Communication Apprehension: Intervention Techniques

Abstract: Glossophobia or fear of public speaking is commonly experienced by tertiary learners during classroom presentations. This study intends to examine the speech anxiety level experienced by engineering learners and the relationship between the learners’ English language proficiency and their speech anxiety. The study will also identify the causes of public speaking anxiety among these engineering learners. The samples were 65 Engineering Diploma students who responded to McCroskey’s Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) questionnaire. The students’ English language grades at SPM level were used as the measurement of their English language proficiency. The findings showed the students’ speech anxiety is at moderate level (M= 105.9) and there was a weak negative relationship between total PRPSA scores and SPM English language grades (r = -.149, n = 65, p > 0.05). Mere thoughts of presenting a speech with undue worries of being asked questions were the causes of their speech anxiety. Therefore, it is proposed engineering learners be given ample public speaking trainings through planned programmes and engineering curriculum planners include elements of public speaking in engineering subjects. Public speaking skills will be an added value and increase engineering graduate employability in future.
 Keywords: Communication apprehension, Glossophobia, Public speaking, Speech anxiety, PRPSA

Speaking ability is one of the integral language components in English language acquisition. This ability is a challenging one to master for ESL learners, as it involves several linguistic and non-linguistic features in presenting ideas and it is frequently associated with anxiety. Public speaking anxiety is a common issue faced by students learning a second language. Feelings such as stage fright and nervousness could contribute to their anxiety in communicating using the target language. Additionally, the classroom environment, the presence of the instructor and peer pressure could also be factors which pose a threat for students, particularly in public speaking settings. The present study aims to investigate whether public speaking anxiety can be alleviated through the use of online platforms and/ or video blogs. The creation of personal video blogs could potentially help learners by providing a safe and non-threatening learning environment in which to practise their public speaking skills. This study also aims to identify the factors that influence the use of video blogs as a public speaking platform. A mixed-method approach is designed to examine the effects of using video blogs. A set of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were applied to groups of tertiary level ESL learners. Quantitative and qualitative approaches to data analysis were carried out and the results indicate that the use of video blogs does bring significant positive outcomes in reducing public speaking anxiety among ESL learners.

Focusing on situation, audience, context, and trait-based factors, this study examined the multidimensional aspects of Malaysian polytechnic students' communication apprehension during oral presentations. A total of 116 engineering and business diploma students enrolled in an English communication course at a polytechnic in Sarawak were selected to participate in a survey based on McCroskey's (1984) Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA). The results revealed that situation and audience-based communication apprehension in oral presentations were more prevalent than context and trait-based communication apprehension, indicating the significant influence of the communicative environment and audience dynamics on students' speech anxiety. Hence, the need for targeted pedagogical strategies by educators and administrators to alleviate students' communication apprehension and specific training programmes simulating various speaking scenarios and audiences is pivotal.

The relationship of self-talk frequency to communication apprehension and public speaking anxiety

The current study investigates and compares communication apprehension (CA) of the first-year MA students majoring in English in an international program in Bangkok of the academic year 2017. The research questions are: a) Is there any difference between CA in L1 (Thai) and CA in L2 (English) among the students in the study, b) Is there any difference in CA in L1 among the students in terms of their ages, and c) Is there any difference in CA in L2 among the students in terms of their ages. Quantitative approach is employed by making use of the Personal Report Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24). T-test is used to analyze the data. The participants are 32 students divided into 2 groups according to their ages. The results indicate that the students’ CA in L1 is lower than their CA in L2 across contexts. Students who are 30 years old or older are found to be with higher CA in L1 in meetings and public speaking contexts. However, for CA in L2, there is no difference among the students regarding their age difference. Benefits from this research for the students may occur when their instructors get the insight into their students’ communication traits when using L1 and L2 and they may select appropriate methods when teaching in the classroom and choose effective ways of communication when giving advice for writing a thesis or an independent study to the students of this MA program.

As in many other countries, universities in Indonesia have been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and lecturers have been forced to adapt to online learning. Students in this online course admitted to feeling anxious when studying public speaking. This descriptive quantitative study aims to analyze the potential factors (English oral proficiency, personality, lecturer's scoring criteria, classmates' responses, pronunciation, audience familiarity, unfamiliar speech topic, preparedness, English grammar, vocabulary) affecting the students' public speaking anxiety at four different stages. The respondents of this study were 60 undergraduate students. A questionnaire adapted from McCroskey (1970) was used, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of IBM SPSS statistics 26 software. The findings of this study revealed that the factors affecting the students' public speaking anxiety through online learning varied by stages. Through online learning, English oral proficiency and topic familiarity could be the most influential factors on students' public speaking anxiety. The findings of this study are useful for educators in helping EFL students overcome their public speaking anxiety and enabling them to perform better in public speaking.

