Unpopular opinion: I think the 'heckler's veto' is the real problem, not the speakers.

At a talk in Berkeley last month, a student kept shouting over the guest, a former diplomat, until security had to remove him... which just made the whole event about the disruption, not the talk. The speaker never got to finish their point on Middle East policy, and the room felt tense for days after. How do you run an event where people can disagree without letting one person shut it all down?

4 comments

4 Comments

ivan_murphy801mo ago

Clear rules and a quick moderator fix everything.

drew_hart41mo ago

My buddy Mike helped run a talk at his college in Ohio last year. They had a guy who kept yelling during the Q and A part. The moderator just stopped and said, "We hear you, but you need to let others speak too. We have a mic for questions in the back if you want to wait your turn." It worked because they set the rule before anyone even started talking. The key is having someone ready to step in right away, not after things get loud.

rileygarcia1mo ago

Reminds me of a friend who saw a moderator just take the mic from someone, @drew_hart4. They said "You're done" and moved on, which felt harsh but it worked.

the_sam1mo ago

People get too worked up over this stuff.