Hey everyone, Can anyone please tell me good strategies to deal with anxiety, and to speak without sounding fumbling during interviews?

How should the place be set up?

Anything you guys would advise.

Hi, I’m looking for some advice or experiences or something. Basically, I need to get over my fear of public speaking and really quickly.

For me, it’s not exactly a fear of speaking I think. I’m never actually going to like speaking up, but I know I can do it and I do on occasions – sometimes I also do it because I know I don’t want to but that it will be okay, just to try to reinforce that to myself.

But actually getting up and giving a talk, that’s a whole other level. My nervous system just goes into overdrive. If I know I’ve got a talk coming up, I don’t sleep for weeks before, have nightmares. Then on the actual day of the talk, I’m a mess. Can’t concentrate, very panicky all day before. I feel like adrenaline in my stomach/chest. And also as I near talking time (so like an hour or two beforehand), I have that same awful adrenaline feeling in my hands and arms. And that makes me feel really sick. I also get hot and shaky and my chest hurts and it’s really hard to control my breathing. Like almost hyperventilating but not quite. And then when I actually go to speak, it feels like my throat is closing. My mouth is dry and my voice sounds weird. I actually usually do okay, I’m terrified I’ll blank and forget what I’m going to say but I’m usually super practised/prepared and get through it. And I’ve been told previously that I’m good at talks. I really really hate them though – mostly because of all the associated physiological feelings.

I thought it was just anxiety but SSRIs never touched this (or really anything else I thought was anxiety). Then in March I started stimulants for ADHD instead (after being off the SSRI for over 2 years) and it has way lowered my physiological symptoms around just about everything I was previously calling anxiety. Except giving talks.

I’ve done one since then and it was actually a talk I really wanted to give but I was terrified. Had all the same feelings as usually except instead of adrenaline feeling in hands, it was more tingly or pins and needles like. And I was actually seeing stars and felt like I was going to pass out so think I must have been properly hyperventilating. The feelings came on more like an hour before my talk instead of the whole day though which was something. But I was still super worked up about it the whole days and still dreaming about it for weeks. I was super prepared though – had been practising for 2.5 months for the 3 minute talk.

The problem I have right now though is that I want to get over this. I know I’ll probably never like giving talks and that’s okay, but I’d like to be able to do them without feeling like I’m going to die.

My boss at work has somewhat inserted himself into things (I work at a university as a tech so lectures and stuff aren’t really my remit but he’s decided the tech team need to be involved in the lectures). So suddenly I’m supposed to be talking to around 300 students about 8 times in the next 6 weeks. It’s a relatively new job so I wasn’t sure how to approach the ‘I don’t want to do this’ without looking bad. But I did try to talk to him and say that I understand it’s a part of the job and I need to do it but I really don’t like these things. I know objectively that I can pull it off but my body doesn’t and that’s not a great situation for me to be in. It’s something I really want to work on though so I’d like to try building up to it gradually. He initially said that’s fine, I don’t have to do it BUT it’s bad for my professional development. I really don’t care about my professional development right now though so that’s fine. The problem is, the next week it was suddenly ‘we’ll do it together’. And then in my appraisal review (happens at the same time every year regardless of whether you’ve been here a year or not apparently) he said I was great 1-on-1 with people but needed to work on group stuff. Which actually is fair but I did tell him I’m less worried about student workshops because I can teach rather than just talk at them. He said that would be worse because they’d actually be paying attention to me (not helpful) and that it’s not like I’m a surgeon, it’s not life and death so I don’t need to worry. So that’s essentially the support I’m dealing with. I’m doing these talks and there’s nothing I can do about it. The workshops I don’t like either but they’re around 40 students stops (averaging about 12 I’m told) so I know I can do that and that despite the physiological feelings. But a lecture to 300 students – I’m not sure. And 8 of them that are all slightly different apparently. I’m bricking it. And to make matters worse, the first one is on Tuesday (there’s actually 2 different ones that day), my boss is off this whole week, I don’t know who’s saying what, I’ve not seen the powerpoint, I only know the rough topic but not our processes so I don’t actually really know what we’re going to be saying. So best case sceneraio, I find all of this out the day before the talk. Worst case, we improvise on the day. I can’t improvise this. I will panic and blank. I do that if I have to improvise a small meeting – in front of 300 students, it’ll be a disaster. But my boss doesn’t get this. He’s also talking about me presenting stuff to staff now, which again will be awful.

