The Break-Out Session

I’m at a two-day conference and it’s one I have to go to every year. There are lots of training sessions one can attend, some of them useful, some of them, not so much.

One thing I have realized is that I truly despise “break-out sessions.” That’s when the instructor gleefully announces, “Okay, let’s break up into groups of five and come up with some ideas on how to build a better weasel trap.”

I hate those “break-out sessions.”

First of all, we’ve paid good money to hear the expertise of the expert regarding weasel traps. Since we’ve pain the money, we’re obviously the ones that don’t know beans about weasel traps. Why do these instructors think we can learn from each other? Why are they so enthusiastic about us breaking up into groups?

I hate that.

I’ve been the seminar instructor before. (I attended a seminar on giving seminars.)
I know full well that “breaking up into groups” is just a code for “I didn’t prepare enough material to teach you and I need to fill up thirty minutes.”

I hate that.

So, now that I’m middle age and have lots of experience under my belt, I’ve realized that I don’t have to take it anymore. So I don’t.

When the instructor says to break up into groups, I simply leave and go get some coffee. Thirty minutes later when all the break-out nonsense is done, I quietly slip back in.

It’s not like I’ve missed anything.