Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Stage 1: The Initial Shock - When you find out you have to speak
• Stage 2: Worry Land - Months/Weeks/Days leading up to the event
• Stage 3: The Anxious Build Up - About to speak
• Stage 4: The Shaky Start - When you start to speak
• Stage 5: After The Intro
• Stage 6: Speaking Turbulence - Bumps along the road
• Stage 7: Q/A
• Stage 8: Finishing Line - Done speaking
• Your Next Steps To Break Free From Public Speaking Anxiety

 

Introduction

After having the opportunity to work with countless individuals from all walks of life with public speaking anxiety, you start to spot some pretty interesting patterns. 

In the past, I asked clients to do a little exercise that involved them drawing a line on a graph to represent when their anxiety peaked and when it dropped in their speaking situations. 

And believe it or not, no matter who I worked with, the results of the graph are pretty similar every single time. I started noticing that there are 8 Stages of Public Speaking Anxiety. 

In this blog, we’re going to look at what’s happening in each of these stages. Once you understand the situation more, you’ll gain back more control and power over it.

 

The 8 Stages of Public Speaking Anxiety:

Stage 1: Initial Shock - When you find out you have to speak

The moment when you first receive the news that you will have to speak at an upcoming event. It can elicit feelings of dread, anxiety, and nervousness.

Stage 2: Worry Land - Months/Weeks/Days leading up to the event

With the event looming on the horizon, you find yourself overthinking and worrying about your upcoming speaking engagement, even while doing everyday things.

Stage 3: The Anxious Build-Up - About to speak

Right before starting to speak, anxiety spikes, causing an intense feeling of nervousness and tension.

Stage 4: The Shaky Start - When you start to speak

The beginning of when you first open your mouth to speak and you feel nervous and unsure of yourself

Stage 5: After The Intro

• Version 1: The Flow - Once you get past the shaky start, you may begin to feel more comfortable and confident in your delivery. You're in the zone, and the words come more naturally to you.
• Version 2: The Plateau - Despite getting past the shaky start, you still feel stuck and unable to fully connect with your audience. You may be unsure of your transitions, where to go next, or how to elevate your performance.

Stage 6: Speaking Turbulence - Bumps along the road

You may stumble over your words, forget what you wanted to say, sense negative audience reactions, experience awkward pauses, have more mental blocks, or struggle to articulate your thoughts clearly.

Stage 7: Q/A

• Version 1: Easy Peasy Convo - During the Q&A you become more relaxed because it turns into a conversation and you start enjoying the interaction.
• Version 2: Response Roadblock - During the Q&A, you may feel put on the spot and struggle to come up with a coherent response, especially when you don’t know the answer to a question. Your anxiety may spike again, and you may feel like you're stumbling and fumbling your way through the questions.

Stage 8: Finishing Line - Done speaking

You either don’t want to think about it, overanalyze everything you did wrong, feel proud of yourself, or a mix of it all.

***

The purpose of this blog is to describe what’s going on in these stages. If you want to take it a step further, here are the best next steps:

1. Register for my most popular public speaking anxiety training where I go more in-depth about the psychology of public speaking anxiety: https://www.bostonspeaks.com/nofearspeaking
2. Schedule a call to see how we can help you break free from public speaking anxiety: https://www.bostonspeaks.com/call

If you’re ready, let’s dive into each of the stages.

**A quick note - Here’s what I mean by “public speaking anxiety”. I’m referring to the anxiousness and nervousness we feel in Zoom meetings, talking to 3-10 folks at work, interview settings, high-stakes meetings, and yes… the bigger settings when you have to speak to 20+ people. 

 

Stage 1: The Initial Shock - When you find out you have to speak

When you first find out that you have a speaking event, you may be hit with a shock of anxiety and think, "Holy crap!"

And there are a few conflicting thoughts going on in your mind.

Here are some of the characters at play

Nervous Nellie: “This is going to be a drag, I’m going to dread it. I’m going to be uncomfortable again. I’m feeling it already!”

Push Through It Peter: “However, this is a good opportunity for me that I should take up. It will be good for me personally and professionally. If I don’t do this, I’m just playing it small again.”

Hesitant Henry: “But heck, do I really have to go through this?” 

Perfectionist Pauline: “I better make sure I get everything right and step up my game.”

Self-Critical Sam: “I’m just not as confident as some of those other speakers out there. I’m going to get nervous and blow it. Why am I this way?”

