Why Public Speaking Feels So Hard — And How to Overcome It
Public speaking is one of the most common fears worldwide — research suggests that around 75% of people experience anxiety when speaking in front of others. Whether it’s a small team meeting or a keynote address at a major conference, the thought of standing up and delivering a message can leave even experienced leaders feeling nervous.
But why does public speaking have such a powerful effect on us and how can leaders turn that fear into confidence?
The Science Behind Public Speaking Anxiety
When you step into the spotlight, your body triggers the fight, flight or freeze response, releasing the stress hormone cortisol. This is an automatic reaction — your brain thinks you’re under threat. That’s why your hands shake, your voice wavers, or your mind suddenly goes blank.
At the same time, the emotional part of your brain — what we at T2 call the Chimp — takes over. It’s five times faster than the logical part of your brain, which means irrational fears like “What if I embarrass myself?” or “What if everyone thinks I’m not good enough?” often win the battle.
Why Some People Cope Better Than Others
From our work at T2, we know that personality and confidence play a huge role.
Personality: Anxious introverts and anxious extroverts often find public speaking more stressful than their confident counterparts.
Confidence Types: Through our Confidence Conundrum model, we’ve identified three kinds of confidence — self, surface, and peer confidence. The most effective public speakers tend to have high levels of both self and surface confidence.
Great leaders know themselves first. Take our quick quiz to discover whether you're a confident introvert, anxious extrovert, or another leadership style — and how it shapes your communication: Introvert or Extrovert: Anxious or Confident
The Leadership Connection
In leadership, the ability to speak confidently is not just a “nice-to-have” skill — it’s essential. Whether you’re inspiring your team, influencing stakeholders, or representing your organisation, clear and confident communication can determine the success of your message.
Yet, many senior leaders admit they’ve never had structured support to improve this skill. That’s where our Leadership Development Programme (LDP) in Hull comes in.
Our October intake includes dedicated modules on:
Building authentic confidence using the Confidence Conundrum framework
Understanding your personality profile with psychometric tools
Practical communication coaching to help you present with impact
By combining self-awareness tools like PRINT® with performance-focused coaching, we help leaders not only manage public speaking anxiety but also use it as fuel to deliver powerful, memorable messages.
Ready to Step into Confident Leadership?
The fear of public speaking doesn’t have to hold you back. With the right strategies, you can turn nerves into energy, self-doubt into clarity, and presentations into opportunities for influence.
📅 Join our Leadership Development Programme in Hull starting this October and gain the skills, confidence, and presence to lead — and speak — with impact.
