Scared to talk in class? How to finally start participating
About the author
Hi there. I am the prolific professor with 15 years of experience teaching online and in-person. I have a graduate degree. I have a passion for education. But I’ve also worked in the professional world (outside of education) too. Thanks for visiting.
How to overcome your fear of participating in class discussions
Your professor asks a question, you know the answer.
The rest of the class is silent, and you would love to show your professor that you can nail this.
But your heart is pounding, and you start to fret about saying it out loud.
Finally, someone else speaks up, and you are bummed that you just can’t get over your fear of participating in class discussions.
So back to the drawing board.
As a professor, I am going to share some BIG tips with you about how to get over your fear of answering your professor’s questions or participating in class discussions.
You’ll walk away feeling more confident and start getting noticed by your professor.
Professor’s observations on students not participating
I must start this discussion with something very important that I’ve noticed.
Look, I’ve been teaching college students for nearly 15 years.
From my observations, around 80% of the class will NEVER speak in front of their classmates.
They just won’t.
They never answer questions.
They never respond to other classmates.
And I’ll never hear their voices.
Questions are almost always answered by the same students.
I even have those responding students approach me and say that they don’t want to answer all the questions themselves, but no one else ever speaks up.
They try and give people time to respond, but when no one does, they come to the rescue.
It’s an interesting phenomenon.
And I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
And you should know that it is normal to be scared to participate in college class discussions. Lots of people feel the same way you do. You aren’t alone in this.
Why you should speak up in class
You might be telling yourself that it really doesn’t matter if you speak in class.
Who cares right?
Well, you should.
By getting good at this, you’re setting yourself up for success later.
Think about it. You are going to eventually need a job, right?
By doing this, you will be improving your communication skills, gaining confidence, and socializing.
These skills will help you in the future.
Employers want their employees to have these marketable skills, and you’ll be able to enhance them in college.
Don’t believe me. Go look at your dream job. What are the qualifications?
After you read them, you’ll be surprised that employers are looking for these qualities in applicants and by participating in class, you’ll realize that you are making yourself a stronger candidate because you’re gaining these skills.
Sure, you won’t put it on your resume necessarily, but you’ll exhibit those qualities during your interview.
Trust me, it can help you in your future. In lots of ways.
Why am I so afraid of speaking up in class?
There could be several reasons why you are nervous to speak in front of the class and hate talking in front of the class. If you can’t find the strength to speak up in class, I will give you some tips to help you.
Here are some of the most common reasons why I see students have a fear of speaking in class.
You’re afraid you’ll get the answer wrong and feel silly
You know you’ve been there. Even as a professional, I feel a little anxious responding to questions during presentations because I might be completely wrong. It’s common.
You’re afraid of what people will think
This can be true for those who have never spoken up in class. People haven’t even heard your voice yet. And then you start to talk. It could shock them for sure. You might think that people are questioning your knowledge too.
You’re worried that everyone will look at you
We’ve seen it. When someone speaks up, everyone turns their head in that direction, and watches them speak. This can be incredibly daunting.
You wonder what everyone will be saying
Did they notice that piece of spinach in your teeth from lunch? Was your hair a mess? Are they laughing because you got the answer wrong? Everything imaginable crosses your mind.
Why do I hate participating in class?
Here are the types of students who don’t like to participate in class. Are you one of these students?
Students who never show up
These students may find a seat in the back-row and avoid any type of academic conversation. They just don’t really know what’s going on and wonder if anyone else even notices them.
Students who don’t know the topic
If you fall into this category, you are confused by the material, and don’t feel confident enough to respond. You worry you might get the answer wrong or won’t be able to answer the professor’s follow-up questions. And what if another student challenges you?
Students who aren’t paying attention
These students are doodling on their notepads, daydreaming, and looking out the window. They aren’t even aware that their professor asked a question or that classmates are having a discussion. I even have students who work on another professor’s homework in my class, during my lecture. You surely can’t pay attention to your professor if you are working on another course.
Students who are on their phones
Do I really need to explain this one? Some students don’t participate in class discussions or respond to their professor’s questions because they are texting their friends or are on social media. When you’re distracted, it’s going to be hard to know what’s going on in class to feel confident enough to respond to your professor.
