My supervisor is like the boss in this Dilbert comic. Not that he knows us all that well, but he does close his eyes during my presentations. The first time it happened, he said he had a migraine and couldn't look at my slides for more than a few seconds at a time. Pffft! Riiight!!! Ok, I might believe that since I put a bright yellow background on the slides. Oops. Ah, the things you don't realize when you start out...
I recently gave a presentation about my research in a class that my boss teaches every year, and I give this same presentation every year. Normally, he's in the back of the class snoozing. This time he was away, so I was a bit relieved that I wouldn't see him catnap while trying to talk about my research to the class. It can be really disheartening.
That's why I was extremely taken aback when I noticed one of the TAs in the back of the class with her eyes closed!!! I couldn't believe it. To add insult to injury, she offered no apology or even any excuses for her behaviour afterwards. Nuthin.
So now every time I see her, I give her the finger. I don't think she's made the connection.
It was suggested that I could come to her presentation in that class next week and sleep loudly through it. However, I think the finger thing is workin' for me as she says hi to me EVEN LESS than she did before (she's a serial non-hi-sayer in the first place). So I figure she's pickin' up what I'm throwin' down here. She must be feeling the Mich-wrath.
But maybe the sleeping during her presentation idea has some merit after all. If I brought a pillow to class next week, it will come full circle on her. She'll have an 'ah ha' moment in front of the whole class when she looks up and sees my little head atop my pillow; happily napping away.
Then when she mentions it after class, I'll lose it on her. That will open the door to reparations. Then we could have a real sit-down chat about it. Because after all, I believe in being honest and straightforward about these things. It saves a lot of anxiety between people.
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3 comments:
I fall asleep all the time during presentations. Its a problem I have-always have and always will. It sometimes happens during really interesting talks and I get angry at myself. I probably have sleep apnea or something.
Don't take it personally.
It is a little disappointing to find out she doesn't find my presentation so spellbinding that she's absolutely rivetted. The truth is that she is indeed on the edge of her seat the whole time, but only because she's dozed off and slid down in her chair!!!
No, I don't take it personally at all. And I didn't give her the finger either, not to her knowledge anyways;)
Come on, sleep is important. It kind of depends on the time of day, too. After lunch is a normal "nap" time. I used to fall asleep regularly after lunch in my embryology lecture; one time I slumped over onto the chest of the female lab. instructor next to me----nice! and comfy too!
Also fell asleep and slumped onto the isle during the keynote speaker's "pep talk" speach at my medical convocation. It was his fault! He kept walking back and forth and I think he hypnotized me. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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