For those of you who, like me, suffer with chronic VCA - how do you overcome the angst and just talk?
For those of you confident souls who jabber away with no anxiety - how do you do it?
For everyone - how much talking is helpful?
GLHF 
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No clue. Still too dumb to figure out how the system works. Talking overrated anyway lol.
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Just push through it a couple times to build sort of a habit. People don’t really care what you’re doing in vc. Even if they do, then why should you? They’re a bunch of randoms on Internet, good chances you won’t ever see them again.
Keep it simple and on point, call out things you feel are important. It’s alright for chat to be silent.
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Crack a brew. Slam a Redbull.
In all seriousness, voice chat bothers me only when I know someone is going to become problematic. It is pretty un-fun. Some people become too invested in the game and their communication becomes ineffective due to their negative delivery. I often just go quiet and chalk it up as a failed avenue for advantage.
Edit: Here’s something fun to try… Have a game where you know you are likely to win… and just overly dap up someone. a DPS or something. It’s like a real life nano boost. I’ve seen tough first round wins turn into steam roll wins, just by really dapping up the team. It’s fun to do, just be genuine about it. People typically play better when they are not trying their brains out.
Overall, I am pretty light-hearted. I love to compliment people on things that go otherwise unnoticed… it really boosts the mood. Some little maneuvers carried out by a team mate often open up to huge opportunities to win. I always like to take note of that.
If you are a jokster, you can poke fun at someone light-heartedly. I know if the overall climate is enjoyable, then losses really don’t go that bad. It’s easier to write it off without feeling the need to go out of one’s way to blame.
You could also just play the well mannered role. Just say whatever it is you feel you need to say. Appreciate good sportsmanship or significant plays by your team. Apologize or reassure your team if you make a mistake. Sometimes it is hard to be rude to someone while they are being nice and willing to listen.
Showing a poor tempered person that you are open to their concerns and that you will be more considerate of it moving forward really throws a cog in what they are, in the moment, trying to achieve. Even if they don’t show immediate remorse, it’ll remain in their head once they cool down.
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The secret is to realize no one is paying attention to you and/or cares. People have their own problems to deal with, even if they hear you, they may not pay attention enough to listen. Once you realize this things become much easier.
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I stick strictly to call outs and avoid the banter
If people are kind and talk to me I’ll chat then
My anxiety comes from the cruelty and bullying of others online so I’ll happily just do my thing and let trolls be trolls
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I would like that to be true…but when they hear a female voice, they pay too much attention to me…so I go quiet for another few months… 
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Yeah that’s unfortunately true, if you’re female they will come at you like a pack of hungry dogs lol. Best bet in your situation is claim to be a child or use a voice changer.
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Bruh how is your name allowed through the filter 
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What? Never heard of chicken throat pie?
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The in-game hero-voice comms are sufficient for my rank: Attack. In 3 2 1. Fall Back. Group up. On my way. Sorry. Need healing. Help.
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I still can’t speak in voice chat. I have social anxiety, so every time I join voice chat my heart starts beating like crazy. And when I try to talk, the words are stuck in my throat. It doesn’t help that I have to speak English. A foreign language that I NEVER talk (I write, but it’s not the same as talking)
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I don’t. The VCs in this game are usually an absolute mess anyway and are more likely to give me a sensory overload than help me play better.
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If you’re making callouts people will appreciate it no matter what you sound like. You don’t have to shotcall or make idle chat if you don’t want to, and if someone’s talking to you and you want to stay focused on the game they’ll eventually reciprocate or you can mute them.
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I used a lot of VC when I played Ranked, and I always played with a friend anyway so it was easy to just talk because I had someone familiar talking with me. That also helps for a heated game; I always knew I’d have at least one person on my side lol.
I know on the Forums it’s popular to be turned away from the Voice Chat due to unpleasant experiences or the worry of them, but at least personally I have never been harassed by some ill-intentioned soul, and I’m a woman who started playing this game when I was a teenager. Most people are not horrible, and they just want to play the game and maybe make a friend or two while they’re at it. At least from my experience, it’s very easy to de-escalate a tense situation; you just don’t stoop down to some rude person’s level. Sometimes someone will try to pick a fight with another (or even you), and knowing to not engage is really important to keep in mind.
I used to be the main shot-caller most of the time because I can be a control-freak while playing Overwatch lmao.
Depending on the mood of the lobby it can be more like a casual Discord call with lots of lighthearted chit-chat (I’m in Australia so that’s most of the time 
), or a more serious environment where there isn’t much joking going on. Just blend in with the mood, and if all you’re doing is making the occasional call-out, that’s fine. I know some people (lots of shy women do this) just speak up at the end of the match to congratulate everyone, and that’s fine too! Believe me, nobody cares that much about how much you’re talking.
Maybe for your first game just try something similar to that. I did. Start by saying hello, congratulate the team, maybe make a few call-outs if necessary and leave it at that. Build from there. Voice-chatting makes up all my most treasured Overwatch memories and I reckon it could for you, too. 
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I closed my eyes and clicked the Random Name Generator, and here I am! Not quite sure what it means, but I’m all for pecan pie.
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ive always had a problem with voice coms since i usually tended to fight with anyone criticizing me right or wrong. never did like backseat gaming and tend to just think its only a game so who cares but later i do empathize with people who care and want to win or have info on how to play better.
i just never wanted to hear it or take judgement from individuals i dont know. guess i cant take criticism and will always retaliate if given. just like in real life or in the workplace. people deal with that in IRL. so people escape in video games and dont want to hear it… just remember that if you criticize someone, they probably deal with it in their daily lives and are playing overwatch to escape it
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Do “fake comms”.
You talk as if you were in VC but never actually join, do that until you grow used to it, eventually you’ll be so used to it you won’t realize you’re doing it.
When you do join VC you’ll be a lot more comfortable.
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I’d also suggest that you start with having a buddy do voice chat with you. When it hits the fan and someone is talking to you or your man greasy, your buddy will likely have your back and you’ll have that person’s back too. Once you’re more comfortable, theb you can start using VC solo.
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Nice, thanks for all the replies 