My vision is blurry, my heart is pounding, and I feel like I’m running out of air. I’ve just been asked to speak in a meeting at my first graduate job on a fashion magazine. My task is simple—read out the week’s social media stats—but I can’t get through it. I cut the presentation short, sit down, mumble an apology, and fight back tears.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. My first panic attack was during a university presentation. As the room started to spin and my breathing grew shallow, I rushed through most of what I’d prepared just to finish quickly. When I returned to my seat, the lecturer carried on as if nothing had happened, but I was completely humiliated. It caught me off guard—I used to enjoy public speaking in school. When did I become so anxious?
Over the past ten years, I’ve done everything I can to avoid public speaking, and it’s cost me. I’ve turned down chances to give speeches at friends’ birthdays, declined to speak on the radio about articles I’ve worked hard on, and said no to panels discussing topics I care about. I just can’t risk another public breakdown.
I’m not alone in feeling this way. According to a 2023 YouGov survey, half of Britons have a phobia or fear of public speaking—second only to a fear of heights, and more common than fears of spiders or snakes. This anxiety seems especially common among younger people, with another survey finding that 63% of Gen Z would avoid public speaking if they could.
After a series of panic attacks during job interviews, I decided it was time to tackle my fear of public speaking using some of the most effective methods available.
I spoke with Dr. Robert (who prefers to remain anonymous), a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, about my history of performance anxiety. Robert is an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Europe accredited consultant, and he explained that this form of psychotherapy could help by changing how my brain stores negative past experiences.
“When stressful events occur, they can get stuck in the nervous system,” Robert said. “Part of you feels like the trauma is still happening. EMDR helps unstick it, speeding up a process that would ideally happen naturally over time.”
By guiding me through lateral eye movements while I recall a negative public speaking memory—or another past experience that fuels my anxiety—Robert explained that I’m “taxing” my working memory: “Each time you retrieve a memory, reflect on it, and store it again, you’re rewriting it with less emotional intensity.”
“You might start with a negative belief, like ‘I’m hopeless,’” he said. “After processing it, you can look at it from a new, adult perspective.” The more sessions I do, the less I see my public speaking anxiety as a personal flaw and more as a result of difficult memories.
Early on, we tried the “flash” technique. I recalled distressing public speaking experiences and rated the level of disturbance from one to 10. Then I shifted my focus to something enjoyable—like watching music videos by Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. We repeated this cycle until the distress faded or I reached a “0.” It felt strange at first, but over time the memories became less upsetting.
When I asked Robert if it’s possible to cure glossophobia with EMDR, he stressed that exposure therapy is also important.”If someone has a phobia, like being afraid of riding in an elevator, we can use EMDR therapy—but if they never actually get in the elevator, their anxiety will just come back,” he explains. “There’s a principle that the more you avoid something, the more anxious you’re likely to feel about it.”
Public Speaking Bootcamp
Taking Robert’s advice, a week after starting EMDR, I went to my first Toastmasters meeting—a club for improving public speaking skills, held in a side room at a pub.
The host stood up and gave a confident speech about his own journey with public speaking. He asked the audience to repeat the mantra “experiment, fail, learn, and repeat” several times. It felt a bit like joining a cult, but the chanting was reassuring. If there was ever a safe place to have a panic attack in front of a crowd, this was it.
Founded in 1905 by Dr. Ralph Smedley, Toastmasters was originally created to train boys and men in public speaking, but it soon became popular among business professionals looking to excel at work. Today, it attracts a diverse group of people of all ages and backgrounds. I met an NHS doctor who wanted to get better at explaining depression to his patients, and chatted with a first-time author preparing for press interviews.
Toastmasters is free for guests, but paid members host the events and get to practice longer speeches. Guests can volunteer for a speaking challenge, which might involve being given a random topic and speaking about it for two minutes.
I was the first guest called up to speak, and my topic was, “How do you get someone to tell you a secret?” When I started, I felt like I was in a daydream. I scrambled to put together thoughts about how I’d share a secret of my own, but I stumbled over my words and struggled to fill the time—I spoke for only 48 seconds. No panic attack, but it was definitely no TEDx Talk.
Virtual Reality Training
I went to Cambridge to meet behavior scientist Dr. Chris Macdonald, who developed a VR platform to help people overcome public speaking anxiety. He used to struggle with public speaking himself, and seeing a teenage relative develop a fear of presenting in front of classmates motivated him to find a solution.
Macdonald read every research paper he could find on public speaking anxiety and considered all possible tools. Nothing was too trivial: “If imagining the audience in their underwear was helpful, I would have considered it,” he said. He found that exposure therapy stood out as the most well-supported technique, along with other methods like breathing exercises to slow your heart rate and certain eye movements that calm the brain’s fear center.
He developed a hybrid platform featuring various photorealistic audiences, accessible via laptop, VR headset, or smartphone. “I want this to be freely and easily accessible,” Macdonald said.
But how could VR capture the real terror of standing in front of a crowd? Macdonald’s research is highly promising. One study found that students who used the headset for a 30-minute session of overexposure therapy reported reduced public speaking anxiety. In trial results to be published later this year, it was found that one week of VR overexposure training benefited 100% of participating students.