People-Pleasing Penny: “I’m going to say yes to this opportunity, or else, how would they think about me? Will I let them down? How can I say no?”

You get this initial shock because of your attitude towards your speaking and the speaking event.

Most likely, you had past experiences where you felt nervous speaking, looked nervous, made a mistake, voice trembled, mind went blank, (insert your thing here), and you don’t want that to happen again. You’re already worried about how your speaking will turn out badly.

You actually won’t have this “holy crap” moment if you truly believed that the speaking situation you’re getting into will go fine despite our nerves and stumbles.

This is similar to flying on a plane. If people were certain that takeoff, turbulence, and landing would be safe, they would not experience a moment of fear when they first found out they had to fly. The experience would be enjoyable from beginning to end. However, there is still fear because there is assumed danger on the horizon and it doesn’t feel safe when they have to fly. 

This is the same exact thing that’s happening in your speaking situations.

You have been conditioned to anticipate that something will go wrong in your speaking situations.

Even though logistically and rationally, you know everything will probably turn out fine. Subconsciously you really believe there is some sort of danger.

Take Action: When you are at this stage and you find out you have to speak, write down your initial reactions.

Writing down your initial reactions can be a helpful way to identify and acknowledge your feelings about the situation. It can also help you to gain clarity and a better understanding of the root cause of your anxiety. Additionally, putting your thoughts and emotions on paper can be a useful technique for managing anxiety and reducing stress levels.

 

Stage 2: Worry Land - Months/Weeks/Days leading up to the event

As the months, weeks, and days are creeping up slowly, you may find yourself in "Worry Land."

And you start to think about it randomly or when you have downtime. For example, when you’re walking the dog, driving home or to work, commuting, doing other chores, working on your computer, etc. 

The characters come back…

“I’m going to get so nervous, I’ll bomb it.”

“I better do a good job and not get so nervous.”

“What am I going to say?”

“What’s the best way to say it?”

“I wish I could just get out of this.”

As you are thinking about all of these things, you get lost in these negative thoughts and stop paying attention to what’s going on around you and your life.

As the speaking event approaches...

we start to over-prepare or procrastinate.

 

If you over-prepare, then here are the common downfalls: 

1. Spending too much time preparing: You spend an excessive amount of time preparing for what you have to say, which can lead to burnout, anxiety, and stress. Your friends and family will start to miss you, and your dog will forget who you are.
2. Memorizing every word: You may try to memorize every single word of what you have to say, which can make you sound robotic and unnatural when delivering the content.
3. Overthinking: Overthinking can lead to self-doubt and nervousness, causing you to question yourself and your ability to deliver effectively.
4. Being too rigid: You'll be so fixated on sticking to your plan that you won't be able to adapt to unexpected changes in the presentation or questions from the audience. It's like when you're playing a video game and you keep doing the same thing over and over, even though it's not working. Usually, if you say something but it didn’t match what you planned to say in the back of your mind, this throws you off.

Preparing is good but overpreparing too much can wreak havoc in your life. It's like putting too much salt in your soup, you end up with something that's way too intense and leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

If you procrastinate because of the anxiety, watch out for these things:

1. Out of sight, out of mind…right?: If you don’t work on what you have to say, then you don’t have to think about your event which means you don’t have to feel anxious about it. If this happens to you, this will leave you stressing more because you’ll be doing everything last minute instead of having more time to develop your ideas. When you try to keep it out of mind, you’re avoiding it altogether and that will come back and get you later on. It’s not actually going away, you still have to deal with it but with less time.
2. Feeling overwhelmed: The speaking event feels like such a heavy burden that you don’t even want to go near it mentally or physically. The feeling that you feel causes you to feel like it’s a bigger event that takes a tremendous amount of time and effort leaving you to leave it till later.
3. The pressure to perform: You may worry about being judged by your peers or feel a sense of pressure to perform perfectly, leading to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. When you feel this way, you’ll tend to delay facing your fears to avoid the discomfort and potential embarrassment associated with public speaking.

Overall, procrastination is often a coping mechanism for people who experience public speaking anxiety. By delaying the task, you temporarily avoid the negative emotions associated with the fear of public speaking. However, this can ultimately lead to more stress and anxiety, and may even impact the quality of the presentation.

