I spend a lot of time on the road - going here - traveling there. One thing I notice is how I'm treated and how I treat others in response.

Today, in a conference, two people sitting behind me kept whispering to each other - particularly when an Asian panelist was speaking. It was obvious that english was not his native tongue but he could be easily understood with just a bit more attention paid to his speech. Easy to do when it's quiet. Not so easy when you have background noise - like whispering!

So, I started to notice when the whispering would occur. Always when he was speaking. The two behind me were not of Asian descent but they clearly disrespected this panelist. I listened closely to their whispering. They were not trying to figure out what he was saying. They were talking about other things that had nothing at all to do with what he was saying.

I didn't like that. I do not know why this bothered me so much except that I keep going back to that whole "do unto others" thing. I wonder how these people would feel if while they were talking on a panel two people of Asian descent kept whispering to each other. Rude.

So, please, when you are in a public situation and someone is speaking on a panel or whatever, show them a little respect and listen. Keep quiet unless you are addressing them or the other panelists. Keep quiet unless you are participating in the discussion. It's respectful. It's the right thing to do.