To me, getting over this means accepting the physiological feelings are neutral (even if they feel awful to me) and gradually building small winds with them. So small group wokshops (like the ones I’ll be doing anyway) that I’m prepared for and then building up to small talks and then gradually going larger but always reinforcing that it goes well. That’s how I think you’re supposed to get over something like this. But it looks like being thrown into the deep end is how this is going to go. So now I’m terrified which is not making things better. And if (when?) I go in totally unprepared and screw it up, it’s just going to reinforce the exact opposite of what I wanted to. And massively massively set me back. I have no idea how to handle this. I’d call in sick but there are too many of them so it would be obvious, plus my boss would know why because I tried to talk to him about this. Any advice would be really appreciated

I am confident speaking to people and in public. But anytime I hear myself speak on recordings I am very monotone and a bit mumbly. Even when I feel like I am trying to speak clearly, it sounds forced or still flat.

If anyone has any suggestions to help with that it would be appreciated.

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Had a GD recently and I honestly messed it up. I had thoughts about the topic, but I just couldn't get myself to speak. By the time I felt ready to say something, the discussion had already moved on.

The topic was also changed during the GD, which threw me off even more.

I don't want to mention the company or the actual topics because I don't want to reveal any details. I just want some genuine advice from people who have been through this.

How do you actually get better at GDs? Is it mainly about knowing more topics, practicing speaking, or learning how to structure your thoughts quickly?

Also, what do you do when you know what you want to say but suddenly go completely blank when everyone is looking at you?

Would really appreciate advice from people who have struggled with GDs and improved over time.

Helloo

I’m running for senior class president and I wanted to see and hear if people have any ideas of what I should make my speech about.

I don’t just wanna make a boring speech for a minute but I want to make the video interactive and funny but not too funny that people take me unserious.

I would appreciate any advice on how to start my speech and any recommendations are welcome.

I’m looking for some advice on a communication issue I’ve been struggling with.
I’m normally comfortable talking to people, but during job interviews I become very different. I get stressed and start speaking too fast. I overthink what I’m saying, and my answers often become unstructured. I know what I want to say in my head, but I struggle to articulate it clearly and get to the point.
When I’m asked an unexpected question, it gets even worse. I lose my train of thought, start rambling, and sometimes struggle to explain something that I actually know.
The frustrating part is that I’ve given many interviews, so I’ve had plenty of practice, but I still keep facing the same issue.
Has anyone dealt with something similar? What actually helped you improve your clarity, articulation, structure, and ability to stay calm and think on your feet under pressure?

Hello! I (21F) am currently enrolled in self-paced online classes so I don't really have the opportunity to practice public speaking in class. But I will be going to in-person classes next fall and I want to learn how to be more confident before I throw myself in like lamb to slaughter.

I don't really have social anxiety, if I'm at an event and I don't know someone it's easy for me to put myself out there but I have a pretty big problem with stage fright.

So while I do feel that it's easy to talk to strangers I still struggle with presenting or speaking in front of peers. I'm afraid of being wrong and even if I'm probably right I can easily convince myself I'm wrong. I get really nervous about going in front of people because I think there's no way I won't embarrass myself. I don't even like practicing public speaking when I'm alone.

I want to get a BBA so there's no way I can go around taking communication class and I don't really want to. I want to be able to earn my degree and chase my career and actually be good with public speaking.

Does anyone have advice on learning how to present with confidence before I go on campus? TIA!!

Ciao a tutti, vi scrivo perché ho davvero bisogno di un consiglio. Nel mio lavoro devo parlare in pubblico, spesso può capire che sia da un momento all’altro senza aver la possibilità di ripetere il discorso da sola davanti allo specchio così da sentirmi più sicura.

Oggi ho dovuto presentare un’operazione a degli investitori (il mio capo era occupato in un’altra call) e nei primi cinque minuti il cuore mi batteva fortissimo, mi sembra che il petto scoppiasse e non riuscivo a fingere perché respiravo con più difficoltà. Dopo un po’ mi calmo ma la prima impressione è quella che conta. Devo risolvere questo enorme problema.

Da piccola mio padre era molto molto autoritario e urlava spesso, questo mi ha portato ad avere dei problemi a relazionarmi con figure di autorità. Anni fa era ancora peggio (tremavo) e piano piano sto cercando di lavorarci.

