[oclug] (OT) April 6 meeting

[alayne at twobikes.ottawa.on.ca]

I think those people who carry on conversations during meetings (i.e. more
than "Is Jane Doe the next speaker?" or "Should we cut off questions
now?") should be invited to share their thoughts with the entire audience,
since obviously their thoughts are very important.

And if they're not, why don't they go out and talk in the hall outside?

As a presenter and as a member of the audience, I don't mind clarification
questions to ensure everyone understands what's going on, but I think
longer questions are better off left until the end, so as not to break the
flow. My rule of thumb is that if it cannot be answered in 30-40 seconds,
wait.

People who present to OCLUG are giving up their time and energy to do
this, and I think that anything that makes the process more pleasant for
them and allows them to do a good job should be encouraged.

-- 
Alayne McGregor
alayne at twobikes.ottawa.on.ca

"The whole effect of law on human society began to change when you could write the
law down, and anyone who could read could see what the law was. This didn't mean
that the kings always obeyed the law, but it meant that when they disobeyed it, everyone
knew what they were doing. That had a big effect on the structure of human society.
One minor aspect of it is that we always appear to be nervous of people who write things
down." -- Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen. The Science of Discworld