Seating at Large Meetings, Events and Conference Halls

Seating Position At Meetings

I sit in the front row at most events. I am short so I don't want to sit behind somebody taller who blocks my view of the slides and the speaker.

Sitting at the front

I sit at the front to hear better. At the front you can also lipread. I am not an official, trained lipreader. But, like most people, I can recognize a few well known words. 

For example, if you were in a car, you would recognize another, angry drier mouthing F... O..f  The teeth on the lower lips show the letter f. Both words are one syllable. The head nods to emphasize.  The head goes forward aggressively. The eyes are open wide, but the mouth is not smiling.

In the same way, you could recognize from a distance, a child or adult shouting Bye, bye, as they wave goodbye.

And the lip movement helps you to guess other words. 

Watching the speaker makes me concentrate. I am easily distracted by my own side thoughts. Watching the speaker helps me to pay attention.

 

 

Writers Summer School - what I learned about seating in dining rooms

 The Writers' Summer School was originally set up to bring together writing circles from around Britain so they could share their knowledge and writing and books. It is still the case that some people from writing circles arrive in cars in pairs, or in groups.

The net result is that a newcomer is a loner. So is an old timer who is not part of a writing circle. (Mine in Harrow disbanded, after some people moved overseas, others went too professional to need other amateurs when they had publishers to give feedback. Others grew ill, retired, died.

In a large group at a table, the pairs or foursomes are people who already know each from back home. 

Pairs Of People

One pair is a mother and daughter. Another are father and son. Another pair is a husband and wife team. Two others work together. 

Two more are a same sex couple. The talkative one eventually tells me proudly that they are 'partners'. They were very nice and friendly. The larger, chatty, dominant one, instantly talked to me. But her thinner partner never took her eyes off the partner, never looked at me. So the large women was the pivot between us. 

On another occasion, I went up to join a woman who had been very friendly to me in the comedy group. But she was now with another person who she worked with. They were engrossed in the practical arrangements for their next event, another conference overseas, the hotels, travel arrangement. I was left out. For me, the end of that arrangement, what had seemed like a potential friendship.

I have been thinking about the etiquette of joining groups. It is better to select who you will sit with before entering the dining room. Even if it means jumping the queue for food in order to get served at the same time looking for a seat. 

An alternative is to sit in the same place, the same table, with the same people, every meal. But I like to change tables and meet new people. I sometimes walk through the dining room, glancing at each table, until somebody smiles welcomingly. I sit next to them.

Sometimes I sit alone. I look around at those walking in. If somebody stands, hesitating, looking at me, I smile and beckon.  

Personality Types In Conferences And Life

 

Aside On  Personality Types

I bring to any event my previous knowledge. As a teacher, on the Myers Briggs personality type, I have four letters which are the initials of characteristics. I am an ENFP.  A typical teacher is an E for extravert. Wearing bright colours and chatty, loose clothes. 

Then N, basically an academic, a reader rather than a doer. So I have a kitchen full of cookery books but don't cook. 

F for feeler, making decisions based on feelings rather than logical judgement. An accountant, looking at declining sales figures in November, would dismiss staff. A feeler would say you can't do that just before Christmas. 

Finally, P. I use the word Procrastinator. Always late. Busy with a creative task. Arrives late and stays late, talking, then late for the next event, the last of which is going to bed. 

What I learned at Writers' Summer School About Writing, Describing Yourself, meeting New People

 The alarm woke me at 7 am even if I went to bed gone midnight. By 8 am I was in the room where a volunteer was giving us our writing task for Lift Up Your Pens. We had four of those sessions, Sunday to Wednesday. I attended every one. The summer school now costs somewhere near a thousand pounds for the short week, starting Saturday tea time, leaving after breakfast on Thursday.  Five nights of accommodation, all meals, and coffee and cake or biscuits for elevenses and tea-time.

You can sell books, giving 15% to the Hayes. You can buy books from other authors, mostly getting a signed copy. 

For me the week had two highlights. What I learned, and what I did.

What I Did

I had a bit part, about four sentences, in five minute comedy written by the Vice President for 2026, Maria Hemmings. She always tells a rude joke to end her introduction to the evening's proceedings for everyone in the large hall called the Main Conference Centre. She is the queen of comedy. 

This year her comedy, one of three good comedies, was voted the best comedy.

