How to get over fear of public speaking

What the fear of public speaking is

Speech textbooks call it communication apprehension: fear or anxiety about real or anticipated communication with other people (Stand Up, Speak Out). Most people know it as stage fright. It is very common: one study opens with the line that about 77% of the general population fears public speaking (Heeren et al., 2013). Public speaking anxiety, the stronger form, is reported in 15% to 30% of the general population (Tejwani et al., 2016). Even experienced speakers feel some of it, so the goal is not zero nerves. The goal is nerves you can speak through.

What happens in your body

Common signs are shaking hands and legs, sweating, butterflies in the stomach, a dry mouth, a pounding heart and a quivering voice. They come from the fight-or-flight response: adrenaline rushes through your body and tells it to speed up its movements (Stand Up, Speak Out). The good news from the same textbook: audiences do not perceive the level of nervousness that speakers report feeling, and there is a good chance they won't notice unless you point it out.

How to get over fear of public speaking in five steps

None of these steps asks you to feel brave first. Each one lowers the fear a little, and together they are how to get over fear of public speaking without waiting for confidence to arrive on its own.

1. Prepare more than feels needed

   Run the talk out loud in front of other people several times, spread over several days (Stand Up, Speak Out). Practice in conditions close to the real thing: standing, timed, with the notes you will actually use.

2. Swap perfect for realistic

   Replace "this has to be flawless" with "small mistakes won't ruin my speech". If you slip, don't stop to correct it: keep going all the way through (Stand Up, Speak Out).

3. Breathe out slowly

   Slow, deep breaths slow your heart rate (American School Counselor Association). AmberWillo's stage fright guide suggests a slightly longer exhale to trigger a calming response. See the 60-second routine before a talk.

4. Call it excitement

   Trying to calm down is what most people do, but people who say "I am excited" out loud feel more excited and perform better than people who try to calm down (Brooks, 2014). The racing heart is the same; the label changes what you do with it.

5. Start small and repeat

   Speak in low-stakes rooms first, then step up. A small online session on AmberWillo, free to start, is a gentle first room. The Managing Anxiety part of the practice plan lays out the order.

How to get over fear of public speaking for good

One good talk helps, but the fear only shrinks for good when speaking stops being rare. The NHS advice for anxiety is not to avoid the situations that make you anxious, and to build up the time you spend in them slowly instead. For speaking, that ladder can look like this:

• Week 1: answer one question out loud in a meeting or class.
• Week 2: give a two-minute update standing up.
• Week 3: present to a small group you know.
• Week 4: a short talk to people you don't know.

Keep each step until it feels boring, then move up. Avoiding a talk gives quick relief, but it also teaches your brain that the talk was dangerous, so the next one feels worse. If your hands or voice shake on the way up, read how to stop shaking when nervous. Working out how to get over fear of public speaking is mostly working out the next small step and taking it.

Guides in this section

• Calm your nerves in the 60 seconds before a talkA long-exhale breath, a grounding cue and a friendly face.
• How to stop shaking when nervousWhy you shake, what stops it fast and what makes it rarer.

When to get help

If fear makes you turn down work or classes, talk to a doctor or therapist. A meta-analysis found psychological interventions effective in reducing the fear of public speaking (Ebrahimi et al., 2019). Medication such as beta blockers is one option a doctor may discuss. Propranolol, for example, is used to help with symptoms of anxiety (NHS).

General information, not a diagnosis. If fear keeps you from work, school or daily life, talk to a doctor or a therapist.