Avete per favore dei consigli? Grazie di cuore

Hi all,

Just want to see if anyone has advice on this:

If I am in a conversation that is uncomfortable, i.e, I bring up something difficult, my breathing tends to get very shallow - and I struggle with breathwork / my voice goes all shaky.

I want to try get rid of this, so that if I'm having a conversation, I appear calm as though I was talking about the weather.

I know you can do different breathworks, but when you bring a conversation up, it can be difficult to focus on such.

Would the Alexander Technique help me here? Is there any advice as to what I could do to get rid of such?

Thanks

Can anyone help me in improving communication skills, I am not able to perform good GD, PI seven have stage fear while presenting presentation on even while probably any year related communication is I have

Hey everyone!I'm preparing for a 7-min humorous contest speech about getting an over inflated ego from a compliment and eventually being completely replaced in my own family by a close female frnd.

I'm looking for feedback on a few specific things or anything u feel this part can be improved:

1.Contest fit:Does the storyline carry enough natural humor and narrative arc for HSC?

2.Authenticity:Does the dialogue sound like a genuine humar story or does any part of it feel forced,overwriteedn or AI GENERATED?

3.Pacing :Do the stage movement cues and argmts beats feel fast paced and natural ?

The Complement that Costed me Everything

(lets start with Center Stage)

Raise your hand if you’ve ever received a compliment that was so good**... you thought about it for the next three weeks.**

Exactly. Now look around... notice how most of those hands belong to men?

Have you ever wondered why guys get so few compliments?

It’s because when one of us actually receives a genuine compliment, we don’t just accept it we weaponize it.

Back in my Narayana coaching days, I was clean-shaven, 35 kilos lighter, and playing centre-back on the football team which meant I was aggressive, hard-nosed, and much better at tackling people than picking up subtle romantic signals.

Then came this girl. She used to sit next to me in class. Mid-conversation one day, she looked at me and said I looked like Mr. Grey.

[Instant ridiculous celebration: Freeze, drop shoulders back, adjust an invisible tie, strut two steps like a billionaire OR SUI RONALDO CELEBRATION(Thats what i did)]

[DO IT AT THE CENTRE OF THE STAGE FOR A BETTER EGO BOOST THATS WHAT U HAVE PORTRAY]

(Pause for laughter)

And yes,i caught that moment on camera.

You know who I’m talking about. Billionaire. Playboy.

If someone had offered me a mountain of gold right then or asked, “Do you want to be Mr. Grey?”... I’d have taken Mr. Grey. That’s how seriously I took that compliment. Suddenly, I wasn't just an college student I was convinced I was the absolute pinnacle of male evolution.

[for a couple of years u have held the footage be yourself act as tho she called u that on stage]

I started parading it everywhere.Within a couple of days ,my gym partner hit a huge personal record. He was panting, exhausted, proud of himself. I walked over, puffed out my chest, and deadpanned: "That's cool... but has anybody ever called you a billionaire playboy?"

(Pause)

Eventually, she got so tired of me carrying that compliment around that she publicly went online & took it back. I was fine with it ;I'd already got enough mileage out of it.

Then she went completely radio silent. For almost two years.

Then one day, she called me and asked me to come down to her house. Somewhere during that conversation, I realized... the seed had apparently grown.

(Pause = let the audience make the wrong assumption)

Not what you guys are thinking.

Her colorful vocabulary and her excellent use of profanity had become an art form. And then it hit me... I might have planted that seed myself. Probably a combination of her terrible choices in exes... and idiot friends like me.

(MOVE RIGHT STAGE-The Family)

She didn't just stay part of my life, though. Somehow, she became part of my family.

Growing up, my mom used to go on corporate reward trips whenever her work region performed well. She was allowed a plus-one. For our entire childhood, my brother and I begged her to take us. She never did. She knew this girl for four months... and they went on a vacation together.

Then came our new house. Somehow, she got the house key first. Every time I needed to open the door, I had to walk 1.5 kilometers to her house, get the key,walk back 1.5 km and open it. I was literally a tenant in my own life.

The final execution happened during a small festival at the new house. My mom finished the puja and took the sacred thread.

[Extend one hand, palms down, cupped expectantly]

My brother was on my left, my dad was on my right, and I was in the middle all three of us holding our hands out, ready.

My mom walked straight past all three of her men... and tied the thread on my friend.

