Hypnotherapy for Public Speaking Anxiety

Do you have a fear of public speaking? If so, then hypnotherapy for public speaking anxiety may be your solution for calmness and confidence.

Anxiety around public speaking is one of the most common fears. Just the thought of speaking in front of others, whether professionally or socially, may be enough to fill you with dread. Your mind races with worry about all the things that could go wrong when speaking in front of others. You are probably okay talking to one to two people, or perhaps even a small group, but as soon as the numbers rise you feel sick with fear. With the spotlight on you, it’s like you forget how to relax and feel comfortable in yourself.

As with most anxiety, you probably do all you can to avoid public speaking and presentations. You feel better for having dodged it, but the underlying fear remains there for the next time. It can stop you fulfilling your potential and hold you back in your career. It can mean missing out on social occasions and things you would otherwise like to be doing. If you can’t avoid it then the dread kicks in.

When you know you are going to have to make a presentation or speech, or some other sort of public speaking, you start to dread it more and more. Your imagination starts to fill with all the things that could go wrong and worst case scenarios. You worry about messing up, making an idiot of yourself, being unable to speak, saying something wrong or just being so anxious that everyone will be able to notice. Having imagined it going wrong, you probably then start to think of all the negative consequences of people judging you or knowing you messed up and can’t speak in front of others. You overthink and overthink about it beforehand.

When you do try to speak in front of others, you feel hot, sweaty and shaky. Your mouth goes dry, you feel sick and you struggle to speak. You are hyper aware of all the eyes upon you. Your hands shake, the words don’t flow and you struggle to think clearly. You start to worry that others can tell you are anxious and that makes you even more anxious. You then worry even more because now you are sure people can tell you are anxious (that thinking then makes you even more anxious).

You get stuck in a cycle of anxious thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions before and during any attempt to speak in public. You may then dwell and criticise yourself as you think back on how you weren’t good enough afterwards. Hypnotherapy for public speaking can help you to break that pattern and to feel more calm, confident and in control in your thoughts and feelings beforehand and then when you do have the spotlight upon you.

 

Quick Summary

Public speaking anxiety is one of the most common fears people experience.

Many people worry about:

• forgetting what to say
• looking nervous
• being judged by others
• making mistakes
• going blank during a presentation or speech
• embarrassing themselves in front of a group

In reality, research suggests people often overestimate how noticeable their anxiety is and how harshly others will judge them.

Public speaking confidence is not something you are simply born with. As anxiety reduces, confidence often begins to improve naturally.

 

Related Resources

• Public Speaking Anxiety & Confidence Hypnotherapy in Ely
• Confidence & Self-Esteem Hub
• Anxiety Support Hub
• The Spotlight Effect: Why We Think People Notice Us More Than They Do
• Can Other People Tell You’re Anxious? The Illusion of Transparency Explained
• Do Others Judge You As Harshly As You Think When You Mess Up?
• Research Says Knowing This Will Reduce Your Public Speaking Anxiety
• Public Speaking Anxiety

Many public speaking fears are driven by fear of judgement, anxiety, low confidence and overthinking rather than a lack of speaking ability.

In other words, the problem is often not that you can’t speak in front of people. It’s that anxiety has convinced you that you can’t.

 

Help For Public Speaking Fear 

A fear of speaking in front of others can hold you back in many ways. You know you can speak and that you can say what you want to say when you are with people you feel comfortable around. Yet in that speaking environment, when the spotlight is upon you, it’s like your normal abilities vanish.

You worry about not doing a good job and messing up in some way. You worry what others think and that they will judge you negatively. And you worry about being so obviously anxious in front of others.

Recently, I helped someone who needed to make a speech at a wedding. He knew what he wanted to say but was filled with worry and anxiety about freezing and drying up on the day. Hypnotherapy for public speaking meant he could relax and say all the lovely things he wanted to say. Another client was able to start speaking in work team meetings and to make a presentation about his work calmly and confidently.

 

Real Client Experiences

Many clients contact me because they are worried about:

• presentations at work
• speaking in meetings
• best man speeches
• wedding speeches
• interviews
• networking events

Often they already know their subject well. The difficulty is not a lack of knowledge or ability. Instead, anxiety, fear of judgement and overthinking make it difficult to access those abilities under pressure.

