Ten Rules for Being a Good Audience So how should you behave during a lecture or a presentation?

1. Arrive on time and take your seat. Sit still with both feet planted on the floor or legs crossed. Sit still with both feet planted on the floor or legs crossed. Keep your hands below your shoulders. Keep your hands below your shoulders. Minimize any movement --it's discourteous to others. Minimize any movement --it's discourteous to others.

2. Do not get up and move around during the talk unless told to do so. Remain seated until the presentation is over. Remain seated until the presentation is over. If you must leave to go to the restroom, do not re-enter the room until there is a break, or take a seat quietly at the back of the room. If you must leave to go to the restroom, do not re-enter the room until there is a break, or take a seat quietly at the back of the room.

3. Do not assume the presentation is interactive. While this is becoming the norm – I think out of self-defense – until the speaker announces an exercise or activity, or asks questions or asks for responses or audience participation, or asks you to interact with your neighbor, remain silent and attentive. While this is becoming the norm – I think out of self-defense – until the speaker announces an exercise or activity, or asks questions or asks for responses or audience participation, or asks you to interact with your neighbor, remain silent and attentive.

4. Do not bring food, drink, smoking materials, gum, candy, or other work. Books, cell phones, radios,small children,, or live animals into the presentation room with you, or anything that lights up, dings, whistles, rings, spins, emits something, is a fire hazard, smells, or needs to be fed. You are there to listen to the speaker. Books, cell phones, radios,small children,, or live animals into the presentation room with you, or anything that lights up, dings, whistles, rings, spins, emits something, is a fire hazard, smells, or needs to be fed. You are there to listen to the speaker.

5. Be an attentive listener.

6. Do not talk or whisper during the presentation. But stay with the speaker. If something is funny, laugh. If the speaker asks for questions, have one. If something great happens, applaud. If you enjoyed the presentation, applaud at the end. But stay with the speaker. If something is funny, laugh. If the speaker asks for questions, have one. If something great happens, applaud. If you enjoyed the presentation, applaud at the end.

7. Dress appropriately and respectfully. All professional audiences know to dress comfortably (you don't want your belt jackknifing into your waist the whole time), and to wear layers so you don't get too hot or too cold, and act out because you're miserable. All professional audiences know to dress comfortably (you don't want your belt jackknifing into your waist the whole time), and to wear layers so you don't get too hot or too cold, and act out because you're miserable.

8. Do not do anything that distracts either the speaker or the audience. This would include but is not limited to: talking, whispering, wearing strong cologne به رائحة الكولونيا, coughing, joking, shuffling يحرك your feet, rustling يحرك بسرعه papers, tapping الضرب بخفة your pencil, humming, heckling المضايقة, allowing your cell phone to ring (or talking on it), The presentation is not about YOU. If you have an uncontrollable need to attract attention to yourself, please get some coaching on Emotional Intelligence and give us all a break. This would include but is not limited to: talking, whispering, wearing strong cologne به رائحة الكولونيا, coughing, joking, shuffling يحرك your feet, rustling يحرك بسرعه papers, tapping الضرب بخفة your pencil, humming, heckling المضايقة, allowing your cell phone to ring (or talking on it), The presentation is not about YOU. If you have an uncontrollable need to attract attention to yourself, please get some coaching on Emotional Intelligence and give us all a break.

9. Keep your hands and feet to yourself. And just like in grade school, if you tend to get in trouble when you're with Mr. so and so, don't sit beside Mr. so and so. And just like in grade school, if you tend to get in trouble when you're with Mr. so and so, don't sit beside Mr. so and so.

10. Come prepared to make your contribution as a member of the audience. It's an active role, not passive. It means arriving alert (skip the double cheeseburger for lunch), having a positive attitude and doing what you can to make this possible for yourself, the speaker, and others in the audience. It's an active role, not passive. It means arriving alert (skip the double cheeseburger for lunch), having a positive attitude and doing what you can to make this possible for yourself, the speaker, and others in the audience.