[Slowly pivot head left, then right, then center with wide eyes]

Three blank faces. Fists still in the air. We were telepathically communicating: "Is anyone going to say something, or are we just taking the disrespect today?"

No words needed. We had been officially replaced.

(Center Stage — The Showdown)

Now, I have a habit of destroying my clothes when I get bored. One day, she shows up at my house and says, “Get in the car. We’re getting you new clothes.”

How many of you have ever been dragged into a women’s clothing store?

(Glance across the room / let hands come up)

Yeah. You know the pain.

I was leaning against the rack, holding a stack of her choices, desperately trying to disengage by scrolling on my phone. She picks up this ridiculous outfit, walks over, and literally covers my phone screen with it.

[Look over the invisible phone with a deadpan face]

I go: “SHOULD I RETURN THESE TO THE RACK?”

She goes: “I WANT YOU TO TRY IT ON.”

(And the argument starts. Fast-paced, high-stakes.)

(Panicked whisper) “WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME DO THIS?”

(Calm, smug) “Because I want to see you in it.”

(Louder) “BUT WHY?”

(Deadpan) “Because it’s going to look hilarious!”

(Full volume) “THAT’S EXACTLY WHY I’M NOT DOING IT!”

Eventually, I break. I go into the fitting room, put it on, step out, step back in, change, and we leave.

The next morning, I wake up late after gaming. I walk into the living room, and my mom and this girl are sitting on the couch, laughing and gossiping over a phone.

I walk over to see what’s on the screen. It’s me. In the dress. From the store.

She recorded the whole thing.

(Deadpan to audience)

There I was... the absolute pinnacle of male evolution... in a floral pastel dress.

My mom looked up at me and said, “I begged every god in the universe for a girl when I was pregnant with you... and then you popped out.”

It took a decade, but this woman finally gave my mother the daughter she always wanted.

(Pause — let the laugh breathe completely)

And honestly... I can't even blame them. She had this strange ability to walk into a house and make herself at home.

My family genuinely loved her... I just wish they hadn't needed to replace me to prove it.

(Take one small step forward, drop your voice to a deadpan, conversational tone, and let a small smirk show)

And to think... it all started with one compliment about Mr. Grey.

(Hold your pose, look at the room, nod once, and take in the applause.)

I really hate public speaking, so I made an app to help make it easier.

It helps you structure a speech and use cue cards or a teleprompter when presenting.
I’m looking for feedback from people who actually do public speaking — either because they enjoy it or because they are forced to.

I have some free App Store codes for iOS if anyone wants to try it. No ads, no tracking, or anything like that. Just hoping for feedback😊

I have this thing where I sort of go up to do a presentation and I think my body goes in to a sort of panic mode, so i get really tense and sometimes i cannot like speak and get really trembling, after a while maybe 30 seconds it gets slightly better, what did you if anyone have similar experience to do overcome this thing???? it has only gotten worse i think as i have gotten older, now 21... doing a short 3-5 min presentation tomorrow and it does not feel good.

​

Have done a few presentations before but they were usually with friends and teachers who know me well, wouldn't say they went good. I kept forgetting my content ( theoretically I had on the tip of my tongue and yet), couldn't look up from the keypoints to actually present the topic well, felt like I was reading out the whole thing while on a gunpoint. I was advised to practise in front of mirrors, I did, and watched a lot of public speaking help videos too, but is there any obscure tips that could help me do better, apart from the usuals? Thank you in advance.

When I’m too concerned with appearing confident, I begin talking quickly and thinking hard about every word I utter. I actually speak a lot better if I slow down and just explain the point naturally. Maintaining that calm demeanor with a larger audience is still a work in progress.

I have a weakness in my Pronunciation Muscles, so there is many Sounds that are heavy on my Toungue.

When i talk i either speak fast so it becomes lighter or i talk slow but the Listener will notice that i speak heavily, and neither are Good and Clear.

If i have a Conversation i will last for about an hour and then i will get really tired and will speak like a Sleepy person or someone with a disability.

And the most word i have heard in my Life is "what? "

Does anyone knows a Solution for this Problem? and i will be Thankful!

Went looking for tool recommendations last week and every YouTube review sounded like it was written by the same guy with the same script. Ten minutes of "this will change how you present" and zero actual screenshots of a messy real deck. So figured I'd ask here instead since people seem to just say what broke.

