Can't stop thinking about a bad presentation

[samantha7]

I have a reoccuring thought that pops up from time to time about a presentation I did several years ago, very high pressure with important prospective clients and all my bosses' bosses present. I didn't want to do it as we didn't have the right product for the customer and I thought we would look bad. I was asked because I always give great presentations. I took some ginko beforehand to help me focus and I don't know what happened, I became like a deer in headlights when it was my turn. I started phyically shaking and could hardly speak, I rambled and kept falling off and trying to recover but just couldn't. I got through it but a collegue told me it was pretty bad, ( he's a friend). It hasn't happened since but I keep thinking about it and then worry it could happen again. I knew the material like the back of my hand and had done it 100's of times before. The worst is I keep thinking about it. I have always had tremedous anxiety but somehow I always did well with presentations. The worst is everytime I ask people I respect if it had ever happened to them they say "no, not really". Just wondering if anyone else has a similar story or how to stop the ruminating.

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

[Periwinkle]

Samantha,

I haven't had this happen only because I'm too scared to even give a presentation, so I really admire you for doing it. I think it sounds like you knew it wasn't the right product for the customer and maybe that affected your presentation. I think it's great that you can do presentations even with anxiety. There's no way I can do it....not yet anyway. Maybe someone else can relate, but i thought I'd let you know what I thought.