We shall see. Sports without an audience. There have been enough psychological studies done to establish that people — including groups of people (i.e., teams) — act and react differently in comparative analysis between behaving before crowds as opposed to without them. The greatest performers have been those who “know” their audience. In other words, the “crowd pleasers”, the ones who can manipulate the emotional responses of the audience, etc.
Do some play for the 6 o’clock highlights? Does a spectacular play become so when no one is watching? Yes, yes, there is the television audience; but the fans once removed is like the tree that falls in the forest without anyone witnessing it; the tree does indeed fall, but the silence that surrounds is what dominates. We shall see.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, remember who our audience is: It is not your Agency; it is not your Supervisor or your coworkers; it is a separate agency altogether — the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
It is a paper presentation to OPM, and how it is characterized, what is presented, the extent and quality of the presentation — these all matter. For, in the end, the “To Whom” is always crucial in every arena of play — whether in sports, in law, or even in the privacy of one’s home; it is the audience that makes the difference.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
OPM Disability Retirement, Et Cetera… 