Students who don’t care
These students may just want to get through the class, and don’t feel like speaking up in class and responding to students’ or the professor’s questions will make any difference. They may not be there to network, or socialize, and just want to learn the information and graduate. These students may be introverts and just get drained by these types of activities.
Students who are anxious
These students want to participate, but just can’t get over their fears to speak up in class. No matter what, they try and avoid it at all costs. Maybe you avoid eye contact with your classmates or your professor in hopes that they don’t call on you. Or you sit on the back row to blend in.
How do I get over my fear of speaking in class?
Okay, now to the important stuff. I’ll give you some tips to help you not be scared to speak up in class.
You might be wondering why you are even nervous to talk in class and what to do about it.
How do you get enough courage and confidence to speak in front of the class, and participate in class discussions?
There are a few things I am going to suggest to help you NOT be so scared to participate in class. But know a little nerves is normal.
How do you speak up in a college class?
First, come prepared.
This means read the corresponding chapter or materials for that day’s lecture. Memorize it.
Make some notes for yourself.
This will give you some material to reference during the lecture. And you can even make some notes for yourself so that you can be ready to ask an amazing question during class to get noticed.
It will let your professor and classmates know that you really studied the information.
And if you know the information before you come to class, you’ll be ready to answer your professor’s questions.
So get those books out, and read the chapter before you come to class.
If your professor has other materials online, read those too.
Do as much prep work as you can to feel confident enough to participate.
Stop thinking so much about it
When was the last time you remember someone participating in a class discussion that was awful?
Or when someone got the answer wrong, and you laughed at them?
Surely that hasn’t happened.
It’s very unlikely that your classmates are going to think twice about you speaking up and participating in class discussions.
If you get the answer wrong, no one is going to laugh you out of the classroom.
And I’ll be honest, I have never had students laugh or ridicule a student because they got the answer wrong. NEVER. It hasn’t happened.
Unless you’re trying to be silly, your response isn’t going to get noticed.
Sit on the front row
One way to avoid having everyone turn and look at you is to sit on the front row.
This way most of your classmates can only see the back of you anyway.
Without seeing all those eyes pointing in your direction, you’ll be looking directly at your professor instead.
Find friends
Sometimes knowing people in your class will make you feel more comfortable to participate.
Introduce yourself or start a conversation with some classmates.
Is there a study group you can join?
Anything to get more involved with your classmates.
Or get to know your professor on a professional level. When you know they’re familiar with you, it could make it easier to participate.
When you participate in class discussions, and you know your peers, you won’t feel so intimidated.
I bet you didn’t know that there is actually an organization that helps build these skills.
Think about joining to work towards this goal.
Speak from day one
Sometimes you build up anxiety around speaking in class because you just haven’t done it before and are worried what people will think.
Make an attempt to do this early on.
Don’t wait until the middle or end of the semester to speak up.
Try and start doing it the first week of class. The longer you go without participating, the harder it will be to do it later.
Practice
Have your friends or family members sit with you while you respond to their questions.
They may think that it’s silly at first, but tell them that you are so anxious about speaking up in class that you really need some help to boost your confidence.
Having those eyes on you will help imitate the classroom.
Hopefully this will give you enough practice to overcome that nervousness.
Talk to your professor
You might have some mental health problems that make this difficult for you.
Go to your professor’s office and discuss this with them.
Let them know why you are having trouble participating, and they might be able to help you out.
And if they’re aware of it, maybe they’ll be extra cautious with their responses to you during class.
Don’t be afraid to talk to them.
Rinse and repeat
The more and more you speak up in class, the easier and easier it will get.
You will do this a few times, and you’ll feel the intense physiological response (sweating, increased heart-rate, etc).
But then after you do this repeatedly, you’ll realize the sky didn’t fall, no one laughed at you, and your professor responded well to your answer.
Then you’ll get more confident.
Eventually, you’ll be among the 20% of students that answer most of the questions from their professors.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, I wish more than 20% of the class answered my questions and participated frequently, but I am afraid that I will never see some students speak up in class.
I hope you take this information and use it to rise to the top!
You will find out that this will help you in your future by making you more confident.
People will notice.
And honestly, your professor will notice you too.
You might need to get a reference from them, and by participating, they’ll have plenty of things to say about you in the recommendation.
You got this!
And if you are afraid of what’s going to happen if you get called on in college, you cannot miss reading this article where I go into depth to help you know how to handle it.
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