Learning English Conversations Beating Speaking Anxiety: 4. I'm scared of speaking in front of people
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Feb 9, 2026 Regina Kaplan-Rakowski, a learning technologies professor who uses virtual reality to study language anxiety, joins the conversation. She discusses using avatars and simulated audiences to create safe practice spaces. The chat also covers why speaking feels like a judged performance and simple low-tech rehearsal tips like mirror practice and walking calls.
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Research Presentation Panic
- Elisa had to present her research to an international audience and felt extreme physical anxiety.
- She experienced headache, stomachache and called it the most anxious moment she ever felt.
Second Language Feels Like Performance
- Han Luo frames speaking in a second language as a performance that invites intense self-evaluation.
- That performance feeling helps explain why even small-group conversations can cause strong anxiety.
Freezing With Friends In Spanish
- Georgie recounts freezing and forgetting words when speaking Spanish even with supportive friends.
- She felt embarrassed and then stopped speaking in the conversation.