Below are two people you do not want to act like or meet when attending a conference.
Obnoxious expert opinion. I met a plastic surgery doctor and ended up in a group chatting with her quite a bit at an event. I will refer to her as “Dr. Annoying.” Without anyone asking, “Dr. Annoying” proceeded to critique the women in the group and suggested what surgery they would need to look young again. There really should be an etiquette class for doctors and skin care specialists and boy did this woman need one. If someone asks your opinion on their appearance and what work they may need, it is fine. It is not OK by any means to go on and on about face lifts and lasers when someone does not ask.
Harvard Law degree does not sanction know-it-all behavior. I also previously met quite the I-know-it-all conference attendee and topics varied from trademarks to publishing. If you are in expert in something, great; however people do not want to hear you go on and on about anything and everything especially if they did not ask. Also, spouting off your expert credentials when someone asks you completely unrelated questions is also very lame behavior. I am pretty sure this person was completely unaware of how completely ridiculous she behaved, but I have a piece of advice for all of the know-it-alls out there. If everyone around you is drinking heavily, the bar runs out of wine, and people are making lame excuses not to sit at your table like they need to go to bed (and it is 6:00 p.m.) … you might want to think twice about what comes out of your mouth. Also, please be warned: know-it-all behavior can become newsletter material. Sign up for the M-Dash here.
