The good news is \u2014 you can manage it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But before we get into the top 10 tips for overcoming meeting anxiety<\/strong>, we\u2019ll go over the common reasons you might get nervous speaking in meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n Meeting anxiety can be defined as an excessive fear of attending or speaking in work meetings.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n One 2023 Craft survey<\/a> showed that 80% of participants feel anxious before a meeting<\/strong>. However, excessive worry and discomfort can also occur during and after work meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, meeting anxiety isn\u2019t limited to in-person meetings. On-camera virtual meetings<\/a> \u2014 although beneficial for team connection and collaboration \u2014 can be particularly draining for people dealing with this issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, the latest meeting statistics<\/a> show that 45% of professionals chose audio-only meetings<\/strong> as the preferred virtual meeting format. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, some people also experience anxiousness during audio calls<\/a>, which can explain why 72% of the Craft survey participants believe that the key to productivity is <\/strong>asynchronous communication<\/strong><\/a>. They believe (or wish) that most of their meetings could be replaced by written communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some even go out of their way to avoid in-person or virtual meetings altogether, as shown in the example on the business messaging app, Pumble<\/a> by CAKE.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n Communicate in real time and asynchronously with Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, you might think that meeting anxiety only rears its ugly head when people need to facilitate a meeting. However, fear of facilitating meetings<\/a> is different than meeting anxiety, which: <\/p>\n\n\n\n People who struggle with meeting anxiety experience intense symptoms in every meeting they attend. On the other hand, people who don\u2019t feel comfortable facilitating meetings only struggle when they are assigned a facilitator role in a meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting anxiety affects people\u2019s ability to remain fully present and pay attention during meetings<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Excessive worry and an overwhelming sense of discomfort impact their performance<\/a> and appearance during a meeting and a few hours after the meeting has ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most common physical symptoms<\/strong> of meeting anxiety include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting anxiety can also cause several unpleasant emotions and thoughts<\/strong>, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you recognize these symptoms in your regular work meeting routine, you might be suffering from meeting anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While your first impulse might be to avoid participating in meetings altogether, there are far more constructive ways to manage and even overcome meeting anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start by dismantling the root of the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Empower your team and boost productivity in real time. Try Pumble by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n Before we get into actionable solutions for overcoming meeting anxiety, let\u2019s first outline some of the main reasons work meetings make you feel anxious in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People struggling with social anxiety are more likely to experience anxiety symptoms during work meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If social situations make you feel overly uncomfortable and you find yourself worrying before, during, and after them, chances are work meetings will produce the same reactions<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll often catch yourself being more focused on (and worried about) how others perceive you than the actual conversation in the meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n Check in on your coworkers over Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you experience intense fear and anxiety when you need to speak in work meetings, it may be related to the fear of public speaking \u2014 glossophobia<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People who fear public speaking often feel comfortable in one-on-one meetings<\/a> and social situations in general. However, they will experience intense discomfort when they need to speak in front of a group<\/strong> in a more formal setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, an all-hands meeting<\/a> like the one shown below might cause them severe anxiety, especially if they have to present something. <\/p>\n\n\n Hold your meetings on Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not having enough time to prepare for a meeting can cause your anxiety to spike. It leaves you not knowing how to start your presentation<\/a>, what to say after your \u201cgrand\u201d opening, or how to end it<\/a> without sounding awkward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more, working remotely often requires juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, which can affect how much time we have to prepare for a meeting<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Back-to-back meetings also leave no time to prepare properly and can cause meeting burnout<\/a>, stress, and meeting anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The same goes for getting last-minute meeting invites with no prior notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lack of preparation can make you feel out of control of the situation and cause tremendous discomfort and anxiety<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Presenting at a meeting is often more stressful than just attending one, which is why preparing for a presentation is vital. To get the best tips on preparing for speaking in front of your coworkers, check out the article below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meeting anxiety can also stem from insufficient information about the purpose of the meeting<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not having a clear meeting agenda<\/a> with defined objectives and meeting roles<\/a> can cause your mind to spiral about all potential scenarios and things that can go wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not sharing a meeting agenda with all participants is a big corporate no-no. To avoid making that mistake, always prepare a meeting agenda beforehand. You can use one of our templates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boost your meeting efficiency with Pumble<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you feel your communication skills<\/a> may not be up to par, you can experience increased worry and anxiety about speaking in meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You may fear you\u2019ll fail to get your message across effectively<\/strong> and cause miscommunication<\/a> or experience judgment from other people in the meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n Simplify team communication and collaborate more effectively. Try Pumble.