09/10/2026
POST-TRAUMATIC SPEECH SYNDROME (PTSS)
Most of us are familiar with PTSD—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a serious mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing trauma.
But if you are of a certain age, you may recognize my very unofficial version:
PTSS: Post-Traumatic Speech Syndrome.
As a coach, I often hear people go straight to “I have a fear of public speaking.” Sometimes that is true. However, other times I wonder if it is not a genuine fear and perhaps based on a traumatic speaking experience?
Maybe you were simply never properly trained—and somewhere along the way, you had one awful speaking experience that your brain has been replaying ever since.
Mine happened in grade school. Remember being called to the front of the class to give a book report?
No coaching, confidence-building, or instruction on what to do with your hands.
The experience went something like this:
The teacher said, “Kelly, come on up and speak.”
Then I lost my place, and my voice cracked.
The class started laughing at me and calling me names.
The experience ended with me in tears and a red face.
My brain quietly filed the whole thing under…NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.
Has this or something like it happened to you?
Years later, you are in a meeting, preparing for a presentation, speaking on camera, or introducing yourself at a networking event—and suddenly that nervous seventh grader is back in charge.
For many people, especially those who entered the workforce before receiving formal presentation training, public speaking was something we were simply expected to know how to do.
The problem is that speaking confidently is not something you are born knowing.
It is a skill. And the great news is skills are learned.
Solution…try replacing an old experience with new training, new tools, and better evidence.
Because one bad book report should not be ruining your adult career.
Skills will get you noticed. Presence will make you unforgettable!
Sugar Please Productions – where presence meets strategy plus production.
Connect with us to learn more about presence coaching, production services, and signature programs.
https://www.sugarpleaseproductions.com
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