 

Take Action: If you overprepare or procrastinate, ask yourself these questions:

 

Questions for overpreparing:

• If I over-prepare, what does overpreparing look like for me?
• Why do I overprepare?
• What is the ideal situation for next time if I don’t overprepare? What will that look like?
• What would be the worst-case scenario if I didn't overprepare? How likely is that scenario, and how can I prepare for it without going overboard?
• How does overpreparing affect my confidence and performance?
• How can I find a balance between preparing enough to feel confident and not overpreparing to the point of exhaustion?
• Do I tend to overprepare more for certain types of situations? If so, why might that be the case?
• How can I learn to trust my abilities and feel confident without relying solely on extensive preparation?

 

Questions for procrastination:

• If I am procrastinating, what am I doing instead? What are the activities I’m filling my time with?
• Why am I procrastinating?
• What do I want the ideal situation to look like?
• What specific parts of preparing for the speaking event or meeting am I avoiding? Why do those parts feel challenging or daunting to me?
• Am I worried about being judged or criticized by others during the speaking event or meeting? If so, why do I feel that way, and what can I do to address those fears?
• Am I setting realistic goals and timelines for myself, or am I expecting too much too quickly? How can I break down the preparation process into smaller, more manageable tasks?

Answering these questions can help you gain insight and understanding into your own patterns of behavior, thought processes, and emotions. Do not feel like you have to answer all of these questions. Just start with one. 

 

Stage 3: The Anxious Build-Up - About to speak

You are in the speaking event now and you are about to speak. The anxiety may escalate, and you may feel like yelling "I’m in big trouble now!" or "My heart is racing a mile a minute. This is a disaster!" This is a critical stage because it can be challenging to maintain composure and focus when you're feeling overwhelmed.

Everything becomes real. You're no longer preparing or practicing; you're about to “go live” and speak to your audience. This can be an overwhelming experience, and it's not uncommon for people to experience heightened anxiety during this stage. 

This overwhelming feeling is a result of the adrenaline rush you get when you're feeling nervous. This is your response to stress and is often referred to as the "fight or flight" response. Adrenaline is released into your bloodstream, which causes your heart rate to increase, your muscles to tense up, and your breathing to become rapid and shallow. These physical symptoms can make it challenging to maintain composure and focus, which can impact the quality of your presentation or what you have to say.

Your mind may be racing with thoughts of doubt, worry, and fear, making it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. This can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, where you become so worried about making mistakes that you end up making them.

Some examples of thoughts people may have during this stage include

• "What if I forget what I'm supposed to say?"
• "What if I mess up and look foolish in front of everyone?"
• "What if I start stuttering or my voice shakes?"
• "I'm not ready for this; I need more time to prepare."
• "What if the audience doesn't like me or my presentation?"
• "Why did I agree to do this? I should have said no."

These thoughts can be overwhelming and may exacerbate the anxiety you're already feeling. It's important to acknowledge these thoughts but not to dwell on them.  It's essential to acknowledge these thoughts and feelings, rather than suppressing or denying them. By acknowledging them, you're validating your experience and allowing yourself to feel your emotions.

Okay, this is all good to know..BUT WHAT CAN I DO AT THIS MOMENT TO CALM MY NERVES?

There are two things you have to know. You need to break this down into two questions:

1. How can I cure public speaking long-term so I don’t even get into this mess?

If you want to beat public speaking long-term, I go more into depth with this training or schedule a call and see how we can help.

2. If I’m in this mess now, what techniques can use to make the situation better?

Think of it this way when you are in this situation…It’s Black Friday and you are the manager of Best Buy. There is a mob of customers waiting for the doors to open so they can all bust in and get their deals. The problem is that the mob is disorganized and they formed this big blob in front of the entrance. As the manager, what you want to do is to guide the mob so they form a line and there is some organization to this scenario. And when the mob gets in a line, each customer trickles into the store one by one.

The MOB is your anxiety. It will seem like there’s this splatter or surge of anxiety and everything seems chaotic. 

Just as the manager needs to find ways to guide the mob towards a more orderly and productive behavior, you also need to find ways to guide your own thoughts and emotions towards a more positive and productive mindset. 

Here Are Three Simple Yet Powerful Techniques To Help You Regulate Anxiety:

The Power 4 - Breathing Exercise

Deep breathing exercises can help to slow down your breathing and increase oxygen intake, which can help to reduce physical symptoms of anxiety.

1. Focus on yourself: Stop trying to focus on everything around you. Give yourself a moment in the midst of everything and take the pressure off what’s going on around you so you can focus on yourself.
2. Hold your breath for a count of four
3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four.
4. Repeat this breathing exercise several times, focusing on slow, deep breaths that fill your lungs. Focus on the number 4. Focus on your breath. Focus on your body.

