While there is no fancy term for it like Glassophobia, an inability to think or speak when under pressure is much the same as the reaction people have to speaking to an audience. This is choking. The thing is though that you need to be able to work effectively under pressure to succeed nowadays.
What’s happening is that in pressure filled situations, the brain’s processing power which is known as working memory is depleted. Working memory is located in the pre-frontal cortex and is used for temporary storage for information relevant to whatever it is you are doing.
When working memory becomes overburdened, people lose the brain power they particularly need in pressure filled situations. This is what happens when you choke and I think its affect is even greater for people who have to speak publicly when they are not used to doing so.
I bet you never thought you would get a biology lesson when you started reading this blog but I thought if you understood why you choke when you do, it might alleviate the pain. I have a habit of choking when I need to remember someone’s name. So if I run into you on the street and look flummoxed, it’s just because I’m choking and can’t for the life of me remember your name.