<\/p>\n\n If you feel inadequate and doubt your knowledge and intellectual ability<\/strong> while feeling intense pressure to perform, you might be experiencing imposter syndrome<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Imposter syndrome is another common cause of meeting anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People experiencing imposter syndrome often feel like frauds in a professional setting<\/strong>. Naturally, meetings where they need to present an opinion in a discussion will usually exacerbate these negative feelings and self-beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you struggle to maintain a positive self-image and healthy self-esteem, you might find video conferencing<\/a> extremely uncomfortable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People who struggle with poor self-image are often too self-critical about how they look and sound<\/strong>. On-camera meetings require spending plenty of time looking at your reflection on the screen, which can cause anxious feelings and behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Pumble<\/a> example below, we see Maya avoiding looking at herself on her screen. While this might help with her anxiety, it can also give her interlocutor the impression that she’s disinterested in the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Explore Pumble\u2019s Video Conferencing features<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Pumble Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you specifically worry about your physical appearance during online meetings, we have a few tips for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If some of your past meetings went exceptionally bad, you might project these negative emotions to all meetings<\/strong>, which can result in the development of meeting anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you had a negative experience with difficult conversations<\/a> you didn\u2019t know how to handle. So, now you feel a sense of dread each time you get a meeting invite, fearing something similar may happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Or, you might have experienced technology malfunctions, and now you fear your conference platform will disconnect in the middle of the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try Pumble for seamless, uninterrupted communication <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Overcoming meeting anxiety is possible \u2014 however, it takes practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some valuable tips and strategies to overcome the fear of speaking in meetings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anxiety is often connected to feeling out of control of the situation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why it\u2019s particularly pronounced when you don\u2019t feel ready for a meeting or fear technology will fail you in the middle of your presentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To ease your mind before the meeting, come up with a plan to address the conditions you have control over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by blocking off some time in your calendar before the meeting to prepare<\/strong>. If you anticipate a particularly busy day, try to prepare the day before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go over the meeting agenda and think of potential questions or issues that may come up. Don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to the meeting host or facilitator and ask for more information about the purpose of the meeting and potential discussion points. <\/p>\n\n\n Strengthen your business communication and collaboration process with Pumble by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n\n Do some research to feel more confident and comfortable discussing related topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get your background and yourself camera-ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Working on conditions you have power over puts your mind at ease and calms your anxiety by introducing a sense of control over the situation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, be mindful not to fall into the trap of over-preparation, as it can reinforce anticipatory anxiety<\/a>. Planning for every small detail and potential scenario can have the opposite effect and leave you feeling hypervigilant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases, we can trace the anxious episode back to the start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you struggle with meeting anxiety, you may notice your thoughts usually start to spiral out of control a few minutes before the meeting<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To ease the intensity, try to catch your negative self-talk before it gathers momentum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when you notice the limiting thoughts start getting louder, try the following approach: <\/p>\n\n\n\n A 2024 study<\/a> about the impact of positive thinking on anxiety revealed that positive pictures or words can be beneficial in decreasing anxiety and worry and increasing overall happiness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, before every meeting, when you feel those anxious thoughts start to twirl in your head, try to replace them with something more positive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the table below, you\u2019ll find some examples of how you can do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Meeting](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Meeting-anxiety-cover-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat is meeting anxiety?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Janet](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Screenshot-2025-04-10-at-15.16.11-min.png\")
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How can anxiety in meetings impact you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/features@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nWhy do meetings make you anxious?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reason #1: Social anxiety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Michael\u2019s](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2-min.png\")
Reason #2: Fear of public speaking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/3-min.png\")
Reason #3: Lack of preparation <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Reason #4: Unclear expectations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Reason #5: Poor communication skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Nigel\u2019s](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/4-min.png\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/templates@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nReason #6: Imposter syndrome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reason #7: Poor self-image<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Even](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/5-min.png\")
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Reason #8: Previous negative experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to overcome meeting anxiety?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #1: Focus on what you can control <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/6-min.png\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-4@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\nTip #2: Reframe self-limiting beliefs <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"For](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/7-min.png\")
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/landing-3@2x.png)
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