Conference call ambush

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Spiteful behaviour from a middle manager on an all hands conference call that he is enjoying but you are not. She may have detected from your tell-tale keyboard clatter that you are not paying attention. So she pins you with a doozy of a question, expertly phrasing it so that she only names you (your point of awakening) at the end of the question, at which point you have no hope of having heard it.

There are defensive techniques, the most rustic (but effective) being to cite Skype trouble, trying to take it offline or answering the question with a question.

See also

• Skype trouble
• Sorry, I was on mute