Xref: utzoo sci.math:17603 comp.dsp:1683 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!ils.nwu.edu!sandell From: sandell@ils.nwu.edu (Greg Sandell) Newsgroups: sci.math,comp.dsp Subject: Re: timing of applause Message-ID: <1804@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu> Date: 21 May 91 17:08:05 GMT References: Sender: news@ils.nwu.edu Reply-To: sandell@ils.nwu.edu (Greg Sandell) Distribution: world Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences Lines: 24 In article , sjreeves@eng.auburn.edu (Stan Reeves) writes: > > I recently returned from a technical conference in which there was a > great deal of confusion about when to applaud for the speaker. Some > people applauded as soon as the speaker finished with the paper, and > others applauded after he/she had finished fielding questions. This dual You make me feel sorry for all us academics...have we really become so consumed by convention and custom that we have forgotten that applause expresses appreciation? Unless the particular conference you are talking about is heavily dominated by some peer pressure to behave a certain way at a presentation, I'd say one should applaud if the feeling to do so arises when the speaker concludes the principle part of his talk. I must say the spectacle of an audience looking at one another to mime the question "gosh, should I clap or not?" elicits sympathy from me. But the occasions on which the "wait until questions are over" applause behavior is observed by participants seems to be related to (1) the length of the allotted presentation and (2) to the manner in which the speaker makes his conclusion. -- Greg Sandell sandell@ils.nwu.edu