Anticipatory Speech Anxiety as a Function of Public Speaking Assignment Type An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2005 convention of the National Communication Association in Boston

Abstract

This investigation included two studies relating anticipatory public speaking anxiety to the nature of the speech assignment. Based on uncertainty reduction theory, which suggests that communicators are less comfortable in unfamiliar or unpredictable contexts, two hypotheses were advanced on the presumption that various types of assignments in a speech performance course do not produce the same levels of anticipatory anxiety. The hypotheses were supported in both trait and state anxiety studies, where certain differences in narrowband anticipatory speech anxiety were detected among different types of informative speeches: impromptu, extemporaneous, and manuscript reading. These findings extend the tenets of uncertainty reduction theory to the public speaking context and suggest implications for both therapeutic intervention and pedagogical application.Most individuals who enroll in communication courses do so in order to improve their presentational skills and to increase the enjoyment that they derive from their communication performances. Reducing the anxiety and apprehension related to such performances enhances enjoyment and satisfaction. The purpose of the two studies reported below is to investigate the assumption that the beginnings of anxiety reduction in basic communication courses can be found in the precise selection and ordering of various types of public speaking assignment types.

Raising the Standard: An Assessment of Peer Collaboration as an Enhancer of Speech Evaluation Fidelity

“…Moving beyond interpersonal relationships and teacher clarity, research has examined the ways in which students manage speech anxiety by reducing uncertainty about the types of speech presentations required in their respective classes. Witt and Behnke (2006) argue that students often experience reciprocal causes of their own uncertainty. When students are uncertain about their speeches, they often increase levels of uncertainty and anxiety by turning inward to their own perceptions of the situation.…”

Preparing For College: The Effects Of High School Speech Experience On Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, Communication Apprehension, And College Preparedness

“…The relationship is most obvious between communication apprehension and speech preparation. Witt and Behnke (2006) suggested that communication apprehension is related to the method of speech delivery. If an individual has lower communication apprehension, then the same individual has a better idea of which delivery style to choose, thus being better able to prepare a speech that they can successfully execute.…”

“…The EFA final solution was not ideal, and the reliability for the Topic Interest subscale two was only minimally acceptable. Several items that were eliminated as a part of the EFA were problematic as they went against the conceptualization of the scale as a result of Witt and Behnke (2006) which examined the speech delivery style and its impact on communication apprehension. Future research needs to reexamine the structural concept of speech preparation and develop a new scale to test it.…”