I am an attorney for a large company and was recently asked to give a talk to a relatively large number of people (50 to 70). Although I had plenty of experience arguing a case in front of a judge, my public speaking experience in front of large groups was limited. I was nervous that I would stumble over my words or lose my train of thought, things that have occasionally happened to me in the past.
Dr. Gannon worked with me for four sessions on ways I could reduce my performance anxiety while enhancing my presentation skills. We first set goals for how I wanted the presentation to go. He gave suggestions about how to fashion a speech that would be engaging and help me connect with my audience. Rather than being anxious about what NOT to do, he helped get me excited about what I COULD do. This alone was tremendously helpful.
But, I still needed help to reduce my anxiety which surfaced whenever I thought about the upcoming presentation. He suggested we use a new technique called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). The EMDR helped me channel my anxiety and nervousness into positive energy which, for me, led to a fantastic presentation. Instead of being nervous, I was animated, engaging and relaxed. I gave the best presentation of my life to several of the top level people in my organization.
After the talk, dozens of people came up to me and congratulated me, something that never happened in the past. I highly recommend Dr. Gannon’s program to turn performance anxiety into peak performance.