One Body Part At A Time: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation can help to release physical tension in your muscles, which can be helpful in reducing feelings of anxiety and stress. It involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in your body, one at a time, which can help you to become more aware of the physical sensations in your body and learn to recognize and release tension when it arises.

1. Take a deep breath and notice where you are tensing up your body.
2. Release the tension in that body part, exhaling as you do so, and focus on the sensation of relaxation.
3. Repeat or find another body part

Visualization:

Visualization exercises can help to build confidence and reduce anxiety by allowing you to imagine yourself successfully navigating challenging situations. This can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety by increasing your sense of control and self-efficacy and can help you to approach the situation with a more positive mindset.

1. Imagine yourself and the success that you will have in the next few moments
2. Picture it.
3. Visualize the audience responding positively to your presentation, nodding and smiling as you speak.
4. Focus on the feeling that you want.
5. Repeat this visualization

 

Stage 4: The Shaky Start - When you start to speak

At this stage, you might be hyper-aware of any physical signs of nervousness, such as shaking hands, sweating, or a quavering voice. You might be worried that the audience can tell how nervous you are, or that your anxiety will impact the effectiveness of your message.  

Why is all of this happening? 

This happens because public speaking is often seen as a high-stakes situation or even if you’re not speaking in front of a large audience, the meeting you are in is a situation that matters for you. You may feel like you're being judged, evaluated, or even scrutinized by the audience. The pressure to perform well can be immense, as the outcome of the event may have significant implications for your future success or personal relationships.

The fear of being judged, evaluated, or scrutinized by the audience can trigger feelings of anxiety and self-doubt, which can make it difficult to feel confident and prepared for the event.

The most important part of what we want to address is our beliefs causing our speaking anxiety.

I know you might be thinking...

"Why do I need to address the beliefs mumbo-jumbo behind all of this, I just don’t want to be nervous and have my voice tremble, mind going blank, etc.”

While it may be tempting to focus solely on the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as trembling, sweating, or a racing heart, these symptoms are often a result of underlying negative beliefs and thoughts. By addressing these underlying beliefs, you can not only reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety but also address the root cause of the anxiety.

Addressing the beliefs behind your anxiety is an important part of managing it because our beliefs and thoughts can greatly influence our emotions and behavior. When we hold negative or unrealistic beliefs about ourselves or our abilities, it can contribute to feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and nervousness. By challenging and reframing these beliefs, we can help reduce these negative emotions and promote a more positive and confident mindset.

It’s important to recognize and challenge those beliefs in order to break free from public speaking anxiety when speaking or performing in front of others. 

Here's how you start to address your limiting beliefs causing public speaking anxiety:

1. Identify your limiting beliefs: Try to identify the specific beliefs that cause you to have public speaking anxiety. You might hold beliefs about being judged or evaluated by others. For example, you might believe that mistakes are unacceptable, that you must be perfect, or that others are always judging you harshly.
2. Challenge your beliefs: Once you have identified your beliefs, challenge them by asking yourself whether they are realistic or helpful. For example, is it really true that mistakes are always unacceptable, or are there situations in which mistakes are expected or even helpful? Are your beliefs helping you to perform at your best, or are they making you more anxious?
3. Reframe your beliefs: Instead of holding beliefs that increase anxiety, try to reframe your beliefs in a more helpful way. For example, instead of believing that you must be perfect, try to focus on doing your best or learning from your mistakes. Instead of believing that others are always judging you harshly, try to remember that most people are supportive and want to see you succeed.

 

Stage 5: After The Intro

After you begin speaking, I find that most people fall into one of these situations 

Version 1: The Flow - Once you get past the shaky start, you may begin to feel more comfortable and confident in your delivery. You're in the zone, and the words come more naturally to you. You get into your flow and everything feels better

Version 2: The Plateau - Despite getting past the shaky start, you still feel stuck and unable to fully connect with your audience. You may be unsure of your transitions, where to go next, or how to elevate your performance. You are still in a state of nerves and you’re overthinking everything which makes it worse

Let me dive a little deeper into the second point. If you fall under the first category, then I don’t think you want me to talk you out of that flow state.

In Version 2: The Plateau - This happens because even though you have overcome the initial nerves, you are still struggling to establish a smooth connection with your audience. You might be uncertain about how to transition between different topics or how to take your performance to the next level. As a result, you remain in a state of anxiety, overthinking every detail, which only adds to the pressure and worsens the situation. This can lead to a vicious cycle where our negative perception of our own performance feeds our anxiety, which in turn makes it even harder to perform well.

