Signs you may struggle with public speaking

Public speaking is a common challenge in the workplace, but if it causes intense stress, avoidance, or negative career impacts, you may be struggling with public speaking anxiety (glossophobia). Here are signs that public speaking is a problem for you at work:

• Intense physical symptoms before or during speaking

  • Your heart races, and you feel lightheaded or sort of breath when you have to speak in front of a group

  • You experience shaking hands, sweating, dry mouth, or nausea before presentations or meetings

  • Your voice trembles or cracks when speaking, making it hard to sound confident

An example of this may be your manager asking for a brief update in a meeting, and as soon as it’s your turn, your chest tightens, and you struggle to catch your breath

• Avoiding speaking opportunities at work

  • You turn down chances to present, lead meetings, or contribute in group discussions

  • You delegate speaking tasks to coworkers or remain silent when asked for input

  • You avoid networking events or client calls where you might have to speak in front of others

An example of this may be your team needing a volunteer to present a project update to senior management, but you quickly find an excuse or suggest someone else, even though you worked on the project the most

• Over-preparing or over-scripting

  • You spend excessive time writing and rewriting every word of a presentation

  • You memorize your speech word-for-word to avoid mistakes but panic if you forget a line

  • You rehearse obsessively but still don’t feel ready when it’s time to speak

  An example of this may be spending hours writing a script and practicing for a simple 5 minute presentation, but still feeling like you’ll mess up when the moment comes

• Difficulty thinking clearly while speaking

  • Your mind goes blank when you start speaking, making it hard to remember what to say

  • You lose track of your thoughts and struggle to articulate your points

  • You speak too quickly, stumble over words, or freeze mid-sentence

  An example of this may be suddenly forgetting what you were going to say during a team presentation, leading to a panic attack

• Negative self-talk or fear of judgement

  • You assume people will judge you harshly if you make a mistake

  • You obsess over past speaking experiences where you felt embarrassed

  • You believe you’re “bad at public speaking” and will always struggle with it

  An example of this may be a presentation going well, but still replaying a small mistake in your head for days, convinced that others noticed and thought less of you

• Dreading or losing sleep over upcoming speaking events

  • You start feeling anxious days or weeks before a scheduled presentation

  • You lose sleep or have nightmares about speaking in front of colleagues

  • You feel sick the night before a big meeting

If public speaking anxiety is significantly affecting your career, a psychiatrist can help determine whether performance anxiety, social anxiety disorder, or general work-related stress is at play and provide tailored treatment options.