The below information is based on my training and experience working with many clients with performance and public speaking anxiety. It is for your information only and does not constitute clinical advice or establish a patient-therapist or client-coach relationship.

Public speaking anxiety is often treated as if it is one problem - the fear of speaking in front of large groups of people. Sometimes, it really is that simple. But in my work specialising in social and performance anxiety, I often find that the number in the audience is less relevant, but more the social meaning of what that audience represents if things went badly.

Understanding what the person believes is actually at stake when they speak can help us understand the problem.

I tend to see in my work three common themes that arise separately and sometimes together:

1. Competence and status threat: what if they think I’m not good enough?

2. Belonging threat: what if this confirms I don’t belong here?

3. Anxiety and loss of control threat: what if my anxiety gets out of control and everyone sees it?

But what is the deeper fear underneath those questions?

The Underlying Fear

Someone may tell me ‘I’m afraid my voice will shake’.  We may explore what’s so bad about that? Well, everyone would see I’m anxious. And the problem with that is? They’d lose respect for me. And if that happened, what’s the worst case scenario? Well I could lose everything I’ve worked for. And the issue with that is? Well I’d be humiliated, couldn’t afford my life, and feel I’ve dropped in social status.

Here, the underlying fear is actually the loss of everything and as a result dropping in social status, even if on the surface it appears like public speaking anxiety. That doesn’t change that the presenting issue is now public speaking anxiety, but understanding why the situation is a trigger helps direct appropriate treatment and support.

Fear of An Irreversible Mistake Public Speaking

For many people, the underlying fear normally circles around some sort of irreversible situation. The loss of social status, the loss of a job, the loss of income, the reputational damage, the sense that you are not who you think you are. Even though the damage may be reversible, or may not be as catastrophic as predicted, there’s an underlying sense that if the worst were to happen public speaking, there would be no return from the consequence.

Dual Beliefs

Many people, outside of the public speaking moment, do not necessarily believe these thoughts to be true. They are often experiencing a dual belief system, meaning outside of the moment the fear ‘if this goes wrong I can lose my job’ feels about 10% true, whereas in the moment, it can feel 90% true. This can leave people incredibly frustrated, trying to bridge the gap between their logical and emotional minds. It can also lead to significant intrusive thoughts in the lead up to any speaking.

Why This Matters for Treatment

If different forms of public speaking anxiety are organised around different threats, treatment needs to adapt to the specific fears involved, some of which feel significantly consequential for one’s life.

In addition, for some people, earlier experiences of humiliation, bullying, exclusion or chronic social threat are also relevant. A current presentation can sometimes activate a much older expectation about what happens when attention turns towards you.

But it does mean that repeatedly practising presentations or speaking in front of large groups without understanding why being seen feels dangerous can sometimes miss the point. Exposure without specific understanding often leads to ‘white knuckling’ and no new learning.

Conclusion

Public speaking anxiety isn't always simply a fear of public speaking. Sometimes it is a fear of losing status, a fear of having your sense of belonging questioned, and sometimes it is a fear of losing control of anxiety while other people are watching. Often, it is some combination of all three.

Understanding that distinction can make public speaking anxiety feel considerably less mysterious. Your anxiety isn't occurring in a vacuum. Your brain is responding to what it believes is socially at stake in that particular room, and it wants certainty that it will not happen, triggering anxious thoughts and feelings.

And so perhaps the most useful question isn't:

Why am I so afraid of public speaking?

It is:

What feels like the risk of being seen negatively by these people/this audience… and if that happened, how would I feel?

This will tell you what the real underlying fear is.