You know your material. Then everyone looks at you, and something else takes over. You go BLANK.
One to one, you're fine. In a small group you trust, you're fine. But when it's formal, when it matters, your voice, your mind and your body stop cooperating.
If speaking in front of people fills you with dread, this page explains what is going on and what can be done about it.
“I can't believe how stressed I was before … I feel much more confident in other parts of my life as well, not just on the work side.”
– Mark D., Limerick
Clem Kelleher, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychologist (MSc Psychology). In person in Limerick, or online anywhere in Ireland.
When people come to me with a fear of public speaking, it usually looks like some of these.
If two or three of those are familiar, keep reading.
â–¶ Watch: does this sound like you? (2 minutes)
Fear of public speaking, also called presentation anxiety or glossophobia, is an automatic fear response to speaking while other people are watching and judging.
It shows up as dread in the days beforehand, physical symptoms in the moment (racing heart, shaking voice, dry mouth, a mind gone blank), and over time a habit of avoiding presentations, meetings and roles that involve speaking.
It is one of the most common fears there is, and it affects capable, well-prepared people. It is not a knowledge problem, and it is not a sign you're in the wrong job.
â–¶ Watch: what fear of public speaking is (1 minute)
Because the reaction doesn't come from the part of you that prepared. It runs in four steps, and all four happen in a second or two.
Your reasoning only catches up after all of that. This is why more preparation often doesn't help: you are rehearsing the part of you that already knows the material.
Then it feeds itself. You notice your voice shaking, noticing makes it worse, and now half your attention is on yourself instead of on what you're saying.
The good news is that a response that was learned can be changed.
I don't teach presentation skills. You most likely have those already. I work on the automatic fear response that takes over when you have to speak.
In the first session we find exactly what sets it off for you, and what your mind does next. Then, using hypnosis together with the psychological tools I bring as a psychologist, we change that response at the level where it runs. Hypnosis here means a focused, relaxed state. You're awake, you hear everything, and you're in control throughout.
When that response changes, the rest follows. The dread in the days before eases. Your mind stays with you when you're asked a question. What you know can come out.
Most people notice a difference after the first session. In my experience, most clients see a significant improvement within three to five sessions, and we review how you are doing after each one.
▶ Watch: how I work with fear of public speaking (3½ minutes)
I'm Clem Kelleher, a clinical hypnotherapist and psychologist based in Corbally, Limerick. I hold an MSc in Psychology from the University of Derby. I'm a certified member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, a Graduate Member of the Psychological Society of Ireland and a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society.
I've worked as a professional hypnotherapist since 2010. Anxiety is the main thing I work with: fear of public speaking, social anxiety, panic attacks and confidence.
Anxiety and Other Uncomfortable Feelings: Five Facts About Your Anxiety and How to Overcome It
What anxiety is, how the feeling is created, and a method you can use yourself, with ten real-life stories from clients.
“Happy to say that I started that job and so far so good. I can't believe how stressed I was before thinking about it. Since that first meeting I've stopped putting things off and I feel much more confident in other parts of my life as well, not just on the work side. That thing you did with visualising what I want and seeing myself succeeding at it is incredible and is still working. I was a bit sceptical about hypnosis but I was desperate for something to work. It's changed my life.”
– Mark D., Limerick
“I used to suffer very badly with a lack of confidence. My job is very demanding and as most people I work with are male, it can be quite intimidating when I found myself in situations that were confrontational. I attended 3 sessions with Clem … With his help I retrained my mind to think and feel differently about myself in those situations and in my life generally. That was almost six months ago and I haven't looked back since.”
– N.K., Co. Clare
First session
Best value after your first session. You save €100.
In my experience, most clients see a significant improvement within three to five sessions. That's why, after your first session, you can book a block of three for €350.
What the research says: across 17 clinical trials, the average person treated with hypnosis ended up less anxious than about 79% of people in the comparison groups. At the longest follow-up that rose to about 84% (Valentine et al., 2019, International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis).
Sessions are in person at Celtic Hypnosis, Corbally, Limerick, or online. Both work the same way. To book, send me a message on WhatsApp. I reply myself, answer any questions, and we find a time.
These fees do not cover the stop smoking program, which is priced separately.
Yes, for many people. The fear runs on an automatic response, and hypnotherapy works directly on that response instead of asking you to push through it. A 2019 analysis of 17 clinical trials found that the average person treated with hypnosis ended up less anxious than about 79% of people in the comparison groups (Valentine et al., 2019). Those trials covered anxiety in general, not public speaking alone. The same analysis found hypnosis worked better combined with other psychological approaches than on its own, which is how I work.
In my experience, most clients see a significant improvement within three to five sessions. Some people need fewer. We look at how you are after each session and decide from there. If you want to keep going after your first session, a block of three more sessions costs €350.
Courses teach skills: structure, slides, delivery. Those are useful, but they train the part of you that is already capable. If your mind goes blank the moment everyone looks at you, the problem is the automatic reaction, and that is what I work on. Once it settles, the skills you already have can show up.
No. A bit of adrenaline before you speak is normal and useful. The aim is to remove the reaction that gets in your way, not to flatten you.
No. The same response shows up in meetings, interviews, video calls, being asked a question on the spot, and wedding speeches. If speaking while people watch is the problem, this applies.
Yes. Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, a bit like being absorbed in a film. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can stop at any point.
Yes. Online and in-person sessions work the same way. I'll send you simple instructions for setting up at home.
Send me a message on WhatsApp and tell me, in a line or two, what happens when you have to speak. If you have a presentation coming up, tell me the date. I'll reply myself.
