It's your first big meeting to conduct since your promotion and you are excited and very well prepared, however, you have one problem and that is to deal with one or two disruptive person(s) in the audience - heckler!. Before you got promoted, previous supervisors had to deal with a few hecklers , so now that you are in the spotlight, you are nervous about your encounter.
Wikipedia defines a heckler as "A person who harasses and tries to disconcert others with questions, challenges, gibes. Hecklers are often known to shout disparaging comments at a performance or event, or to interrupt set-piece speeches, with the intent of disturbing performers
or participants."
Hecklers have hidden agendas. They are attention seekers that love to respond to a speech with sarcasm just to make themselves look clever. Hecklers are pretty much trouble makers. While others may respond to a rhetorical question without intending you any malice, hecklers on the other hand are unleashing sarcasms and hostility.
Everyone deserves a fair hearing, even if you cannot agree with their point of view. Give the heckler a chance to speak, reassure everyone that they will get a chance to speak especially if you know that others are waiting to be heard, and allow answers to be short. To deal with hecklers you must be confident, courteous and firm and not enter into an argument. Do not allow a heckler to undermine you. Remaining calm will diffuse any negative hostility.
You are the mediator of the meeting therefore, only you can bring balance. One key thing to remember is that the more exposure and experience you have, the better you will become at responding confidently and politely.
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