CROKES TALKS 2: FOCUSING FOR SUCCESS

This day last week Kilmacud Crokes had the pleasure of welcoming Professor Aidan Moran of UCD on Wednesday April 22nd to deliver a talk on 'Focusing for Success: The Psychology of Concentration'.

Professor Moran is Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Director of the Psychology Research Laboratory in University College Dublin which investigates the cognitive processes underlying expertise in skilled performance (e.g. in sport, medical surgery). Professor Moran has gained an international reputation for his research on concentration and mental imagery in sport performers and he has advised many of Ireland's leading professional athletes (e.g., golfer Pádraig Harrington) and teams (e.g., the Irish rugby team) and is a former psychologist to the Irish Olympic Squad. He is a highly experienced radio and television broadcaster in psychology

 Speaking to a full house, Professor Moran gave a fascinating and informative view of the role of concentration in our lives, with particular emphasis on sports and studying. The talk had a very practical focus and Professor Moran described 5 key strategies for enhancing your concentration, so everybody walked away with a fantastic new concentration habit to try, for example to study or work chunks of 45 minutes time before taking a break, and for all of us to deal with your emails in hour long chunks and then turn it off for an hour to avoid the constant interruption! Lucy Mannion opened the event, welcoming Prof Moran and facilitating an engaging Q & A session from the audience after the talk (see below for a summary of key concentration habits and strategies).

 This talk was the first of many 'wellbeing' events planned for Crokes this year. Keep an eye out for May events, where we are actively supporting Green Ribbon Day and taking part in 'Cycle against Suicide' events and the Darkness Into Light run on May 9th.

Let's keep talking, let's keep listening, and let's keep on investing in the well-being of our members.