Closing Clunker #3: Packing Up Your Materials While Still Speaking

I’ve been nailed on this one before. It’s a bad habit. (I also have the annoying habit of clearing the dinner table while some people are still eating their meal, but that’s another story–and maybe fodder for another blog. I just happen to live with slow eaters!) Wait until you have completely finished your comments to turn off your laptop, unplug the projector, and tuck your notes into your briefcase. Otherwise, you are communicating to the people listening to you that you’ve already said anything worth hearing, so maybe they should tune out and begin packing up their notes, too.