The YIPS:

In sports, there’s something called Yips. 

Yips is a sports term that refers to a sudden and unexplained loss of fine motor skills, often experienced by athletes in high-pressure situations. It is most commonly associated with golf and baseball but can occur in other sports as well. 

Athletes experiencing the yips may find it difficult or even impossible to perform simple tasks that they had previously mastered, such as putting in golf or throwing a pitch in baseball. The yips are believed to be caused by a combination of physical and psychological factors, including muscle tension, anxiety, and overthinking.

In our case, it’s like we have the speaking yips, when we start to overthink what we are saying and how we are coming across, everything basically goes down the drain. We start to get hyper-focused on people’s faces, tiny movements, and if they seem bored or not. We also tend to nitpick everything we just said right when we are saying it. All of this overwhelms our brains and keeps us on high alert throughout the WHOLE time we are speaking. 

One of my favorite speakers said, “When you’re playing a game of basketball, play it. Don’t overthink about exactly how you are dribbling the ball or every single detail because you tend to get out of your zone.” This is the same thing for us when we are speaking. We overanalyze everything and we are not in the present mode anymore. We are in our heads...not in the room!

To perform at your best under pressure, it's important to quiet the part of your brain that tends to send you into a spiral of overthinking.

 

Grip Your Left-Fist Technique

This technique is going to sound farfetched but I also shared this technique with my wife and she said it snapped her back into reality when she was overthinking. 

Read on!

A study conducted by the University of Munich investigated the effect of priming the right side of the brain, which is responsible for automatic behaviors, on athletes' performance under pressure. 

The left hemisphere of the brain is associated with rational thought, planning, caution, logic and yes, the overthinking. The left hemisphere controls the right field vision and right side of motor skills.

The right hemisphere is associated with creativity, intuition, and emotional thought. The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body

To conduct the study, the researchers divided the athletes into three groups and had them squeeze a ball in their left hand before performing a penalty kick, a badminton serve, or a fast and accurate kick on a sandbag. The left hand was chosen because it has been shown to activate the right hemisphere of the brain.

The athletes were then tested in both low-pressure and high-pressure situations. Results showed that all athletes performed worse under high-pressure conditions, but their performance significantly improved after squeezing the ball in their left hand. The athletes also reported feeling less anxious after using their left hand.

The study suggests that activating the right side of the brain or suppressing the left side's deliberation can help athletes perform better under pressure. 

Key takeaway: The next time you are in your overthinking mode, squeeze your left fist.

 

Stage 6: Speaking Turbulence - Bumps along the road

Despite your best efforts to prepare and practice, unexpected hiccups can occur during your speech, such as losing your train of thought, stumbling over your words, or forgetting a key point. These mishaps can make you feel like you've lost control of the situation and may increase your anxiety and self-doubt.

We start dwelling on the error and lose focus on our message. We don’t breathe anymore, we don’t pause, and perhaps, we start speaking faster than we should to try to rush past it. Again, we start getting into our own thoughts and we beat ourselves up.

Public speaking is like a journey on a road, with obstacles and challenges that require perseverance and determination to overcome. By staying focused on your destination, you can navigate the bumps and cracks along the way and arrive at your destination as a successful speaker.

When we experience stress or anxiety, our attention can become narrowly focused on the perceived threat or problem, in this case, the speaking turbulence. This can make it difficult to think clearly and can lead to further errors or fumbling.

I’ve shared many tips and techniques in this article already. One of the best things you can do is to reflect and ask yourself these questions when you are in a clear state of mind:

1. What are my speaking turbulences? List them out! 
2. What triggered the speaking turbulence? Was it a particular thought, feeling, or physical sensation?
3. What am I afraid of happening?
4. What is the worst-case scenario if I continue to experience speaking turbulence?
5. What is a more helpful and realistic way to think about this situation?
6. What would I say to a friend who was experiencing similar speaking turbulence?
7. How can I show myself compassion and kindness in this moment?

 

Stage 7: Q/A

In the Q/A one or two things happen:

1. Version 1: Easy Peasy Convo - You feel so much better because the speaking is now turning into a conversation and you can answer questions
2. Version 2: Response Roadblock - You worry that you will get asked a question that you haven’t prepared for or something unexpected happens.

