Speech Anxiety Test

Category: Speech Anxiety Online Therapy | Last updated: October 9th, 2018 | Reviewed and approved by:
Dr. Steven Gans, MD

Signs and symptoms of speech anxiety

Speech anxiety, also named as glossophobia, is the fear of speaking in public, which most people have experienced at some point in their lifetimes. When the fear emerges, the person often feels emotionally distraught. Butterflies may develop in their stomach or their palms may become sweaty. People who suffer from speech anxiety, will often shy away from opportunities to speak in public arenas.

Speech anxiety is a form of social phobia and includes a wide variety of fears, when it comes to speaking in public. Some people can’t stand the idea of attending a party where there will be strangers, while others have major issues with giving a presentation at work.

The reasons why people experience speech anxiety varies. Some have experienced a traumatic public event as a child or earlier in life, while others have generally low self-esteem and feel that what they have to say is not important. Therefore, they automatically expect to fail.

The primary symptoms of speech anxiety fall into three main categories:

Physical symptoms

Experiencing physical symptoms when facing speech anxiety is just your body’s natural fight-or-flight reaction to the situation. Adrenalin is pumping through your system and you may experience several symptoms which actually make it even harder to speak;

Nausea
Rapid heartbeat
Dry mouth and shortness of breath
Tight upper back muscles
Excess sweating
Trembling in your body

Verbal

When experiencing physical symptoms like shortness of breath, it is almost inevitable that you will reveal your nervousness through your voice. Your voice may sound tense; you stutter, use words like “Umm” and “Ahh” frequently and speak fast just to complete the performance as soon as possible. These symptoms are really difficult to control. Once you hear that your voice sounds nervous, it makes it even harder to control your anxiety.

Non-verbal

Includes frequent fidgeting, inability to stand still, avoiding eye contact with your audience and wiping your hands on the trousers. All of these symptoms make it even harder to perform as well as you could have.

Further reading: Overcome your speech anxiety with online therapy.

If you suffer from any of the symptoms described above, we recommend that you take this test. Evaluate the statements and select the option that you feel best reflects the way you have felt for the past two weeks. The test is, of course, anonymous and free (see our privacy policy).

This speech anxiety test is not to be seen as a final diagnosis. If you are uncertain about your result, we suggest that you get professional help as soon as possible.

True
Partly true
Not true
1. When thinking about speaking in public, I freeze up.
2. My mouth becomes dry and my voice feels weak, just at the thought of speaking in public.
3. I have experienced panic or anxiety attacks, just at the thought of speaking in public.
4. I feel embarrassed or extremely fearful while speaking in public or at the thought of speaking in public.
5. The thought of speaking in public makes me feel emotionally distraught.
6. I experience butterflies in my stomach at the thought of giving a public speech.
7. The palms of my hands feel sweaty at the thought of giving a public speech.
8. I have experienced a panic attack during public speaking.
9. I have avoided social situations at work or in my private life just to dodge the risk of having to give a speech.
10. When I am to give a speech, I feel like I will fail and the audience will see me as a failure.
11. When giving a speech, I talk as fast as possible. I even exclude important things that I was going to say, just to get it over with.
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