It is well documented that teachers experience a plethora of emotions in their work including anxiety. While most research has focused on anxiety in regard to curricular areas, teachers may also experience public speaking anxiety. Unlike curricular anxiety, public speaking anxiety permeates all aspects of a teacher’s work, thereby potentially exerting negative consequences for their own well-being and their students’ learning. This multi-method pre-post single-group pilot study aimed to explore sources of pre-service teachers’ public speaking anxiety and to test the utility of a virtual reality (VR) intervention to reduce public speaking and social appearance anxiety. Participants (n = 7) described three sources of public speaking anxiety: communication difficulties, expectations of others, and judgment of others. Participants delivered three lessons over a period of about 5 weeks to a VR classroom simulated by the Virtual Orator © program. There were 22 student avatars representing various genders and ethnicities. Avatars were programmed to be informal in their actions and generally friendly, but they could not interact with the participant. The results of paired-samples t-tests showed that public speaking and social appearance anxiety were significantly reduced following the VR intervention. Participants described the VR as realistic and useful for real life. We discuss the results from the perspective of the control-value theory of emotions with implications for teacher education programs.

Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) is a common and impairing psychological condition, causing significant distress and interference in multiple domains of functioning. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has demonstrated efficacy treating several psychological disorders, and preliminary evidence supports its efficacy for PSA. However, there is no prior research examining the neurological changes associated with ACT for individuals with PSA. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a useful technique for examining baseline resting state patterns of brain electrical activity in addition to changes that may occur following a course of treatment. In addition, frontal alpha asymmetry has been shown to be related to approach/avoidance behaviors that may be indicative of changes in PSA symptomatology. Analogue interventions can serve as "mini" doses of treatment, potentially allowing researchers to quickly determine the efficacy of a treatment for an individual prior to embarking on a lengthy course of therapy. The present study is the first to examine the role of frontal brain asymmetry among individuals with PSA receiving a brief, acceptance-based analogue intervention. Specifically, we sought to determine whether greater left frontal hemispheric activity at baseline predicted response to an ACT analogue treatment. We enrolled 33 participants with public speaking anxiety, collecting clinician-rated and self-rated baseline assessments of symptomatology. Baseline resting state frontal alpha asymmetry was recorded using EEG, followed by a second EEG recording in which participants were asked to anticipate giving a brief public speech immediately afterward. Following an initial public speaking task, participants were shown a 30minute, video-recorded, acceptance-based intervention introducing concepts derived from ACT. Following the intervention, a third EEG recording was made, in which participants were asked to anticipate giving a second public speech, utilizing the skills they learned during the intervention. Immediately following this recording period, participants delivered a second public speech to a small audience. Response to treatment was quantified using participants' self-reported ratings of anxiety and "openness to anxiety" recorded during the pre- and post-treatment public speaking tasks. Results indicate that individuals with greater baseline anxiety symptomatology demonstrated greater increases in relative right hemispheric activity in anticipation of the pre-treatment public speaking task. Overall, the sample demonstrated a trend toward greater relative left frontal hemispheric activity across the three EEG time points, although this change did not reach statistical significance. Although no measure of frontal asymmetry was able to predict response to treatment, participants reported statistically significant anxiety reduction and increases in openness to anxiety, providing support for the utility of analogue interventions. Implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations for future research are provided.

This study examines public speaking anxiety among undergraduate ESL students using the Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS). A quantitative approach was employed, with data collected from 65 participants using the 17-item PSCAS questionnaire. Findings reveal that Fear of Negative Evaluation (M = 3.17) and Communication Apprehension (M = 3.06) are the most significant anxiety factors, followed by Comfort in Speaking English (M = 3.02) and Test Anxiety (M = 2.98). These results highlight the challenges students face in verbal communication, particularly concerns about social evaluation. Additionally, thematic analysis uncovered anxiety triggers not explicitly addressed in the original PSCAS, underscoring limitations in its ability to capture impromptu speaking anxiety and interactions with fluent speakers. To address these gaps, the study expands the PSCAS to improve its accuracy in assessing speaking anxiety. The refined scale enhances validity, offering a more comprehensive understanding of students' communication challenges. By aligning self-reported experiences with assessment tools, this study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions, including ungraded speaking activities and structured real-world communication exposure. Future research should further validate the revised PSCAS in diverse ESL contexts to enhance its applicability.

Stage fright, also known as stage fright or fear of public speaking, is a recognized phenomenon that affects many people in different contexts. This research focuses on analyzing how stage fright becomes a communication barrier in the educational field, specifically in the classroom. The methodology used is mixed research under the Quantitative and Qualitative approach, data collection was carried out through interviews and survey. The results indicate that stage fright has a significant impact on students’ communication in the classroom. Those who experience stage fright tend to avoid actively participating in discussions, oral presentations, and other activities that require speaking in front of their peers. This negatively affects their learning by missing opportunities to express ideas, ask questions and participate in discussions. Factors that contribute to stage fright in the educational context are identified, such as fear of judgment and negative evaluation, lack of confidence in communication skills, and peer pressure. These factors create anxiety and stress, further hindering students’ ability to communicate effectively. As a result of the research, strategies are proposed to address stage fright and promote effective communication in the classroom. These include relaxation techniques and stress management, creating a supportive and trusting environment, designing activities that promote active participation by all students, and training teachers in managing stage fright.

