Hello everyone!!
Over the last year or so, I’ve become really self-conscious about my ability to speak properly. I notice that I slur words, stutter, get asked to repeat myself a lot because people can’t hear or understand me 😂, and I struggle with forming sentences on the spot. I also have trouble recalling words and explaining things clearly. If I were asked something simple like “tell me about yourself” in an interview, I’d probably freeze and barely say more than “I’m a student.” Longer sentences are especially hard for me, and I lose my train of thought midway through.
What confuses me is that, on paper, things don’t really add up.
I often give public speeches, sometimes to 200+ people, at a religious institution where I deliver sermons. I consistently get positive feedback, even from random people, and people usually say I did really well. The main critique is that I speak a bit fast. The key difference is that these talks are heavily prepared in advance. Academically, I’ve also never really struggled. I attend a T15 CS school and have a GPA above 3.5.
Another strange thing is that I’m a very good texter. I can text for long periods, explain myself clearly, and have deep conversations without issue. But if that same conversation were in person, I’d struggle to think, articulate, or give complex answers.
When I try to trace this back, I think part of it comes from a few years ago, right after high school till about the end of 2024-early 2025. I was kind of a “popular loner.” I talked to lots of people daily over text, but barely spoke to anyone in person. My routine was basically school, gym, and home. Even with family, conversations were very surface-level, like “hi” or “how are you,” and nothing deep. I also worked retail during that time, and even then I struggled explaining simple things to customers.
I’ve recently started reading more and pushing myself to be more socially active, but the constant thought that “I suck at talking” is honestly really demotivating.
So yeah, I wanted to see if anyone relates to this, has experienced something similar, or has advice on how to improve. Any thoughts would be appreciated.