This was a recurring problem when I was teaching at camps and workshops. Eventually, my wife gave me a customized shirt to wear during these events to try to preemptively minimize the problem.
(BTW: those CDs are not printed on the shirt, I just tossed a few onto it just to add some color to the pic.)
Maybe attendees thought I was rude, but I never had qualms about telling folks to knock off the doodling while I was explaining something or demonstrating. Sometimes there would be the chronic doodler(s) who wouldn't respond to suggestions to quiet down and I'd have to make much more pointed "third person" comments... (though it's obvious to everyone who is/are the culprit(s)).
"The continued doodling needs to stop; it's distracting to me and it's a distraction to the class, not to mention disrespectful. There are folks who have paid the tuition to be here and many of them have tape recorders on so they can take the ideas and material home with them to study. But they are going to go home, play the tapes and instead of being able to review this stuff we're going over, they're gonna get treated to a 'noodle concert' from someone who was sitting a couple chairs away. And that's not fair to them.... (and in an Elvis voice) Thank you, thank you very much "
Maybe that makes me a "jerk"; but as far as I'm concerned, it needed to be done. Imparting the course material, in a limited amount of time, imo, is more important than concentrating on the PR of a being "real nice guy".
NH
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