Armed with a seven-day treatment plan provided by Macdonald ahead of my next Toastmasters session, I left Cambridge feeling encouraged. I have—I practice in VR every day, gradually increasing the audience size each time. By building up to a virtual crowd of thousands and delivering a four-minute speech, I’m intentionally overexposing myself to the experience.
“It starts to feel like a step down,” says Macdonald. “That’s what people report—that practicing in VR was harder than their actual presentation.”
I’m surprised by how realistic VR feels. Rehearsing with friends can be awkward, and practicing alone is dull, but VR is more immersive and rewarding. At home, I find the experience surprisingly engaging. With each practice run, my confidence grows. I even start to enjoy speaking on random topics I’m given.
Ten days after meeting Macdonald, I’m back at Toastmasters, more nervous than the first time. The room is packed. My anxiety builds as I wait, raising my hand every time the host asks for a guest to speak on a random topic. I try to push aside fears of a panic attack as I watch others speak, focusing on a relaxation technique Macdonald showed me: breathing in for four seconds, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight.
When I’m chosen, I walk to the front and am given the topic: “Why is it good to step out of your comfort zone?”
“As someone terrified of public speaking, I’m totally out of my comfort zone,” I begin. Being honest immediately makes me feel less nervous. I stay fairly calm, talking about why exposure therapy is important and then sharing how I’m trying to expand my music tastes beyond my comfort zone—or at least beyond my TikTok algorithm. I speak for a full two minutes without any real difficulty.
“It’s a miracle,” I text my partner after stepping off stage. One member who saw my first speech squeezes my arm and whispers, “You overcame the nerves.”
It wasn’t a perfect speech—I wrung my hands the whole time and could have structured it better—but the progress I’ve made in a month feels miraculous. For the first time in over a decade, public speaking doesn’t feel impossible. And I didn’t have to imagine anyone in their underwear to get there.
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5 Tips for Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking
by Dr. Chris Macdonald
1. Keep it simple
Before focusing on a calm delivery, simplify your message. Remove unnecessary jargon, complex sentences, and off-topic stories. Focus on the core idea you want to share. A clear, concise script is easier to remember and more engaging for your audience.
2. Get the air out of your lungs
Breathing with long exhalations triggers an automatic response that slows your heart rate and calms you down. Try breathing in through your nose for 4 seconds, holding for 7, and exhaling through your mouth for 8. Do this just before your presentation. When speaking, slow down and allow for pauses.
3. Get the words out of your mouth
Speaking too quietly makes it hard for the audience to hear you and can increase your heart rate and anxiety. Speakers often think they’re louder than they actually are. Try to speak much more loudly than you think you need to.
4. Get your focus out into the room
Self-focus and self-criticism often lead to increased anxiety. Instead, direct your attention outward. Focus on your message. In larger audiences, looking directly at faces can raise anxiety, so try looking slightly above them.Turn your eyes upward and toward the back of the room to widen your field of view, which can help calm your mind. You can enhance this effect by moving your eyes from side to side, as this reduces activity in the amygdala—the part of the brain that triggers fear—leading to a deeper sense of calm.
5. Step outside your comfort zone
Many people practice presentations alone at home, with no audience, so even a small group can feel intimidating. Thanks to advances in virtual reality, you can now practice in front of increasingly realistic and challenging virtual audiences. This kind of overexposure helps you become desensitized to stress, building greater resilience, adaptability, and confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about overcoming the fear of public speaking presented in a natural conversational tone with clear and direct answers
General Beginner Questions
Q What is glossophobia
A Its the formal term for a strong fear of public speaking
Q Is it normal to feel this nervous
A Absolutely Fear of public speaking is extremely common even among experienced speakers
Q What are the most common physical symptoms
A You might experience a racing heart shortness of breath sweating trembling dizziness or a shaky voice
Q Will people be able to tell how nervous I am
A Usually your nervousness is much more obvious to you than it is to your audience They often cant see the physical signs you feel
Q Whats the first step to getting over this fear
A Start by preparing thoroughly Knowing your material inside and out is the best foundation for confidence
Practical Tips Techniques
Q Whats a quick trick I can use right before I start speaking
A Take a few slow deep breaths Inhale for four counts hold for four and exhale for six This calms your nervous system
Q Where should I look if eye contact is too intimidating
A Look at the foreheads or the space between peoples heads at the back of the room It gives the impression of eye contact without the pressure
Q How can I stop my hands from shaking
A Hold onto the podium lightly clasp your hands together or hold a notecard Giving your hands a simple task can minimize shaking
Q Is it okay to admit Im nervous
A Sometimes yes A quick honest admission like Wow speaking in front of a group always gives me a bit of a rush can make you seem relatable and humanize you to the audience
Q How important is practice
A Its crucial Practice out loud on your feet and ideally in front of a friend or by recording yourself This makes the real thing feel familiar
Advanced Deeper Questions
Q I know my stuff but I still panic Why
A The fear is often less about the content and more about the perceived judgment from the audience Its a