Many public speaking students experience some level of public speaking anxiety, a subtype form of generalized social anxiety/communication apprehension that is tied to a specific speech event. Public speaking instructors traditionally draw on an array of pedagogical strategies to help students mediate public speaking anxiety (systematic desensitization, cognitive modification, skills training, etc.). This study explores the use of semester-long small groups organized by public speaking anxiety level that utilizes a social activity to mediate public speaking anxiety and promote a positive classroom climate by surveying 171 student-participants at three points during the semester and interviewing participating instructors at the conclusion of the semester. While change in public speaking anxiety levels was not associated with positive evaluations of the small groups, both students and instructors evaluated the pedagogical tool favorably.

The literature has identified oral communication as a skill that employers desire of their workforce. Even though accounting and business education programmes place considerable emphasis on the advancement of communication competencies among students, not all students appear to benefit from communication skills development. This may arise from of a fear of communicating with others, commonly known as oral communication apprehension, a factor which inhibits an individual’s willingness to communicate in one or a number of contexts - one to one conversations, communicating in groups, at meetings and making a presentation in public – and which may inhibit development of effective communication skills. Prior studies have measured oral communication apprehension of students in different disciplines, and there has been some qualitative exploration of the phenomenon. This paper reports on study conducted in the School of Accounting and Finance, DIT. Levels of apprehension were measured for 368 students. The views of a number of students were received and analysed and compared to their oral communication apprehension scores. Some students who indicated that they found presenting extremely difficult were identified, and their views are reported. Their perspectives and fears demonstrate ‘the pain’ that many suffer when called on to present. The study concludes with a recommendation on a possible oral communications approach which could be adopted to help students to overcome fear of presenting in public.

Public speaking can be a fear-inducing and anxiety-provoking experience for individuals, potentially resulting in poor performance and missed educational, social, and professional opportunities. In order to provide applied practitioners with effective methodologies for the reduction of public speaking anxiety (PSA), this paper aims to systematically review and meta-analyse theoretically driven interventions that successfully reduce PSA or maintain/increased public speaking performance. Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review and meta-analysis examined articles from 1 January 2000 to 1 June 2023. Of the 1293 articles identified, 26 studies with 2253 participants met the inclusion criteria. Research was of a moderate to high methodological standard, with interventions varying in type, duration, and focus (e.g., symptom vs. source). Intervention types included exposure, cognitive modification, combined, and other strategies. Although, the overall effect of psychological interventions for PSA across 42 interventions was g = 1.17 (95% CI = 0.88–1.45), with high heterogeneity, individual effect sizes varied greatly. While this review provides support for the efficacy of psychological interventions in reducing anxiety related to public speaking, rigorous research is warranted to examine long-term efficacy, real-world implications, self-efficacy development, and individual differences in treatment assignment. Finally, this review provides practitioners with a quick and easy guide to implementing successful interventions that reduce PSA or maintain/increase performance.

The purpose of this reseach is to find out about “Effectiveness of Group Counseling Services to Reduce Anxiety in Public Speaking at Wijaya Kusuma Islamic Vocational School Jakarta”. The research method used in this study is a quantitative research : if with the Pre-experimental research method using one group pretest postest design. Data and sources of data in this study were students of class X AK-2 and X AP-1 Wijaya Kusuma Islamic Vocational School Jakarta, the total population of 64 students and reseach subjects or samples as many as 10 students with sampling using purposive sampling technique. The instrument used was an anxiety questionnaire in public speaking. Data analysis techniques were carried out by means of non-parametric statistical test using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The results of the study concluded that in general group counseling services were effective to reduce anxiety in public speaking. It can be seen clearly that the probability value of Asmyp. Sig (2-Tailed) speaking anxiety of students in the reserch subjects amounted to 0,005 or probability values below alpha 0,05 (0,005 < 0,05). The results of this study are useful for schools in designing guidance and counseling programs to be more effective in helping develop potential and alleviate student problems

&lt;p&gt;Public speaking anxiety poses great challenges to developing these skills. It is estimated that approximately 15% to 30% of the general population suffer from public speaking anxiety, which is the most common type of social phobia. Excessive public speaking anxiety can lead to enormous stress and frustration, impaired speech performance, and further avoidance of social situations that require making public presentations, especially for students. This study aims to investigate the level and the factors that mostly occurred among university students in public speaking. The researchers used a questionnaire of Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) by Noorrachima (2020) and made the senior students of the English Department as the respondents for this research. The result of the study showed that the PSA level of the seniors of ELEP UB is high and the general sense factor is the highest chosen factor that triggers their public speaking anxiety.&lt;/p&gt;