Patterns & Metaphors

Audience reaction teams

Other Names:
Conceptual interpretation teams
Inter-cultural communication teams
Interruption teams
Template:
A group, or groups, made up of members of the audience, who are specially assigned to interrupt a presentation when they feel that clarification is required. They are to ensure that the presenter and audience remain in touch with each other. Where there are different groups in the audience, their role is to ensure that these groups remain in communication with each other during the discussions, and that the speaker correctly "hears" the points and questions from the floor. They may ask for clarification and/or rephrase the point themselves in order to check "have we understood correctly...?" It is important that those selected for the teams are familiar with the groups they represent.
[Advantages] If an audience is made up of groups from different cultural backgrounds, the idioms, terms and concepts used by the presenters or by representatives of these different groups may be unfamiliar and confusing. This process helps to get the points cleared up immediately before they lead to further confusion, wastage of time, and unhelpful conflict. This process can be used to assist the process of interpretation, not only between various national languages but also between different jargon languages, pattern languages, and ideologies.
[Disadvantages] Overzealous teams can interrupt unnecessarily. The audience can experience the team and the process as patronizing. The speaker can be irritated and distracted by the interruptions. The process can be misused by a team that is anxious to indicate its disagreement with the speaker, and use their privilege of interruption to debate each point rather than assist in the clarification. Teams that do disagree with the point of view of the speaker may, in extreme cases, find it hard to act out their role for fear that they may be seen as agreeing with, and even arguing for, the points they are trying to clarify. Some concepts do not translate into their cultures, and some groups and speakers are unwilling to accept reworded interpretations which threaten to defuse or distort their message.