Do you know what bugs me more than anything else? The people who have no "wrapping it up" anticipation and ask questions to a professor or guest speaker just as that person is about to stop talking and possibly let you go early. (Note: This applies mostly towards classes which meet once a week and extra-curricular speakers. No matter what, I am not there voluntarily).
Being an observer of people, I have a very acute sense of when somebody has had their fill of stroking their ego by talking to a room full of bored listeners. Or maybe everyone has this sense and I am just stroking my own ego. But either way, it is easy to tell. Their ramblings become more conclusory, their words tend to trail off a bit, they seem to ease up because they know they are done. And then you hear, "Any questions?"
This is the most tense time of the speech. I look around nervously, trying to determine if anyone in the room is going to raise their hand. Hold for one second...nobody...Hold for another second...nobody...Hold for a third second...Oh my god, we might get out of here now...yessss, this is finally over...and....SON OF A BITCH...a hand shoots up. Great, now we are stuck here for an undetermined period of time.
Apparently these people never got the memo that says that you don't ask people questions when the end of their speech means the end of confinement. This should be part of the common trust held between all students. We are in this together. Don't be that guy (or girl). Fight that urge to hear your own voice. We will all appreciate it greatly.
