Letting go for public speaking fear: 12 minutes, in the hour before an interview

About this practice

When public speaking fear shows up in the hour before an interview, this 12-minute letting go session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 12 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: public speaking fear

Speaking to a group triggers the same response as physical threat: shallow breathing, a dry mouth, and a voice that rises and speeds up.

It tends to show up as:

• Voice wobbling on the first sentence
• Speaking too fast to get it over with
• Shallow breathing high in the chest

Lengthening the exhale slows speech and steadies the voice. Physically, this is a breath practice before it is a confidence practice.

Doing this before an interview

• Do it where you will not be interrupted, even if that is a stairwell
• Have the first sentence of your answer ready afterwards
• Keep it short — there is no time for a long session

Nerves before an interview are normal and not something to eliminate. You need access to what you know, nothing more.

How letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

• Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
• Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
• Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Take a moment to notice the room behind you, without turning around.
2. 0:13We are not solving anything in the next few minutes. We are setting it down, temporarily.
3. 0:28Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
4. 0:39Notice whether your breathing is high in your chest or low in your belly. Just notice. No fixing.
5. 0:55Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
6. 1:07Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
7. 1:19Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
8. 1:29Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
9. 1:41Notice your pelvis resting on the surface below you.
10. 1:52Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
11. 2:04Remind yourself, slowly: I am safe in this moment, even while the wobble in your voice is here. Safety and difficulty can share a room.
12. 2:23If the room full of faces shows up, let it be there without arguing with it. You are not trying to remove it, just to sit beside it.
13. 2:43Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
14. 2:56If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
15. 3:10Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
16. 3:26Pause here. Count three breaths if you need an anchor.
17. 3:38If you feel numb, that's a valid thing to feel. Nothing to fix.
18. 3:51Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
19. 4:07Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
20. 4:17Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
21. 4:29You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
22. 4:44Quiet now. The next part will wait for you.
23. 4:55Notice if you've been frowning at your own thoughts.
24. 5:06With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
25. 5:21I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
26. 5:33If you're irritated, that's allowed. Irritation is just weather.
27. 5:44Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
28. 5:56Feel the air as it passes the back of your throat. It's cooler going in.
29. 6:10Let the pause stretch out.
30. 6:19Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
31. 6:30Let your shoulders stay still while your ribs move.
32. 6:41No rush to move on.
33. 6:50Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
34. 7:02Follow the breath down into your belly and feel it come back up.
35. 7:15Let it be this simple.
36. 7:24Feel the skin around your eyes. Let the muscles behind them go loose.
37. 7:37Let the exhale empty you a little more than usual, but not to the point of strain.
38. 7:52Stay with it.
39. 8:00Feel your palms. Warm or cool, either is fine.
40. 8:11If the urge to rush off the stage starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
41. 8:29A few seconds of nothing now. That's on purpose.
42. 8:40Each time your mind hands you the wobble in your voice, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
43. 8:59Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
44. 9:10Notice the space around the room full of faces. It is there, even if it is small. Put your attention in that space.
45. 9:28You do not have to solve the urge to rush off the stage in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
46. 9:48Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
47. 10:01Notice any part of you that wants this to be over.
48. 10:13If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
49. 10:26No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
50. 10:37Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
51. 10:52Let your body keep settling.
52. 11:01Wiggle your fingers and toes, gently, like you're testing that they still work.
53. 11:14Take one breath that's a little fuller than the others, and let it out through your mouth.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.