Public Speaking Anxiety Group: The Authentic Speaking Club
Practise speaking, being seen and showing up as yourself — even when you feel anxious.
A therapist-led online speaking group for people experiencing public speaking anxiety, social anxiety, self-consciousness and fear of judgement.
No polished speeches. No performance ratings. Just real speaking practice that helps you change how you respond to anxiety and social evaluation.
Before booking, please read our Group Terms & Conditions .
You don't need to pretend to be confident.
You may already know how to speak. The difficulty is what happens when attention turns towards you: your heart races, your mind goes blank, and suddenly you're watching and judging every word you say.
The Authentic Speaking Club doesn't focus on making you a better performer. It gives you opportunities to practise speaking while anxious, discover what keeps that anxiety going, and develop a different response to being seen.
Three things we work on, live.
These aren't simply ideas to learn about. You'll practise them while actually speaking in front of other people, so you can notice what happens and experiment with responding differently.
Get out of your head.
When we become self-conscious, our attention often turns inwards. We start monitoring our voice, appearance, thoughts and physical sensations, which can intensify anxiety and make it harder to engage naturally.
We practise redirecting attention towards the conversation, the audience and what you want to say, rather than constantly watching yourself from the outside.
Stop fighting the feeling.
Often, it's not only the speaking situation we're frightened of. It's the anxiety itself: shaking, blushing, freezing or appearing nervous.
Trying to suppress or control these reactions can increase our preoccupation with them. We practise making room for uncomfortable sensations while continuing to speak, without needing anxiety to disappear first.
Say what you actually want to say.
Anxiety can turn speaking into a performance. You rehearse before, edit yourself during, and replay everything afterwards.
We practise expressing your real opinions, tolerating uncertainty, speaking imperfectly and reducing the need to manage how others see you. That includes changing what you do before, during and after social interactions.
What changes when you stop avoiding?
Avoiding a difficult speaking situation may bring short-term relief, but it can leave the underlying fear unchallenged. Repeated practice creates opportunities to learn that anxiety is tolerable, that you can keep speaking and that feared outcomes aren't inevitable.
Before: avoiding anxiety
Avoidance can reduce discomfort temporarily while maintaining the expectation that speaking or being anxious is dangerous.
With practice: new learning
Practising repeatedly can change what you expect and how you respond. Anxiety may become less intense, less disruptive or easier to tolerate.
Important: These are illustrative patterns, not guaranteed anxiety trajectories. Anxiety doesn't need to fall during every exposure for useful learning to take place. The goal is greater flexibility and freedom to speak, including when anxiety remains.
What happens in a session?
Sessions are structured enough to help you get started, but varied enough that you can practise dealing with the uncertainty of real conversations.
Understand
We begin with a short lesson on anxiety, attention, avoidance, fear of judgement or another psychological process relevant to speaking.
Practise
You'll have several opportunities to speak through questions, spontaneous topics, opinions, explanations and other exercises. Some classes offer additional challenge and uncertainty.
Reflect
Rather than evaluating how polished you sounded, we explore where your attention went, how you responded to anxiety and what you learned from speaking more authentically.
Groups are capped at six participants. You're encouraged to experiment at your own pace, and participation in individual exercises is optional.
A different kind of speaking practice.
This might be for you if...
- You feel anxious speaking in meetings, groups or social situations.
- You worry about shaking, freezing, blushing or your mind going blank.
- You constantly monitor how you come across or replay interactions.
- You'd like to speak more freely, even when you feel judged.
- You're ready to practise being visible without needing to perform perfectly.
A different format may suit you if...
- Your main goal is presentation technique, rhetoric or persuasion.
- You're looking for formal speaking evaluations and critiques.
- You primarily need help writing speeches or communicating strategically.
- You need individual psychological treatment rather than group coaching and practice.
This group is an educational coaching and practice space, not psychotherapy or a replacement for mental health care.
Why I created the Authentic Speaking Club.
I'm Sophia, a psychotherapist whose work involves helping people feel more comfortable being seen. But my interest in public speaking anxiety is also personal.
