Glossophobia: The Fear of Public Speaking You Don’t Have to Keep
- Stephanie Bickel
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
by Stephanie Bickel
“I think I have a condition.”
That’s how one of our Speak by Design University participants described her fear of presenting. She’d Googled glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, and felt seen and diagnosed.
She’s smart, multilingual, and a communications director. English isn’t her first language.
When she presents, her brain says:
All eyes are on my mistakes.
My accent sounds wrong.
I am letting my organization down.
She’s not alone. Many leaders carry this quiet belief:
“I have a condition, so maybe I’m just not meant to be a strong speaker.”
That belief is more dangerous than the nerves.
Fear of Public Speaking Is Not a Condition. It’s a Skill Gap.
Glossophobia may have a clinical name, but for most professionals it’s not a permanent condition. It’s a mindset + skill problem, both are fixable.
We start with mindset because your thoughts either fuel the fear or melt it.
1. See your fear as human, not broken
Standing in front of people can feel like you vs. them. Your nervous system reads it as a physical threat. That’s normal.
Nothing is wrong with you if your heart races, your hands shake, or your mind goes blank. That’s your animal brain doing its job.
The goal is not “no nerves.” The goal is:
“Nerves are here. I know what to do with them.”
2. Stop making it about you
This is the tough-love part.
When you obsess over your accent, your grammar, or how you sound, you’ve made the moment about you instead of the idea and the audience.
It’s a kind of self-absorption that fuels anxiety:
What do they think of me?
Do I sound smart enough?
Can they hear my mistakes?
Flip it:
What do they need from me right now?
What problem am I helping them solve?
What would be generous and useful in the next five minutes?
Fear shrinks when purpose grows.
3. Treat your accent as an advantage, not a flaw
One of our coaches told a client, “The minute you open your mouth and we hear your accent, you become interesting.”
She’s right. People lean in. They listen more carefully. The exact same words sound new.
Your accent signals:
Global experience
Cognitive flexibility
Courage to operate in multiple languages
That’s not a weakness. That’s executive-level grit.
4. Let your future self narrate, not your past
Many leaders replay past “bad” presentations like a lowlight reel:
The promotion they didn’t get
The board meeting that went sideways
The feedback that they weren’t polished enough
That voice says: “You’re not good at this. You always mess this up.”
You need a new narrator: your future self—the version of you who has practiced, improved, and now handles high-stakes meetings with calm authority.
Her voice says:
“That was good enough for today.”
“We’re getting better every time.”
“Wait until you see where we’re going.”
That is the mindset that makes behavior change possible.
Clear the Myths
Let’s retire a few myths that keep glossophobia in place:
Myth 1: Great speakers aren’t nervous. They are. They’ve just learned how to use their nerves as energy instead of evidence of failure.
Myth 2: If English isn’t my first language, I’ll never sound “executive.”
Executive presence is clarity, warmth, and conviction. Not perfect grammar.
Myth 3: I must fix my fear before I speak.
The only way to fix it is to speak, often, intentionally, and with a new plan.
New Behaviors: What to DO When the Fear Shows Up
Once the mindset is in motion, behavior change gives your brain proof that you’re safe and capable.
Here are practical moves we coach every week:
1. Use a “Before we get started…” move
If your nerves spike at the beginning, don’t launch straight into your content. Give yourself 30 seconds to settle:
Ask a question:
“Before we get started, I’d love to hear one quick win from this week. Who wants to start?”
Thank someone:
“Before we dive in, I want to thank the team for turning around the data so quickly. It made today’s discussion possible.”
When they talk, you breathe. Their nerves rise; yours fall.
2. Take three slow breaths before you speak
Simple, not silly.
Pause.
Inhale slowly through your nose.
Exhale longer than you inhale.
Three intentional breaths signal to your body: “We are safe.” You also quietly capture the room’s attention.
3. Prepare the edges, not every word
Don’t script entire presentations. Script the edges:
A strong 60–90 second opening
A clear, confident closing
Then:
Practice both out loud 3–5 times.
Practice in front of a mirror if you can—your facial expressions will soften and you’ll naturally smile more.
No reading. Notes are fine; scripts are not.
After the meeting, ask only two questions:
How was my opening?
How was my closing?
Once those are consistently strong, then you can refine the “messy middle.”
4. Shift the spotlight with gratitude
Gratitude pulls you out of your head and into the relationship.
Start with:
“I appreciate…”
“I’m grateful for…”
“I’ve been looking forward to sharing this because…”
Gratitude softens your voice and grounds your presence.
5. Build a tiny pre-game routine
Before important presentations:
Protect your sleep the night before.
Hydrate.
Glance at your first slide and last slide—remind yourself of the arc.
Repeat a short mantra: “It’s not about me. It’s about the idea.”
Consistency turns this into a safety signal for your brain.
6. Lower the bar from “perfect” to “serviceable”
High-anxiety speakers often hold impossibly high standards for themselves.
Trade perfect for helpful:
“If they leave clearer than they arrived, I’ve done my job.”
“If I land my main message and next step, that’s a win.”
Your job is to move the work forward, not to perform a flawless TED Talk every Tuesday.
There is no hack around repetition.
Your nervous system learns safety by doing the thing you’re afraid of again and again with better tools.
You will still feel nerves in upcoming meetings. You will still stumble sometimes. You may still replay moments you wish you had handled differently.
That is not failure. That is practice.
With deliberate mindset shifts and new behaviors, fear really can “leave the building.”
I’ve seen leaders who:
Once got physically ill before presenting
Avoided every opportunity to speak
Lost chances because they weren’t “polished enough”
…now run large team meetings, pitch executives, and present at conferences without a second thought.
Their diagnosis changed from “I have a condition” to “I have a skill I’m always sharpening.”
Imagine this version of you:
You walk into a room of senior leaders with a calm body and a clear opening line.
You begin with a question or a thank-you, take one slow breath, and feel the room settle with you.
Your accent, your story, your path—everything that once made you self-conscious—is now part of what makes you memorable.
You evaluate your opening and closing, give yourself credit, and move on to your next challenge.
You no longer introduce yourself to us by saying, “I think I have a condition.”
You say,
“I used to be terrified of speaking. Now I know how to work with my nerves and lead the room.”
This is exactly the work we do inside Speak by Design University: mindset first, then behaviors, practiced until confidence becomes muscle memory.
Strong communication is the skill that changes careers.
If 2026 is a year you want to lead with more confidence, clarity, and influence, Speak by Design University can help you get there.
Choose the track that fits your goals:
Accelerator • Emerging Leader • Director/Builder • Executive.
Across the year, you’ll build a Communication Portfolio, receive private coaching, and work inside a peer cohort designed for your level.
Explore the 2026 program: https://speakbydesign.com/join
