Everyone Needs to Learn How To Speak in Public. Here are the Top Five Challenges Instructors Face When they Teach it.

[MarisaBluestone]

Teaching public speaking isn’t just about grading speeches, it’s about helping students tackle one of the most common (and nerve-wracking) fears out there: speaking in front of other people. It’s about building skills they’ll carry long after they leave the classroom, balancing theory with real-world practice, and meeting students exactly where they are, whether they practiced speech and debate in school or are working up the nerve to introduce themselves to the class.

Of course, helping students find their voice isn’t always easy. Public speaking instructors juggle a lot: nerves, skill gaps, theory, practice, and the constant challenge of making it all click in ways that feel real and lasting for students. While the hurdles are real, the rewards are even greater.

We asked instructors to share the biggest challenges they face when teaching public speaking. Here's what they told us, and how you can tackle these challenges head-on.

Challenges in Teaching Public Speaking & How To Address them

Getting Students to Practice Their Speeches

Ask a room full of public speaking instructors what keeps them up at night, and you’ll hear this loud and clear: getting students to actually practice their speeches. In fact, 15% of instructors say this is their biggest challenge. Some students are nervous. Others are busy. Many just don’t know how to practice effectively. There are a few ways instructors can help students overcome these challenges. 

Encourage students to practice in pairs or small groups. This peer-to-peer interaction can reduce anxiety and foster a supportive learning environment. You can also use Macmillan Learning Achieve's integration with GoReact to offer students a seamless video assessment tool that lets them record, upload, and receive time-coded feedback on their speeches. With the new GoReact A.I. Assistant toolset coming to Achieve this summer, students can even get instant A.I.-generated analytics and feedback on practice sessions, ensuring they receive targeted, personalized feedback as they prepare to deliver their speeches.

Engaging students with public speaking apprehension or anxiety

Public speaking anxiety isn’t just a student problem—it’s a universal one. It consistently ranks among the most common fears, and 10% of instructors say helping students manage that fear is a significant challenge. 

One way to help is to start small. Low-stakes speaking opportunities, like impromptu mini-presentations or short storytelling exercises, can help students gain confidence before tackling full-length speeches. Interactive, easy-to-assign versions of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) and the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) are available in Achieve; both are widely accepted instruments for assessing communication anxiety and apprehension and can provide greater insight into how students feel at the beginning and end of the semester.

Balancing theory with practical speech exercises

Public speaking courses require a mix of theory and practice, but finding the right balance, without shortchanging either, can be tough. In fact, 13% of instructors surveyed list this as a top challenge. One solution? Try a flipped classroom model where students engage with theoretical content before class (through readings, videos, or online discussions), freeing up in-class time for practical speech exercises and interactive discussions. This way, students come to class ready to put what they’ve learned into action.

Accounting for different skill levels

A public speaking classroom is a mixed bag—some students are seasoned speakers, while others would rather do literally anything else. That’s why 10% of instructors say accommodating different skill levels is a major challenge. It’s hard to lead an intro to communication course when some students come in with years of speech experience and others are terrified to even introduce themselves, and it requires both flexibility and creativity. 

Mentorship programs for students or differentiated instruction with tailored assignments and feedback to individual skill levels help ensure each student is both challenged and supported. Additionally, LearningCurve adaptive quizzing in Achieve gives students the support they need for reading assignments, with individualized quizzes and feedback for incorrect answers, all linked to relevant sections of the e-book.

Strengthening students research and information literacy skills

Great speeches don’t just sound good—they’re backed by solid research. But 10% of instructors say students struggle with finding, evaluating, and integrating credible sources. For students in communications courses, it’s worth noting that all Macmillan Learning titles for public speaking and introductory communication include coverage of research skills, with Achieve for Joshua Gunn’s Speech Craft also includes a supplemental module on avoiding the dangers of disinformation.

Despite the challenges, one thing is overwhelmingly clear: instructors love seeing their students grow. There’s nothing quite like watching a once-nervous student stand tall, deliver a speech with conviction, and realize they’re capable of more than they thought. And there’s immense pride in knowing that the communication skills students develop in these courses will serve them well beyond the classroom—whether in job interviews, leadership roles, or everyday conversations.

Students might walk into these courses with hesitation, but they leave with something far more powerful, and that’s the confidence to speak up. They also gain the clarity to share their ideas as well as the communication skills that can open doors for the rest of their lives. Our world runs so much on connection and conversation, and learning to speak well isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential. And that’s what makes every challenge along the way so worth it.