What I learned

What did I learn? That you can establish a character in only one sentence, or two. 

Gestures

That a gesture can emphasize the character. You can show a lot on stage just by pointing at someone else, or yourself, or a part of yourself.

You can describe yourself or somebody else in three words. Try to describe yourself in three, complimentary words. Then ask others to do so.

The next event will be August 7-12th 2027 at The Hayes Conference Centre, Derbyshire.

The Eclipse in August 2026 - and Preparing & Storing Solar Glasses For The Next Eclipse

 

Sharot family photo from a cruise ship.

My own photos of the eclipse are eclipsed by those from other people. The eclipse in August 2026 started conveniently early evening in the UK and Europe.

We were warned not to look at it directly because it can damage your eyes. Instead look through special glasses.

 Or see the reflection in a bowl of water

 Or create a reflection by creating a pinhole camera by making holes in two pieces of white paper, one held in front of the other. You stand with your back to the eclipse and the sunlight should shine through the pinhole in the nearest piece of paper. Creating a picture on the further piece.

I plan to check Wikipedia and Wikihow on creating a pinhole camera ready for next time.

 My whatsapp and Next Door apps were full of messages from people asking where to buy glasses enabling you to see the eclipse safely.

I am awash with eclipse photos from family and friends, in the UK and overseas, from all the people on a conference, everyone in my street whatsapp group. Including photos from my extended family from a cruise ship near Spain.

If you attend an event at a hotel or restaurant or cruise ship you are likely to have access to distributed free or on sale items. Or enough people for one of them to share instructions. Or to let you look through their glasses for a moment or two.

Alternatively, you can prepare for next time.

The next one seen in the UK will be in August 2027.

You can get a list of future eclipses seen around the world from websites such as time and date.

Please follow my blogs on travel, dress, and comical poetry which I update daily. I have other intermittent blogs such as those on my winning and successful speeches. 

Share links to your favourite photos and posts from my blogs on travel, clothes, and comical poetry. You can also read my past posts on learning German and Spanish and other languages. And look at my books about etiquette, speeches. quotations, comical poetry. And how to write poetry. 

My latest book is Embarrassing Moments which includes language misunderstandings around the world. If you buy one of my books I will sign it for you when we meet, eg at a Toastmasters International Speakers Club meeting.

|The Wikipedia article goes into detail about fake eclipse glasses, some reassurance about Amazon, how to identify a fake, and links to sources of information.

Is it worthwhile ordering glasses for the next eclipse so as to allow time for rearch and delivery, and not miss out, and to have them with you even if you are away on holiday where you cannot be sure of delivery?

Only if you can remember where you stored them. Possible solutions. Tape a packing list behind your wardrobe door. List on that the location of vital items such as passports , first aid kits, insect repellent, sting relief, and eclipse sunglasses. Email yourself a note. Keep one top or bottom drawer for foreign coins, passports, eclipse sunglasses. Keep one suitcase clearly marked and labelled, with labels which won't fall off, the contents, written large in felt tip pen. 

Check on the location of this suitcase the first or last weekend of every month, in case somebody else decides to put the suitcase in a top cupboard, to empty for a trip, store in in the attic, garden shed, garage, top cupboard, under the bed, behind gloshte s in a wardrobe, or in a store room.

Useful Websites About Solar Eclipse Sunglasses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_viewer

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=amazon+solar+eclipse+glasses

Off to Oxford

So much to see in historic Oxford. Not just for academics and those who love architecture. Events which benefitted the entire world, like the discovery of penicillin.

 Oxford has a park and ride scheme, about £2.50 for the day, 16 hours, meaning you can't park overnight, cheaper than using a city car park, which is about £7, though you might risk hoping to find a street space.

Park and ride terminal building with toilets, which ran out of toilet paper at 11 a.m. but were fine at 4 p.m.

Not all buses go into the city centre. Some go back to London! We caught the 400 into Oxford. The route is not non-stop. Several stops into the city. Check your phone to find your most convenient stop.

Saturday 15 August 2026 the city was abuzz with people and busy cafés. Historic buildings of every era. Little nooky places in narrow pedestrian side streets selling souvenirs. 

Hop on hop off City Sightseeing bus Oxford. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Then huge impressive buildings with giant columns. The colleges with famous names.

Celebrity Cruises celebrates anniversaries