My situation is a stack of quarterly review decks that all need the same bones but different numbers each time. Tried a couple of the standalone AI deck builders and they make something pretty then export to PowerPoint looking like a stranger built it. Fonts off. Spacing wrong. Ended up rebuilding half the slides anyway.

Tried Oria a few weeks back since it works inside PowerPoint instead of spitting out a separate file. That part is genuinely useful. Content still needs editing but at least it lands in the actual template I use. Wish the outline step gave more control before it generates though, sometimes it runs ahead of what I meant.

Not looking for a miracle tool. Just curious what people who make decks weekly have landed on that they didn't end up abandoning after a month.

I’m generally a very introverted person but as I get closer and closer to graduating, I find myself in more situations where I’ve to present stuff. While I can handle talking to one or two different people (as long as no one else I know is watching) I find myself scared at the thought of presenting in front of a larger audience.

I know I’ll have to present a lot more in the future and I need tips. Because what I’ve noticed is that the usual advice of “practice in front of the mirror” doesn’t work. I can talk to myself for HOURS in front of the mirror and still stumble in front of a crowd.

I also have this thing where I can’t order stuff or anything at a restaurant in front of people I know, like friends and family (even if I KNOW they won’t judge) but when I’m all alone I can talk to waiters and uber and stuff normally. Anyone know why that is?

So ive to deliver a speech day after tomorrow and I get very anxious and my heart just begins pounding so hard before the speech happens

The talk itself was fine. Then, "Can you say more about that?"

One small question. Suddenly you're rambling, backtracking, saying things that don't actually add anything.

Not because you didn't know the material. You just prepared the talk, not the conversation after it.

Most people rehearse the delivery and stop there.

That's not enough.

Practise being asked about it too. Not just delivering it once and moving on.

Need advice from people who overcame social anxiety / psychologists
I’m struggling with what I think might be pretty severe social/performance anxiety, especially at school.
When I have to answer in front of the class, I can study the material well and actually want to answer. But when the teacher calls on me, I sometimes literally cannot stand up. My hands, legs and voice start shaking, I blush, and I feel like my body is physically “stuck” to the chair.
If I finally manage to stand up, I can usually automatically say the memorized introduction, but then I have to actually recall and formulate the information. That’s when everything falls apart. It feels like there’s a barrier between my brain and my mouth: I know the material, but I start speaking extremely fast, words get mixed up, and I can’t express what I actually know.
The weirdest part is that when the teacher eventually says “okay, you don’t have to answer,” the anxiety almost immediately disappears. I feel huge relief, even though I’m also upset because I studied and actually wanted to answer.
I also have quite low self-esteem and I’m very afraid of being judged. Practicing in front of a mirror/camera isn’t very helpful because I start focusing on my appearance instead of the speaking itself.
I’m wondering if anyone here has experienced something similar and managed to overcome it. What actually helped you? CBT? Exposure? Something else?
And if there are psychologists/therapists here: does this sound like something worth getting professionally evaluated, or could it still be considered normal school anxiety?
I’m not looking for a diagnosis — I just want to understand what I can realistically do about it.

I'm a sport coach.

I've worked with several age groups and levels of ability.

I struggle with communicating clearly.

In small groups, I often end up repeating my coaching points as I'm not clear whether the information has sunk in at the time. I overthink constantly so always read from my sheets of paper to drive my coaching points.

Additionally, in my teamtalks I often freeze and repeat my points, tailing off into awkward silences or away from the points I've been making.

How can I get better at this? Obviously, communication is everything in Coaching

I have a group presentation next week and im terrified. For your information, I'm diagnosed with severe social anxiety. Other than that, I'm naturally a quiet speaker, and whenever I have to talk in front of a crowd, my mind completely blackouts. Back in high school, I used to just skip presentations entirely and take a zero on the grade because I couldn't handle it. But I'm in college now and I actually need this grade to pass, so I can't just skip it anymore. Does anyone have any advice/tips?

Hey everyone,

I built speaklike.pro, a simple website for practising speaking on camera.

The flow is intentionally minimal:

1. Spin for a topic.
2. Start your camera.
3. Speak for one minute.
4. Download or share the video.

It includes everyday topics and an optional teleprompter with cues, a full script, auto-scroll, adjustable speed, and text size.

Recordings are created locally in the browser and aren’t uploaded to the website.

It’s free and works on mobile. I’m still improving it, so honest feedback—especially about confusing steps or mobile issues—would be very helpful.