Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

Why do I shake when talking in front of a crowd?

22 Answers
Last Updated: 04/26/2022 at 3:42pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Jill Kapil, PsyD

Psychologist

I have over 9 years of clinical experience, specialize in anxiety, and am passionate about my work. My approach is collaborative, empathic, supportive, and goal-oriented.

Top Rated Answers
courageousMagic24
May 2nd, 2015 6:21pm
I get nervous as hell in front of others because I'm used to being alone and when I'm absolutely forced, I fear that I will mess up and say something stupid and not sound smart, and people will apparently laugh at me.
NotDownYet
April 22nd, 2015 2:30pm
When you are talking in front of a crowd, you are getting nervous because you may feel like something bad will happen. On a deeper level, you may feel like you are in danger. The natural response to being in danger is called the Fight or Flight mechanism, where you choose to either fight your way out of the danger or run from it. Either way, you get a rush of adrenaline to help give you the power to physically perform these actions. Your shaking is all that nervous energy not having another way of getting out.
Anonymous
February 13th, 2015 9:51am
You are afraid of being embarassed infront of them, e.g: forgetting words or pronouncing them wrong, and afraid of hearing people laughing at you. You should focus more on what are you going to do infront of the crowd and try to imagine they dont exist, try closing your eyes and imagine someone infront of you whom you love very much or is very close to you
lovingLight24
August 31st, 2015 12:57am
Your shaking is a form of emotions taking a hold of your mind and body, sometimes we can take deep breaths focus on our breathing to stop these things happening hope this helps xx
Anonymous
April 10th, 2015 6:18pm
Thats normal lots of people have stage fright, i do. Its hard to overcome but it is normal. Talking in front of people gets alot of people
TobieEight
July 20th, 2015 7:23pm
You shake when talking in front of crowd because, you have stage fright. It's perfectly normal to some.
Anonymous
April 11th, 2015 5:56pm
It's because you are afraid of getting insulted by making a mistake, you take insult too seriously. If you just stop thinking about bad outcomes of mistake in crowd, you will not shake talking in front of crowd.
ChloeIsHereForYou265
December 17th, 2018 9:15am
It sounds like you're experiencing some social anxiety, this can be very difficult to deal with and there is a lot of coping mechanisms you could use such as deep breaths, drinking water before doing social things always helps me, you could also refer to the 7 cups anxiety guide they have some very helpful tips on dealing with anxiety, if the anxiety in front of crowds is bad enough, I would definitely recommend seeking professional help from a therapist or psychiatrist, especially if it is seriously impacting your every day life, it's not easy dealing with anxiety but you can definitely get through it
divinewillpower86
June 22nd, 2015 12:40am
It's known as stage fear. This is like you are thinking more about defeat instead of trusting yourself. Trying to relax and having zero mind, will help a lot. It's important to know that people are eager to listen to you instead of laughing so just think about it.
Anonymous
January 30th, 2017 10:57pm
Fear, or anxiety could be the cause. Speaking in front of multiple people can be more difficult because there are more people whichever could 'judge' and misinterpret. Where as on a one to one basis there's less people who will hear you and therefor be able to judge.
Anonymous
November 24th, 2015 11:34am
This is because you are scared. I also shake when I am in front of a crowd. Now, this can be hard of your in school or work because she have to speak in front of people. You should explain this to your parents, boss or teachers.
Anonymous
September 17th, 2019 9:55am
Technically speaking, its the stress of being in front of so many people and having all of them looking/listening to you. Your body is prepping to put you in Fight or Flight. This is when adrenaline goes through your body to prepare for a potentially dangerous situation. But I know that the technical answer will probably not help so here's another answer. You might be subconsciously (or consciously) thinking about how many people are looking, listening, and judging you. This can be extremely frightening which causes you to shake. Maybe next time when you're in front of a large crowd, try to bring something to fidget with.
Anonymous
July 2nd, 2018 5:28am
Often times, my voice also shakes while I speak publicly. Sometimes, when we are nervous it shows in ways that we cannot control. The best way to help is to do more public speaking to get more used to it (: much love
Jxlr123
December 3rd, 2018 11:25pm
I often used to suffer this way in my class, initially i thought it was simple nerves. I wasn't very close, nor well liked by everyone in my class, i must just be scared. However, as i grew, and matured, i found myself still acting the same way, despite considering myself friend's with almost everyone there. This sudden onset anxiety is driven by the situation and the environment, i could talk to everyone individually, but not all at once. To combat this, i tried to imagine i was speaking to one specific person. I focused, relaxed and began to shake less and be less nervous. You must understand these people infront of you are humans just the same way you are, when you are in a crowd, looking towards a speaker, do you think malicious thoughts? Probably not. So chances are, they dont about you.
walllflowerr
April 27th, 2020 1:39am
This is something you are not alone on. Speaking in front of a crowd can be really nerve racking for a lot of people. If this is going on with small groups of people or among friends, it may be social anxiety, which you can get support for. I think it is completely natural for most people to get scared, anxious, or even shake in front of a crowd. I personally have had a hard time with this and it is something I have difficulty with to this day. It does get better with time and just know that most people you are talking in front of probably understand the anxiety and will not judge.
Anonymous
November 19th, 2019 1:09am
Put shortly; A lack of practise. Thats it! Anything you do can be practised and the more you do it the less nervous you become, in addition you become more confident doing it. I would try some breathing exercises before speaking in front of a crowd and trying to focus on individuals rather than the entire crowd also works (make sure you shift your attention from individual to individual). Also moving around and looking up from time to time help you relax and may help you deliver your speech without shaking and or exhibiting other signs of nervousness. Relax, just keep at it!
Katastropheez
June 13th, 2016 6:05pm
when you shake when talking in front of a crowd you are probably experiencing stress or nervousness which is okay when its your first few times, until you get used to it and you wouldn't have to shake at all
thoughtfulSoul82
July 24th, 2018 12:37pm
The fear of being judged by many people is a common trigger for anxiety. Anxiety causes yoir muscles to tense up, and you can start shaking.
Anonymous
June 6th, 2017 4:05am
This is called anxiety, this occurs when you have an anxious or worried thoughts or a fear of doing something
DapperRainbow
May 23rd, 2016 10:53am
It could be nervousness. Or anxiety. But if you're excited or if you are feeling any extreme emotion, the shaking can also be caused by a rush of adrenaline. It'll naturally make you shake, sweat, become hot, or make you nauseous.
Specialrain
August 24th, 2015 2:15pm
It can just be stage fright as its common in everyone, if you want to get over it then you can start by talking to smaller crowds, it's natural to shake and be nervous in front of large crowds.
empathear83
April 26th, 2022 3:42pm
I have severe fear of public speaking and as a future social worker I find that it holds me back from progressing in my career. I won an award at school in 5th grade and on graduation day I was called to the front of the auditorium to accept my award but what they didn’t tell me was that I was going to have to read it in front of everyone and I was so scared. I started sweating profusely, my heart was pounding, I was lightheaded, my mouth got dry, and my vision began to blur so I shuddered through the speech because I could barely see the words and for some reason that stuck with me. For me I get nervous because I don’t want to sound stupid or stutter. Practice reading ahead of time which helps a little and don’t drink coffee before your speech. I find that it makes it worse.