Physician Leadership Journal
Public Speaking: Managing Challenging People and Situations
Public speakers often face disruptive audience members, causing anxiety for all. Handling disruptions skillfully is crucial to maintaining comfort and professionalism.
May/June 2025 Vol. 12, No. 3 pp. 34–36 DOI: 10.55834/plj.7234188320
Abstract
Every public speaker has encountered, or most likely will encounter, a difficult member of the audience who disrupts their presentation. This is a source of anxiety and discomfort, not only for the presenter, but for the audience as well. Learning how to manage the disruptive audience member is an art form, just like being a good public speaker. A professional speaker knows how to handle this disruption without making the audience uncomfortable and without embarrassing the disruptor.
