Public Speaking Anxiety: Why It's Different for Women, and How to Move Past It

Throughout my twenties, I had panic attacks before giving presentations or speaking in front of a group. If you’ve felt this way too, you’re not alone. A new study shows that women are on average more anxious than men about public speaking.

Research suggests we’re responding to a real double standard. One study found that male speakers are rated as more entertaining, enthusiastic, and expressive, even when women deliver the same content in the same manner. Other research shows that women often are reluctant to act confidently to avoid the likeability penalty. They intuit that when they speak up, they may be less well-liked, and so they hold back.

That anxiety makes sense, but it’s essential to manage it. And it can be done! I now volunteer to speak at large events, and I love it. So what made the difference?

Start small. My first public speaking breakthrough was a lunchtime talk for 20 colleagues. I practiced for hours, and I had fun giving it. Find your own version of starting small: present to your team or your Lean In Circle. Confidence comes from doing it, not from waiting until you feel ready.

Practice out loud, a lot. The rule of thumb: spend roughly seven times as long practicing as you do writing your talk. For women, this matters even more, since we’re judged more harshly than men for our delivery and expressiveness. AI tools can help: record yourself, ask for feedback, and ask for advice tailored to the specific challenges women face when speaking publicly.

Speak communally and give credit to others. Women face backlash for self-promotion in ways men don’t — so when you present, frame your wins as shared ones. Use “we,” name your collaborators, and let the team’s work speak alongside yours. This reduces the penalty women can face without minimizing what you’ve actually done, and it signals the kind of communal leadership that audiences reward in women.

Express strategic warmth. Research shows that women who combine confidence with warmth are significantly less likely to face backlash than women who project confidence alone. So bring genuine enthusiasm, for both your topic and your audience. Humor helps, too. None of this is about being less authoritative. It’s about welcoming your audience in.

There’s one more reason to raise your hand for that big talk: research shows that when more women speak on public stages, gender stereotypes about women speakers diminish. Every woman who steps up to the mic is, in a small but real way, weakening the bias for women who do the same.

— Dr. Mary Noble-Tolla, Director of Research and Content, LeanIn.Org