I don't think it is right to talk during a speaker's presentation unless he or she specifically asks for audience feedback -- for instance "Does anyone grow this here?" or "Does anyone know what species this is?" If you think the speaker has misidentified a plant, you can bring up the matter POLITELY during the question period after the talk: "I've seen the name Tetraneuris for that plant, can you explain?" or "Could that rosulate violet be Viola columnaris?"
When I'm giving a talk myself, I find it very distracting when an audience member suddenly fires a question at me, because I lose the thread of my narrative (I use only a slide list as lecture notes, having organized the images according to a set of themes). I think this is a problem that most of us who are responsible for chairing meetings face from time to time. That said, we probably also have groups with esteemed longtime members who have the habit of interrupting speakers, and we may just want to live with it. The late Faith Mackaness, a very well known gardener in our area, was one such, but we admired her past work so much and also admired her for continuing to come to meetings even when old and ill, that no one ever asked her not to interrupt. If the audience is small and the speaker is a member of that same group, interrupting, or "contributing," is probably more acceptable. Then, the context is more like a seminar where give-and-take is expected. Our small NARGS chapter (Columbia-Willamette, and yes, it is VERY small) has an annual "Members' Night" where people bring small sets of photos to show and discuss, and another annual event, a non-competitive pot show where the exhibitors or others comment on the plants displayed and there is general discussion. Both these evenings are quite enjoyable. Cell phones should of course be turned off or at least set to "vibrate" during a program, but with as many doctors as belong to some chapters, or members with young children at home with sitters, we have to be understanding about audience members taking calls during meetings. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA _______________________________________________ Alpine-l mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l
