Silence, please! Turn off your 'toys' when you are in a meeting

Key Points

Misplaced attention

It has become routine for some folks, when they are the least bit bored or anxious, to turn to their Blackberries and laptops and start flipping through their e-mail or trolling the Net. Sometimes, they send instant message to other members of the audience, or even the chairman of the meeting.

Do these people realize that it changes the character and value of a meeting if a large fraction of the audience is obviously disengaged, and their minds are somewhere else? Do they consider how it must feel for the speakers, who have worked long and hard on their presentations, to look out at an audience where many members - including some very prominent ones - are ignoring the program, have their heads down and are making furtive movements in their laps?

Some corporations are banning Blackberries and laptops from meetings, so that the attendees will focus on the work at hand.

Additional concerns

An additional concern for some speakers is that many laptops, and all current Macs, have the ability to make a video recording of the meeting. Some speakers do not want to be videotaped without their consent, and almost all meetings now have prohibitions on video and photography during the sessions.

There is concern that, in some cases, laptops are being used to secretly record the slides and sound at meetings, and those who keep their laptops running in a meeting could quite rightly come under suspicion.

Kevin C. Smith, M.D., is a dermatologist in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He may be reached at ksmithderm@aol.com
.