You can read some related client experiences here:

• • Confidence and Self-Doubt Case Study
  • Confidence and Creative Block Case Study
  • Self-Confidence Improvement Case Study
  • Social Anxiety Case Study

You can also read more reviews here: Hypnotherapy Reviews in Ely.

Instead of fear, hypnotherapy for public speaking anxiety can help you to take back control over your thoughts and feelings before and during when you speak in front of others. We can all get better through practice, yet you get to feel good afterwards knowing that it went well and that you did a good job.

There’s more about this subject in this explanatory hypnotherapy video:

 

You may find it helpful to explore my anxiety resources for Ely and the surrounding area, which bring together support for different anxiety experiences.

As covered in the articles, the science tells us that other people aren’t really noticing if you are a little anxious when speaking. You aren’t being judged negatively in the way your imagination may have been telling you that you will be. However, because our brains get it a bit wrong, you think others can tell that you are anxious and so you feel even more anxious about them noticing. Your shaking, sweating, stuttering and discomfort increase and you become even more certain that everyone can tell how anxious you feel. The whole thing becomes a spiral that increases inside your own head and that makes you feel more and more uncomfortable. If you are able to speak, you probably race through it to get it over with as quickly as possible.

However, it is possible to change your thoughts and feelings around public speaking. You can calm your negative imagination and self talk and feel calm, confident and in control over yourself. As well as calming the anxiety, hypnotherapy for public speaking helps you to strengthen your confidence and that part of you that knows you are capable and  that of course you can do it.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Public Speaking Anxiety

Why am I so nervous about public speaking?

Public speaking often triggers fear of judgement, embarrassment or making mistakes. Many people worry about how they will be perceived by others rather than the speaking itself.

Can people tell I’m nervous during a presentation?

Usually much less than you think. Research suggests people regularly overestimate how noticeable their anxiety is to others.

What if my mind goes blank?

Many people worry about this. In reality, anxiety often makes the risk feel much greater than it really is. As anxiety reduces, people usually find it easier to think clearly and stay focused.

Does public speaking anxiety affect confidence?

Very often. Repeated avoidance can gradually reduce confidence, while successful experiences often help confidence grow.

Can hypnotherapy help public speaking confidence?

Many people find hypnotherapy helps reduce anxiety, overthinking and fear of judgement while increasing calmness, confidence and self-belief.

 

Support For Public Speaking Anxiety

Public speaking anxiety can affect presentations, meetings, interviews, networking events, best man speeches, wedding speeches and many other situations.

The good news is that anxiety around public speaking can be changed. Many people discover that once fear of judgement, overthinking and self-doubt begin to reduce, speaking in front of others becomes far easier than they expected.

Whether you’re preparing for an important presentation, a wedding speech, a work meeting or simply want to feel more confident when speaking to groups, support is available.

Many people contact me believing they have a public speaking problem, only to discover they actually have an anxiety problem. Once the anxiety settles, speaking often becomes much easier than they expected.

You can also learn more here:

• Public Speaking Anxiety & Confidence Hypnotherapy in Ely
• Anxiety Support Hub
• Confidence & Self-Esteem Hub
• The Spotlight Effect: Why We Think People Notice Us More Than They Do
• Can Other People Tell You’re Anxious? The Illusion of Transparency Explained

Or, if you’d prefer to talk things through first, you’re welcome to book a free initial consultation.

Book a Free Initial Consultation

There’s no pressure and no obligation, simply an opportunity to discuss what’s been happening and explore how I may be able to help.

To your health and happiness, 

Dan Regan

Award Winning Anxiety Hypnotherapist in Ely & Newmarket

 

Find out more about anxiety hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket: Anxiety Hypnotherapy

Struggling with public speaking anxiety, fear and worry and need some help to feel calm, confident and in control? Find out how I can help with a Complimentary Hypnotherapy Strategy Session. Learn more here: Appointments

Find out what dozens of other people have said after their hypnotherapy for fear and anxiety sessions with Dan: Hypnotherapy Testimonials

And check out these powerful hypnosis downloads that can start helping you right away with anxiety relief, increasing confidence and more: Hypnosis Downloads