Where Are the Off Buttons?

Anyone who has followed the politics of Encinitas knows about the speakers, citizen and elected, who cannot edit themselves. They drone on and on and choose to speak repeatedly. The biggest disappointment is that content rarely warrants the extra time. With high hopes that a new council would set the stage for terse, informative speech (perfected in the campaigns) and high hopes that the community activists who long hoped for a respectful council finally had a new governing body; the last month has been depressing. (This isn't about staff presentations, a subject for another day.)

The following guidelines from Do You Suffer from SME Info Dump Syndrome? by Brad Shore is offered as a perception framework for the goal of edited speaking. Some word substitutions were made to fit a public sector audience versus a private company.

Not long ago I was with some people (normal people, that is – ones who don’t sit in front of a computer screen 24/7) and someone mentioned something in passing about blogs. In no time, I was waxing eloquent about RSS feeds, the appeal of interactive marketing, and the merits of WordPress over competing blog platforms. I was so wrapped up in my oration that I barely noticed that several of my companions had gone to refill their drinks, and the few who remained had their eyes glazed over.

Yes, the shocking reality took hold – I am in the early stages of Subject Matter Expert Information Dump Syndrome (SMEIDS). Luckily for this post, I had made the diagnosis in time. In the latter stages of the disease, victims are no longer aware of their propensity to drone on endlessly about subjects of no interest to their listeners.

The symptoms of SMEIDS include boredom, irritation, and hostility – in listeners. The cure? Remembering that people have their own enthusiasms. In the absence of strong indications to the contrary, assume those enthusiasms are different than yours.

[ . . . ]

If you are an SMEIDS sufferer, there is hope, I hope. I’ve begun limiting my conversation about blogs and social media to short phrases. So far, the news is good. People I’m talking to in meetings do not seem to be falling asleep as quickly as usual. In time, I anticipate a complete recovery.

. . .  Early Warning Signs of SMEIDS
If you are suspect you have SMEIDS, look over this checklist. If you answer “yes” to more than three questions, seek help immediately.

• Do your [online comments] average more than 750 words?
• Are your emails often three paragraphs or more, even in response to yes/no questions?
• Have you ever used the phrase, “Please allow me to explain”?
• Do you ever feel you are not connecting with [others]?
• Do you often find yourself thinking, [others] just don’t understand how great [your opinions] are?
• Are you frequently interrupted?

Maybe a laugh or two could shake our relentless talkers to consider the mute button.  For some activists it seems that dissent for its own sake is just a deeply ingrained habit.  Standing up to a non-reponsive majority for a decade plowed some deep grooves. The beginning of a new year brings a lot of empathy for this kind of a challenge.  Even so, it simply does not work to say the same thing dozens and dozens of times with hundreds of words in order to get a different response.

Rambling council members are really vexing as the past years of stream of consciousness, thinking aloud, love of one's own voice fixations, revisionist nostalgia, autobiographical monologues, diatribes, obfuscations and general questioning for the sake of record were all captured on videos in the city archives.  One of the reasons for the encinitasyouneedus YouTube clips was to separate compelling facts and deliberation from this wasteful noise. A new council of smart, respectful people with something valuable to contribute to deliberations was what we thought we got.  Please hear this as a reminder of that mandate.

This isn't a blanket criticism.  Mayor Teresa Barth is well practiced at covering a great deal of information efficiently and she's already demonstrated a real knack at running a meeting to maximize discussions and contributions. Deputy Mayor Lisa Shaffer used a PowerPoint presentation to address her many thoughts on the process of selecting commissioners.  It actually worked because it was dense with information, well organized and delivered with clarity and brevity.  This was heartening and a more effective use of this tool than often seen with staff presentations. But, staff presentations are an entire subject unto themselves and better left to another post.

Demonizing anyone on the theme (SMEIDS or other reasons) that manifest in the seeming lack of an off button is not a healthy or respectful approach. But, let's just be clear that time theft is not something acceptable in forums that a whole community must share. We need to be able to name this. Distracting from the mountain of issues that are already on the table for this local government is annoying and though a democratic right, it can manifest as the opposite of civic action.

Editor: Speaking as someone who loves words, word crafting, parsing complex subjects and formulating an argument; using twitter, comment threads, oral communications and email lists are not inviting options.  I highly recommend a blog for someone who needs to create with words and share opinions and perspectives.  Those of like mind will appreciate what you offer.  Those who disagree will not hang around long or choose what to read or skip.