their words while staring into space
3. smiling demurely and looking away
4. applauding
5. laughing
So: as a speaker or teacher, how would you handle a sophomoric gawker like me? ¶ 12/13/2006 12:09:00 PM
Audience members: no matter how great a speaker may be, do not stare at him or her! Staring makes most people feel uncomfortable.
But in some instances, staring can make a speaker feel, well, a little too comfortable! Here's a story that illustrates my point:
As a sophomore in college, I was in one of those enormous "201" classes, where the prof lectured to a room of 300+ students three times per week. I found the lectures to be oddly fascinating. I could not take my eyes off of the professor as he spoke.
Because the class was so huge, I never met the prof personally. But I have the habit of thanking my teachers on the last day of class. So as I handed in my final exam, I walked up to this stranger, shook his hand, and thanked him for being such a compelling speaker and story teller.
Usually, teachers just smile and say something like "thank you". But not this time...
When I thanked this teacher, he grabbed my outstretched hand and would not let go as he continued to shake it. Before long, he grasped my trapped hand, then starting caressing it!
"I'm so glad you enjoyed my lectures!" he beamed. "I would seek you out in the audience every day, and give my lecture just for you! I would stare directly into your eyes, and imagine that it was just the two of us in the room together. You would look back at me, and I knew we had a connection that would go far beyond this class."
He went on in this vein for a few minutes, while I struggled to get my hand back. Clearly, some line had been crossed!
(I did manage to break free and skedaddle. And I certainly never took another one of this prof's classes or spoke to him again.)
As an audience member, I have since learned not to stare intently at the speaker, no matter how interesting or entertaining they may be! Instead, I will show my appreciation for their words by
1. taking notes
2. contemplating their words while staring into space
3. smiling demurely and looking away
4. applauding
5. laughing
So: as a speaker or teacher, how would you handle a sophomoric gawker like me? ¶ 12/13/2006 12:09:00 PM
