How to handle severe public speaking anxiety as a new teacher
Severe social anxiety and a fear of standing in front of a room full of people can make the pressure of teaching feel impossible to manage. This constant worry threatens to break focus and stop educators from conveying information effectively to their students.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Taking anxiety medicationDid this help you?
- 2Practicing lessons multiple times in front of peers, mentors, or friendsDid this help you?
- 3Gaining prior experience through substitute teaching, summer camps, or tutoringDid this help you?
- 4Giving students a minute to write or chat with a partner firstDid this help you?
- 5Asking each student short questions one by one in order so they can anticipate their turnDid this help you?
- 6Using simple opinion questions or quick choices for small group reactions before larger conversationsDid this help you?
- 7trying to avoid the public speaking partDid this help you?
- 8wearing a maskDid this help you?
- 9treating it as a muscle you work out by doing it repeatedlyDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The only problem is that I have a severe fear of public speaking and social anxiety.”source ↗
“I’m extremely worried this is going to make this job impossible for me.”source ↗
“I’m worried that the pressure of having to actually stand up in front of a room full of people (including my mentor) will cause me to lose my focus and fail to convey the information to the children in an effective way.”source ↗
“I was a quiet student with severe social anxiety.”source ↗
“Public speaking is like one of the most common fears lol”source ↗
“During my 1 year of teaching, I've always tried to avoid the public speaking part.”source ↗
“The moment I'm outside the room, I feel like I don't belong.”source ↗
“I've always hated giving PDs. I'm perfectly comfortable in front of a roomful of children, but put me in front of a roomful of fellow educators, and it's another story.”source ↗
Where this came up
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