Anxiety Level in Students’ Public Speaking: Causes and Remedies
Keywords:
anxiety, confidence, fear, public speakingAbstract
Their assessments and appraisals are often not depictive of their professional competitiveness; therefore, it is important for students to overcome public speaking anxiety before they transit from academic life to professional life. The purpose of this study is to analyze the reasons behind the anxiety level in undergraduate students of a public speaking class and recommend strategies to overcome this fear. This study was entailed quantitative research paradigm on a sample of 50 students of English Department at Unira. The findings showed that students who fear public speaking can perform well if they use certain strategies to fight their fears. 75% participants admitted their fear of public speaking and 95% participants agreed that if proper counseling, instruction and coaching is provided, this fear can be overcome. Research revealed that exposure to virtual environment can facilitate student confidence and enables them to face audience irrespective of the size.References
Akin, C., & Kunzman, G. G. (2012).A group desensitization approach to public speaking anxiety. Canadian Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 8(2), 106-111.
Burgess, K. (2013, October 30). Speaking in public is worse than death for most. The Times Retrieved from http://www.thetimes.co.uk/ tto/science/article3908129.ece.
Creswell, J.W. (1994). Research design: Qualitative & quantitative approaches. London: SAGE Publications.
Kelly, L., & Watson, A. K. (1986). Speaking with confidence and skill. New York: Harper & Row Press.
Kirkwood, C. K., & Melton, S. T. (2002). Anxiety disorders. In J. T. Dipiro, R. L. Talbert, G. C. Yee, G. R. Matzke, B. G. Wells, L. M. Posey, Pharmacotherapy: A pathophysiologic approach (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Kushner, M. (2010).Public speaking for dummies. John Wiley & Sons.
Luca, S.E. (2001). The art of public speaking. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill.
McCain, L. (2012). Public speaking fear? 21 secrets to succeed in front of any crowd. Scotland: Laurenzana Press.
Morgan, N. (2008). How to become an authentic speaker. Harvard Business Review, 11(86), 115-119.
Pertaub, D. P., Slater, M., & Barker, C. (2002). An experiment on public speaking anxiety in response to three different types of virtual audience. Presence: Teleoperatorsand Virtual Environments, 11(1), 68-78.
