Can starting a YouTube channel help with public speaking anxiety?

I thought I was a good presenter because I'd been doing it for decades. I was wrong.

The day someone suggested I should film myself presenting (to address my distracting mannerisms) was the day I started working on my YouTube channel. I spend an evening or two a week on it.

Here's what I've learned after 2 years of YouTubing…

1) Hearing my own voice and seeing my own face while editing is surreal. I experience what it's like for someone else to talk to me.

2) My distracting mannerisms are worse than I thought. I often pause because my mind stutters and can't find the right word to say. It lasts 4 or more seconds (feels like a lifetime) and I often have to use the wrong word in the end just to keep going. It's like having an empty thesaurus.

3) My feedback is now from the public, and it ranges from high praise ("Beautifully said. Never heard someone talk about photography this way.") to personal criticism. I was called an “arrogant git” today. I guess that's the next thing I need to work on.  It's emotionally taxing because people are saying aloud what probably used to be said when I wasn't in the room.

4) I've experimented with memorizing scripts, teleprompters and speaking with no prepared material at all. Different types of video lend themselves to different techniques.

5) Though I'm addressing my “ums” and my brain freezes, a lot of it is simply cut out while editing. It's kind of cheating and is probably slowing my progress.

6) My self analysis gets put into full practice when presenting in-person at photography and art clubs. It's clear that YouTubing has really helped with my speaking confidence.

Lastly, and the reason I think everyone should be a YouTuber, is that I get to explore new ideas, think them through, present them and have a record that I can look back on in the future.

And of course, “The best way to learn is to teach”.

As long as there are people who are entertained or informed by the videos, then its worth it.