Google Ops Presentation and Meeting Formats

[Jim Hickstein]

> We'd love to have more volunteer nonBoard MCs that could handle piping 
> up and realigning the talks when they get off topic.. Us Board members 
> are a little hesitant to dictate how the meeting goes

Oh, we're not all hesitant. :-)  I've done this before, though I tried 
to keep it light.  It's actually a documented responsibility of the 
EventCoordinator (in the internal TWiki), but it often goes better when 
the EC delegates this to a specific moderator (often a volunteer) who is 
not shy.  There are moderators and moderators, just as there are 
speakers and speakers, to say no more.

To answer the original question some more: It varies.  Some meetings are 
quite formal, hands raised and speaking in turn; some are 4-hour-plus 
animated "discussions", at least some of which turn out to be 
worthwhile.  (My private concern about the time was mostly that we used 
to run out of video tape. :-)  If you're a witness to one of the latter 
melees, I'd say it's perfectly appropriate to speak up and ask if this 
is how most people want it to go that evening.  The speaker (or the 
moderator) can then regain control.