Communication apprehension (CA) refers to a family of related terms: (a) reticence, (b) shyness, (c) unwillingness to communicate; and (d) stage fright. One pervasive but not totally substantiated assumption in current literature is the relationship between the level of communication apprehension and the level of communication skill demonstrated…

A study investigated speech anxiety in the basic speech course by means of pre and post essays. Subjects, 73 students in 3 classes in the basic speech course at a southwestern multiuniversity, wrote a two-page essay on their perceptions of their speech anxiety before the first speaking project. Students discussed speech anxiety in class and were…

A study investigated how impulsiveness affects perceptions of risks, and examined message strategies that might be effective in reaching risk-takers. Twenty-two undergraduate subjects who scored high on a risk-taking measure/survey participated in one of four 60-90 minute focus groups in which participants discussed their health, their concerns…

Although numerous studies focus upon computer attitudes and computer anxiety, relatively few studies analyze the interaction between a computer laboratory assistant and the individual who is asking the question. This paper begins with a brief overview of the literature that discusses attitudes towards computers, computer anxiety, and computer…

If the discussions of communication can be divided into those concerned with a description or theory and those concerned with prescription, then it must be understood that the former can never by itself improve communication. As a field, communication studies does not yet know enough about prescriptive language theory; that is, theory concerned…

A survey of business people was conducted to assess the importance of listening and the deficiency in that skill and to identify existing listening training programs for future study. The questionnaire was developed to assess the importance and status of listening by placing it randomly among several other communication competencies. Subjects were…

Interpersonal communication plays an important role in health and health care. Five topic areas of problem-oriented interpersonal health communication research demonstrate this important role: lack of patient compliance, miscommunication and misinformation, insensitivity, unrealistic and unfulfilled expectations, and dissatisfaction. More…

In order to study the relationship between self-esteem and communication anxiety, 1202 college students in a basic communication course completed scales developed to measure the two variables. To make sure that the variables were independent and that one was not a subset of the other, a factor analysis of all the items in each scale was performed.…

The communication activities and problems of 383 business and professional people in Hawaii were surveyed. The respondents reported spending the bulk of a typical work week engaged in giving instructions and making assignments, listening, talking face-to-face with employees, and conferring with clients. These interpersonal activities were related…

Kenneth Burke's 20 ratios permit the rhetorical critic to make very specific statements about the discourse under analysis and open the way for analytic speculation. The ratio method permits the critic to describe and understand the specific qualities of practical ethical dispute. Burkian ratios were employed to analyze the justificatory rhetoric…

Results suggest that (1) schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic families use language differently when they communicate and (2) computer analysis of conversation may be a promising diagnostic tool. (PD)

Findings demonstrated that the reason students enrolled in a Speech Confidence Laboratory was to improve their speaking skills and to reduce their fear of speaking. Although findings indicated that the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) was not the decisive factor influencing students' enrollment, the PRCA is an adequate…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 37 ERIC resources from "Resources in Education" and "Current Index to Journals in Education," categorized under three headings: General studies on communication apprehension; Communication apprehension in school populations; Communication apprehension in college and adult populations. (PD)

Analysis reveals that the four labels do not denote four discrete problems; rather, the constructs overlap to a great extent. Author recommends systematic interviews with individuals to identify their problems and then a treatment dependent on the exact nature of the problem. (PD)

Assesses the effectiveness of a teambuilding intervention among a group of department leaders. Finds that, three years after the intervention began, group members reported an increase in ability to raise issues and manage conflict; increases in mutual praise, support, and cooperation; clarification of roles and responsibilities; and a long-term…