This study investigated the relationship between public-speaking state anxiety (PSA) and verbal communication performance when delivering a speech. In Study 1, participants delivered an extemporaneous five-minute classroom speech behind a lectern, and in Study 2, to increase cognitive load, participants delivered an extemporaneous five-minute classroom speech peripatetically. In line with attention control theory (ACT), anxiety and verbal performance were found to be unrelated under normal circumstances but inversely related under conditions of significant cognitive load. The project demonstrates the relevance of ACT in disentangling the impact of anxiety on verbal communication performance. An implication for public speakers is that anxiety is unlikely to affect language behavior in typical speaking settings.