Why Do I Experience Speaking Anxiety at Work?

What if you had to face your worst fear every single day?

Many of my clients do, and it can be debilitating for their quality of life.

Last night, we spent five hours in the basement while tornadoes spawned in small towns all around us. I’m deathly afraid of tornadoes after my childhood home was hit by one in 2009. But I don't have to face them every day—just a few times each year.

What if I had to experience the stomach aches, rapid heartbeat, sweating, and complete bone-chilling fear every single day?

For professionals with severe speaking anxiety, a normal day at the office can feel like sitting in a basement while tornadoes are spawning all around you. You feel powerless to control your situation.

Clients have told me they feel nauseated sitting in the car before they start their workday, or they may hyperventilate in the work restroom before an important meeting. This is no way to live.

When I was in the basement last night, my fight/flight/freeze response went into overdrive. This happens with public speaking anxiety, too. When the brain and body sense danger—whether a tornado or looming presentation—the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated.

A few things can occur at this stage:

⮕ The body releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.

⮕ Heart rate increases, which boosts blood flow to the muscles (so you can fight or flee).

⮕ Respiration increases and pupils dilate.

While this is the body's natural way to respond to a threat, you might feel it as a sense of panic and impending doom. Unfortunately, activation of the sympathetic nervous system is not the best way to improve your delivery of an important message. In fact, it can decrease fluency, word retrieval, clarity of speech, and breath control—all of which are important qualities of effective communication.

If you relate to this, seeking professional communication coaching with a certified speech-language pathologist can help!

Stay tuned to for our next post to learn more about tangible ways to address speaking anxiety to take back control of your career and life.