Public Speaking & Performance Anxiety
When you know what you want to do, but anxiety gets in the way.
You may feel comfortable in everyday conversations yet experience a very different response when you have to speak, present, perform or be evaluated.
As the moment approaches, you might begin thinking about what could go wrong, whether you'll remember what you want to say or how other people will respond.
During the situation, your attention may shift from what you're doing to how you're doing it your voice, your body, your words and whether other people can see that you're nervous.
The more important the situation feels, the harder it can become to simply focus on the task itself.
What Performance Anxiety Can Feel Like
Performance anxiety can occur around public speaking, workplace presentations, meetings, interviews, performing, exams or other situations where you feel observed or evaluated.
You may:
worry that your mind will go blank
rehearse extensively or feel you need to be perfectly prepared
become very aware of your voice, hands, breathing or facial expressions
worry that other people will notice you're nervous
focus on mistakes or signs that something is going wrong
feel pressure to perform perfectly
avoid speaking opportunities or situations where attention may be on you
replay the experience afterwards and focus on what you could have done differently
Physical responses can include a racing heart, shaking, sweating, dry mouth, changes in breathing, tension, nausea or a trembling voice.
When the Situation Starts to Feel Like a Test
A presentation or performance can begin to feel as though it says something about you, rather than simply being something you are doing.
You might feel that you need to get everything right, that people are looking for mistakes or that appearing anxious will undermine your performance.
This can draw your attention inward and make it harder to stay connected with your message, your audience or the task in front of you.
Avoiding opportunities, overpreparing or waiting until you feel completely confident can provide short-term relief, but may also keep the situation feeling more threatening than it needs to be.
How Therapy May Help
Therapy can help you understand what happens for you before, during and after performance situations and develop different ways of responding.
Depending on your needs and goals, our work may involve:
changing the way you anticipate upcoming presentations or performances
reducing excessive self-monitoring
responding differently to physical sensations of anxiety
becoming more flexible around mistakes and uncertainty
reducing perfectionistic preparation and avoidance
shifting attention back towards the task, message or audience
gradually building confidence through experience rather than waiting to feel completely confident first
Clinical hypnotherapy may also be incorporated where appropriate to reinforce therapeutic work, mentally rehearse more useful responses and support greater confidence in situations that have previously triggered anxiety.
The aim is not to guarantee that you will never feel nervous.
It is to help you perform, speak or participate more freely without anxiety having to determine what you do.
Public Speaking Anxiety or Social Anxiety?
There can be some overlap, but they are not always the same.
If you are generally comfortable around other people but become anxious when you need to present, perform or be formally evaluated, this page may be the better fit.
If anxiety occurs more broadly across conversations, meeting people, social events or concerns about how you come across in everyday interactions, you may find the Social Anxiety page more relevant.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
You do not need to become a naturally confident public speaker before you begin.
We can start by understanding what happens for you, where the pressure tends to build and what you would like to be able to do differently.