Let’s address Version 2.

There is always the possibility that someone will ask a question that you haven't prepared for, or worse, a question that you don't know the answer to. This can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you feel like you're expected to have all the answers. The fear of not knowing the answer can trigger feelings of anxiety and self-doubt, which can make it difficult to respond confidently and effectively.

Let’s break down some of these things and explain why they are significant:

There is a possibility of encountering unexpected or unknown questions.

No matter how well-prepared one is, it is impossible to predict every question that might be asked in a given situation. This can create a sense of vulnerability or uncertainty, as the individual may worry about being caught off guard or looking unprepared.

Not knowing the answer to a question can cause anxiety and self-doubt.

When faced with an unknown or unexpected question, the individual may feel anxious, self-conscious, or inadequate. They may worry that their lack of knowledge or preparation will reflect poorly on them, or that they will be judged or criticized by others.

The fear of not knowing the answer can impact one's ability to respond confidently and effectively.

If the individual is preoccupied with their fear of not knowing the answer, they may struggle to think clearly or communicate effectively. This can make it difficult to respond in a calm, confident, and organized manner, which in turn can further exacerbate feelings of anxiety and self-doubt.

There may be an expectation to have all the answers, which can add to the pressure and anxiety of not knowing the answer to a question.

There may be a cultural expectation that individuals should be knowledgeable and competent in their field. This can create additional pressure to perform, as the individual may worry about falling short of these expectations.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are asked a question that you haven't prepared for or don't know the answer to, there are several things you can do to handle the situation effectively:

1. Address your mindset and beliefs behind what causes public speaking anxiety for you. In this in-depth training, you’ll learn more about the psychological factors behind public speaking anxiety.
2. Take a deep breath: When you're feeling anxious or nervous, taking a few deep breaths can help you regain your composure and reduce your stress levels. 
3. Ask for clarification or more information: If you're not sure what the question means or you need more context, don't be afraid to ask for clarification. This can help you better understand the question and provide a more relevant response.
4. Admit that you don't know the answer: If you genuinely don't know the answer to a question, it's okay to admit it. You can say something like, "I don't know the answer to that, but I'll look into it and get back to you." This demonstrates honesty and a willingness to learn, which can be seen as a positive trait.
5. Offer your best guess or hypothesis: If you're unsure of the answer but have some ideas or hypotheses, you can offer them as possibilities. You can say something like, "I'm not entirely sure, but based on my understanding, I think it might be...". This shows that you're willing to think critically and engage in the discussion.
6. Pivot the conversation to a related topic: If you're completely stumped by a question, you can try to pivot the conversation to a related topic that you do know about. This can help you redirect the conversation and demonstrate your expertise in a different area.

Remember, encountering unexpected or unknown questions is a normal part of life, and it's okay not to have all the answers.

 

Stage 8: Finishing Line - Done speaking

You’re done with speaking! Most folks are so glad they are done, they don’t want to think about what just happened or maybe you are done and yet you were not happy with your performance and now you’re thinking about all the poor mistakes you’ve made or things you could have said better.

Don’t just think about it how you were doing in your head, reflect on it by writing it on paper. When you reflect, you are in a clear state of mind and you’re going over what you can improve. 

Here’s the best suggestion of what you can do, create a really simple survey with these questions:

1. What speaking situation was this?
2. From 1-10,10 being the very best - what number would I give myself and why?
3. What made me proud in that speaking situation?
4. What can I improve on?
5. What are my next steps?

That’s it! Why is this so powerful? Because you can track your progress. Over time, you can look back and see what number you rated yourself on and the answers you’ve given. Instead of just having it in your head, now you have it on paper or electronically.

***

Whew! That's quite a bit to take in!

By now, I hope that you have a greater understanding of The 8 Stages of Public Speaking Anxiety and have gained more clarity about your speaking situation and anxiety.  

Now it’s up to you. Will you take action on your public speaking anxiety? Here are some next steps you can take.

 

Your Next Steps To Break Free From Public Speaking Anxiety:

1. Register for my most popular public speaking anxiety training where I go more in-depth about the psychology of public speaking anxiety:  https://www.bostonspeaks.com/nofearspeaking
2. Join our Facebook group on public speaking anxiety: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nofearpublicspeaking
3. Schedule a call with my team or me to see how we can help you break free from public speaking anxiety: https://www.bostonspeaks.com/call

 

To Your Speaking Success

-Kit Pang

Founder, BostonSpeaks