I experienced a panic attack, and quickly discovered how unsettling anxiety can feel when your career depends on being seen as an authority on mental health.
I found myself worrying not only about feeling anxious, but about what it would mean if other people noticed that anxiety — in a therapy session, while speaking publicly, or simply when attention was on me.
I recognised how easily fear of anxiety itself could become part of the problem.
At the time, there was no single established protocol specifically for public speaking anxiety that captured everything I wanted to address. I drew together principles from CBT for social anxiety and panic to develop a more comprehensive approach to the fear of speaking and being visibly anxious.
The group itself started as a small space for my own clients to practise. Over time, that small practice space opened up to the public and has now grown into a global group, with people joining from around the world to work on speaking, visibility and fear of judgement together.
Today, our facilitators use this approach to help people practise attentional focus, allowing anxiety, and speaking more authentically. You don't have to wait until you're confident to take part.
Meet the people behind the group.
Sophia Spencer ↗
WEDNESDAY CLASSSophia created the club as an alternative to performance-focused speaking groups, helping members work directly with the anxiety of being seen.
BABCP-Accredited CBT Therapist
Emily Hill ↗
THURSDAY CLASSEmily brings a warm, encouraging approach to speaking practice, helping members challenge perfectionism, self-consciousness and fear of judgement.
BABCP-Accredited CBT TherapistSessions are online. Check the live booking calendar for current dates, times and availability.
Join a class.
Attend a session to try it out, or book a block of six to make repeated practice part of your routine.
One Session
A flexible way to try the group or attend whenever you want some speaking practice.
Six-Session Pass
Six sessions to use within ten weeks, allowing more opportunities to practise, experiment and develop new learning over time.
Get £7 off your first £22 drop-in session. Enter this code at checkout when booking your first class.
What members have shared.
Hear from people who have attended our speaking practice sessions.
“Sophia makes you feel so comfortable and at ease. I already feel so much more relaxed and authentic when speaking after just 4 weeks”
“Sophia is an excellent coach, she gradually exposes you to your fear resulting in you gradually becoming more confident. Enjoy the classes and look forward to continue attending.”
Reviews reflect individual members' experiences. Results and experiences vary.
A few things you might be wondering.
Do I have to speak in every class?
No. You're encouraged to take part at your own pace, but you're not forced to complete exercises. Most members join because speaking feels uncomfortable, and the group is designed with that in mind.
What are the terms and conditions?
Group terms and conditions are avaiable here: https://www.sociallyfearless.com/group-terms-and-conditions
How is this different from Toastmasters?
Toastmasters generally focuses on developing speaking and presentation skills, often with structured roles and feedback. Our focus is different: working with anxiety, self-consciousness, attention and the fear of judgement. We don't rate your performance.
What if I experience panic or freeze?
Many people attend because they fear their physical reactions to speaking, including shaking, blushing or their mind going blank. Exercises are optional, and facilitators can support you in adjusting the level of challenge. If you need individual clinical treatment, group practice may not be sufficient but can enhance 1-1 treatment.
Can I join from outside the UK?
Yes. Sessions are online and members attend from different countries and time zones. Check the live booking calendar for current times and availability which will show in your timezone if you have location services on.
Do I need to prepare a speech?
No. We provide prompts and exercises during the session. Much of the benefit comes from practising speaking without extensive preparation.
Is this group therapy?
No. The Authentic Speaking Club is a therapist-led coaching, practice and educational group. It uses psychological principles but does not provide psychotherapy, group or individual clinical treatment.
Can I attend if I have social anxiety?
Yes. The group is designed for people who struggle with social and public speaking anxiety. If you have severe social anxiety, please check with a healthcare provider before attending, or constact us before booking if you're unsure whether the group is right for you.
What is the cancellation policy?
12 hours cancellation policy.
Who attends this group?
We have a range of attendees. We have students, professionals, managers of companies, socially anxious people, and everyone in-between. There is no 'one person' who attends this group.
You don't have to wait until you feel confident to start speaking.
Join a small, supportive group where you can experiment with being seen, speaking freely and responding differently to anxiety.
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