I recently returned from a TechComm conference in the U.S. It was wonderful to return to this conference, which I had not attended since before the pandemic, and to reunite with old friends and colleagues. I had a relatively light schedule of presentations and workshops, so I was able to attend other sessions.
I saw some good sessions that provided new information or gave me ideas that I could implement in my work. Some speakers delivered high-value presentations, which were well prepared and entertaining, and contained useful content. Some speakers were less skillful in their delivery, yet still managed to provide a structured, clear presentation with good content.
There were a few speakers, however, who were appallingly dreadful. Their attitude, lack of preparation, and lack of audience understanding left me feeling frustrated and angry. Ironically, the worst culprits were university ...