The Hindu Business Line : Stay calm when heckled

As a speaker, do you find that some people either disagree with what you’re saying, or just want to disrupt your speech or show off? You are not alone. Even the best presenters have to deal with hecklers at times, says Maggie Eyre in Speak Easy: The essential guide to speaking in public (www.macmillanindia.com).

Don’t take it personally, and above all, stay calm, she advises. “The rest of the audience is usually annoyed by hecklers, and you may find that someone else in the audience asks them to be quiet on your behalf.”

The author prescribes a few strategies to deal with hecklers. In the first instance, try to ignore them, she begins. “If it’s a one-off comment that doesn’t merit a response, continue with your presentation. Break eye contact with the person. If the audience can see you’re not paying any attention to the heckler, neither will they.”

Another useful tip is to make a comment such as, ‘We have a lot of material to cover and I’d rather not get off track, so how about at the break we get together and talk about this then.’

A heavy-handed approach can be to get the event organiser to appoint a bouncer!

Suggested reading.

Tackling tough people

The phone rings and the caller is a salesman who wouldn’t take a ‘No’ for an answer. For instance, you say, “Thanks, but I’m not interested,’ and he says, ‘Would you please tell me why?’

Not keen on being rude, you continue the conversation but you are burning inwardly. “Maybe you even bought what he was selling, something you really didn’t want, out of guilt over feeling resentful.”

Watch out, this is ‘the persister,’ cautions Murray Oxman in The How to Easily Handle Difficult People Handbook ( www.wileyindia.com ). “After you have once said ‘No’ and the person persists with his sales pitch and tricks — hang up. You are not being rude. He is. Don’t feel guilty,” guides Oxman.

In the list of ’the 20 most difficult people,’ is ‘the criticiser’ — someone who is very critical of everything and everyone but himself. What can be your response to such people?

Simply agree with him when he criticises you, the author counsels. “Try saying something like this to the person criticising you: ‘You know, you might have something there — I’ll look into it.’”

Recommended for study when baffled by people around!

D. MURALI

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