Dear Gary,
On behalf of the organizers of this past June’s RESNA Conference in Phoenix, I want to thank you for your great keynote presentation during our opening ceremony. It turned out to be a perfect way to kickoff our annual conference. Almost everyone I spoke with afterward commented on your stimulating presentation (and complemented me on my choice of speakers).
As Chair of this year’s conference, I was intent on having a speaker that provided meaningful content that was tailored to the interests and experiences of the audience. Too often in the past, invited speakers have just dusted off their canned speeches and tacked on a few sentences about our profession. In this case, I was struck by your efforts to understand the make-up of our audience and your willingness to talk with me about the issues on peoples’ minds. I also appreciate how accepted my invitation to challenge our members’ understanding of their role in working with people with disabilities and not just pat them on their backs for doing good work. As a result of your preparations, several of the attendees remarked to me that “this guy was really talking to US!”
But good content is only one part of a good presentation. I was really impressed by your comfortable stage presence, practiced and polished (though not slick) delivery, and the way you infused your talk with warmth, humor, and juggling (!)
Thank you again for your excellent presentation. Please feel free to use me as a reference. In addition, I would be happy to speak with anyone who is considering engaging your services.
Sincerely,
Ray Grott
RESNA Conference Chair for 2007 & 2008