Scary as making a speech is, it's important for anyone to be able to speak in front of others. When picking a topic, keep the audience in mind. What are they interested in and how much do they already know about your subject? When planning what to say, research the topic thoroughly. Organize the speech in three parts: introduction, main body, and…

Finds that both state and trait anxiety levels during three pre-performance events were ordered in a quadratic, v-shaped episodic pattern; the highest level of anticipatory anxiety occurred just before speaking, the second-highest level occurred at the time the assignment was announced and explained, and the lowest level occurred during the time…

Compares the effects of imagery control and vividness, separately and in combination, on self-report measures of public speaking apprehension (PSA), state communication apprehension (CA), negative thinking, and behavioral disruption. Links imagery control and vividness to reductions in PSA, state CA, negative thinking, and behavioral disruption.…

Argues that stage fright is a function of the speaker's perception that ability falls short of audience expectation. Discusses the implications of this theory for future investigations and interventions. (MS)

Finds that students with the highest level of public speaking anxiety showed the largest improvement in perceived competence and perception of audience pleasantness. Discusses the speaker's perception of the audience as a key factor in public speaking anxiety. (SR)

Assigned speech-anxious clients (N=30) to one of the following treatment conditions: (1) semantic desensitization; (2) attention placebo and (3) waiting list control. Results indicated that semantic desensitization therapy reduced both the affective and behavioral components of anxiety as compared to the two controls. (LLL)

Uses dispositional and situational versions of novelty, conspicuousness, subordinate status, and a measure of public speaking apprehension to predict state anxiety in response to a public speaking task. Finds that a model consisting of trait versions of novelty, conspicuousness, and subordinate status significantly predicts public speaking state…

Analyzes manuscripts that have studied the treatment of communication apprehension. Concludes that all forms of treatment (cognitive modification, systematic desensitization, and skills training) were effective in reducing public speaking anxiety and that the type of self-report scale did not affect the observed effect size. (MS)

Determines whether visualization can enhance students' public speaking performance and reduce speech anxiety. Finds that standard visualization and performance visualization reduce negative thinking, state communication anxiety (CA), and trait CA. Finds that performance visualization results in fewer disfluencies, less rigidity, and less…

Examines the impact of communication apprehension on avoidance, withdrawal, and anxiety in communication contexts in two separate studies. Concludes that those who are communication apprehensive avoid public speaking and that apprehensive responses to public speaking can be predicted from participant's communication apprehension level. (SRT)

Investigates the relationship between beginning public speakers' self-reported performance anxiety and audience perception of that anxiety. Indicates that audiences perceive speaker anxiety levels to be lower during performance than the speakers themselves report. (AEW)

Finds that the way undergraduate students go about preparing their speeches is meaningfully associated with the quality of their presentation. Shows that public speaking anxiety is significantly related to how students prepare speeches, and that students with high levels of speech anxiety engage in a variety of preparation actions that may limit…

Examines data from two public speaking performances to examine the stability of speakers' perceptions of situational factors and the relationship of those factors to communication apprehension and state anxiety. Finds that degree of attention functions as a situational perception, whereas novelty, subordinate status, conspicuousness, and…

Applies general semantics to a public speaking communication apprehension (CA) lab and divides the lab into four main frames or semester sections. Suggests that CA has been treated elementalistically up to now, and that programs need to view the person holistically. States that general semantics applied to CA teaches awareness of the natural order…

Finds that U.S. audiences perceive Asian speakers to have more speech anxiety than U.S. speakers, even though Asian speakers do not self-report higher anxiety levels. Confirms that speech state anxiety is not communicated effectively between speakers and audiences for Asian or U.S. speakers. (SR)