c/self-esteem·Posted by u/sam_whitaker·1h ago
How do I keep my voice from shaking in meetings when I know what I'm saying?
I had to give a four-minute update on Thursday. I knew the numbers. I had them on a printed page with a box around the one sentence I needed to say. I practiced in the stairwell and I was fine. The second there were faces, the shake came back. When it was my turn my voice did that thin thing anyway. I heard it. I know other people heard it. I rushed the last two points so I could sit down. Afterward nobody mentioned it, which almost made it worse, like we were all pretending. I drank water. I planted my feet. I still sounded like I was asking permission to speak. I don't think I looked scared. I sounded scared, and that feels like the same crime. How do you get through a meeting sounding like you belong there when your throat has other plans?
Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.
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u/nora_klein1h ago
I start with the number, not a hello. "Conversion dropped 4% because of campaign B." Getting the first sentence out loud makes the rest less shaky.
u/theo_ramirez1h ago
Same thin voice. I told one coworker after and she said she thought I was just talking fast. They are not scoring it like you are.
u/jade_c1h ago
Does it happen on video calls too, or mainly in the actual room?
u/elena_v59m ago
I hold a pen so my hands have a job. Doesn't fix the throat. Makes me feel less like I'm floating.
u/omar_farouk58m ago
The stairwell being fine and the room being not is so specific. I do the same split.