Emotional health
Hypnotherapy for public speaking
Hypnotherapy helps you overcome nerves and find a steady, confident voice for presentations, pitches, speeches and interviews.
How hypnotherapy helps with public speaking
Fear of public speaking is very common, including among people who seem confident in every other part of life. The dry mouth, shaking hands and blank mind are not a sign that you are bad at speaking; they are an old protective response firing at the wrong moment. Often it goes back to one difficult experience at school or early in your career.
Hypnotherapy can help with confidence, and the research on performance is encouraging. In a randomised trial for fear of public speaking, adding hypnosis to CBT gave better results than CBT alone (Schoenberger et al., 1997). Reviews of sport studies have found that hypnosis was among the most consistent techniques for improving performance under pressure, although most of those studies were small (Pelka et al., 2016; Miró et al., 2025).
Under hypnosis, mental rehearsal becomes vivid. You can practise your talk calmly, many times over, so that on the day your body already knows what to do.
What we work on
- Presentations, pitches and speaking in meetings
- Wedding speeches, eulogies and one-off occasions
- Interviews, promotion boards and auditions
- Being on camera, on stage or on a panel
- The anticipatory nerves in the days before
- Blushing, a shaky voice or a racing heart, and panicky feelings
- The old experience that set the fear off, and easing its charge
- An anchor for calm, confident focus you can call on just before you speak
How sessions work
You start with a free 15–30 minute consultation by phone or video. Sessions are in person at 9 Coldbath Square, Farringdon, or online. If you have a date in the diary, tell Tim so sessions can be planned around it. Each session is tailored to you, combining Ericksonian hypnotherapy and NLP, and Tim teaches you self-hypnosis for the minutes before you stand up.
Why Tim
Tim Dunton has over 20 years' experience and is a member of the General Hypnotherapy Register. He is a Master Practitioner of NLP trained by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, and a Life and Executive Coach. His clients include celebrities, film producers, sportspeople and business leaders, and he worked with cast members on a Samsung global TV project to help them manage stress and anxiety.
Will it make me a better speaker?
Hypnotherapy works on the nerves and confidence that get in the way. With those calmer, most people find their own natural style comes through. Preparation and practice still matter.
I have a big presentation next week. Is that too soon?
Get in touch. Even a short run-up can be used well, and you will leave with techniques you can use straight away.
Is this the same as confidence work?
It is a focused part of it. For confidence more widely, see hypnotherapy for confidence.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Typical course | Usually around five sessions (7 hours) |
| Session length | 1 hour |
| Format | In person in Farringdon, central London, or online |
| First step | Free 15–30 minute consultation |
| Fee | £150 an hour online, £195 in person |
See also anxiety and all psychological problems Tim works with.
Hypnotherapy works alongside medical care. Please see your GP about any medical condition, and keep taking prescribed medication unless your doctor advises otherwise.
The research
- Schoenberger NE, Kirsch I, Gearan P, Montgomery G, Pastyrnak SL (1997). Hypnotic enhancement of a cognitive behavioral treatment for public speaking anxiety. Behavior Therapy 28(1):127–140. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894%2897%2980038-X
- Pelka M, Heidari J, Ferrauti A, Meyer T, Pfeiffer M, Kellmann M (2016). Relaxation techniques in sports: a systematic review on acute effects on performance. Performance Enhancement & Health 5(2):47–59. doi:10.1016/j.peh.2016.05.003
- Miró A, Mesperuza M, Jensen MP, Day MA, García F, Miró J (2025). Therapeutic hypnosis and sports performance: a systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. doi:10.1080/1750984X.2025.2512535
Individual experiences vary.
Related treatments
A free, no-obligation 15–30 minute call by phone or video. Or call 07975 653893.