Dr. Riedy's Random Thoughts

            There is a great deal of truth in the saying, “Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance”.  As a public speaker generally you control most of what happens during the presentation. If something unexpected or  uncontrollable does happen, however, react calmly and intelligently.   Keep your cool and consider your options. If you can handle the situation do so. If not, hopefully those in charge of the program will be alert and able to resolve whatever needs fixing while you pause and wait for their cue what to do next.                 What follows in this and several subsequent posts are my thoughts on the Do’s and Don’ts in situations that are controllable. Then I’ll cover what to do or not do when the uncontrollable happens.  Where you can exercise control , do so.  I practice what I preach,  Some of the most important things I believe you should do are as follows:                Write your own speech.  When the thoughts and words are yours and not

Public speaking is an activity almost everyone engages in, whether delivering prepared remarks to a business group, addressing a board of directors, leading a homeowners' association meeting or talking to a Little League team after a particularly good (or bad) game. Because speaking in public has this universality I thought it would be a good way to launch the blog by relating what I've learned through experience in the hope you will find my insights relevant and useful. I also invite you to share your stories with me. If you are new to public speaking the first few opportunities can be daunting, but over time the experience will get to be less stressful and more fun.  Having said that, just as in golf where you might practice a lot but all you are doing is grooving a bad swing, it is possible to give lots of speeches and never get better at it.  It takes commitment and hard work to improve public speaking skills. Three quick points: First, you are speaking presumably becau

Welcome to my new blog, a way of sharing my thoughts and opinions.  I invite your reactions.  I have a well-deserved reputation for (too) lengthy emails and messages, so living within the space constraints of a blog might make my head explode, but here goes... Thanks to our son, John, a professional photographer ( johnriedy.com ) for the beautiful photo of the Statue of Liberty, shot during August 2017 at 4:30 a.m. from the deck of the RMS Queen Mary 2.