On Audience Activities during Presentations

Audiences have most likely always been subject to distraction and drift during all varieties of presentation. While these activities were often confined to solitary activities since inter-person distractions were limited by their visibility to the speaker (ever been caught passing notes in class?), in the current networked-enabled presentation room, multi-person off-task "distractions" are now possible (ever read your e-mail during a conference talk?). This paper explores the potential for positive effects of this ability; back-channel discussions that are on-topic and can even lead to a more involved audience and better interaction with the presenter.