I have found that most people don't comprehend the ability to both draw and listen at the same time. They assume that if you are buried in your sketchbook, that you are drifting away to some distant place and ignoring the immediate goings on. I counter that with the idea that nearly everyone who can write can take notes of what a speaker says. It's true that the note-taker doesn't hear everything that is said, but just because your eye-balling the guy at the head of the table doesn't mean that you are hearing what he is saying.
It's a social concept, that's all. Part of it is that people are mesmerized by watching things created. I think they find it distracting because they can't completely look away. Even when the drawings are bad (which is usually with me) and even when they are consciously not looking, they look. Add to that the fact that meeting notes are stream-of-consciousness efforts and the onlooker can rarely make heads or tails of what's on the page.
There's no answer and this will never be acceptable. I wouldn't do it during a job interview or audit (well I might during and audit) but learning to not allow the pressure of a crowd dissuade me (or you) from drawing is really all you can do.
Notes from a lecture by Osie Boateng, a Ghanan Bible teacher. I love the Ghanan accent (and most African accents) because of their passion and forcefulness. Some highlights here: Family Worship of Jehovah God is an opportunity to have the Jubilee Spirit - Want to learn more?
The idea of fish with legs is a recurring theme with me. It's a seed of a idea. Ignore Worldly Fantasy, Embrace Kingdom Realities was a talk about faith and the importance of confidence in things we have not yet seen.