Oral Communication Apprehension: A Summary of Recent Theory and Research

Abstract

Editors Note: With this issiw we innrigiircite ri n('\t> sec~tiori of'HCR de\vted to .sritnintiritJ,v of' research rind theory in specicili:c~cl tireus tL.if/iiti the fi'rltl of' hitmati cornmiinictition. Papers in this section will be designed to bring rescrrrch t i r i d theory in (I gilvn meir together so thnt both specitrli.sts cincl tiotr.specicrlist.c ('on rleterrnine the 'state ofthe urt' ' in that ureu iip to the time the pczper i3 piihlished. Scholars n'ho it~ish to prc'pure pripers ,for this section are reque.stecl to contrict the editor and nitrkc their interests knoic~n. Generally, pupers ,j?)r this section will be c.otnirrissiotred. H o i r w w , rrn.colicited l~iipc'rs ill he given ,full considertition.

Racial Differences in Communication Apprehension and Interprofessional Socialization in Fourth-Year Doctor of Pharmacy Students

“…9 Communication apprehension is an "individual's level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons." 10 Pharmacists anxious about communicating may avoid contact with patients or other health professionals, which can ultimately lead to less satisfaction and poorer health outcomes of patients. 11 Other factors besides communication apprehension include a basic unwillingness to communicate and shyness.…”

Exploring Foreign Language Communication Apprehension among the English Language University Students in the English Language Classroom Setting

“…According to McCroskey (1977), some research findings did not succeed in providing an empirically supported theoretical explanation of why some children have higher/lower levels of communication apprehension than the other children in the same family, which leads to an assumption that the causes of CA are not completely known.…”

“…Within the phenomenon of communication apprehension, two types of communication apprehension can be distinguished.The first type is usually referred to as 'trait' apprehension, and the second type as 'state' apprehension.This distinction was offered by McCroskey (1977), who based it on the previous work of Spielberger (1966) and Lamb (1973).…”

“…As opposed to trait apprehension, state apprehension is specific to an oral communication situation (McCroskey, 1977). The situation may vary from giving a public speech to being interviewed for a new job.A well-known manifestation of state apprehension is the so called "stage fright", the fear or anxiety a person experiences when communicating orally in situations where others are in a position to observe and evaluate their communication attempt.In situations such as acting or singing before an audience and giving a public speech many people experience stage fright, which is considered to be a normal response of people in a public setting.McCroskey (1977) even goes further and argues that it would not be completely unreasonable to suspect the emotional stability of an individual who never experiences state communication apprehension in a threatening oral communication situation.…”

“…According to McCroskey (1977), trait apprehension is characterized by fear or anxiety regardless of the type of oral communication situation a person engages in, from talking to a single person or within a group of people to giving a public speech.He points out that it is not a characteristic of normal or well-adjusted individuals since people with high levels of trait communication apprehension experience very high levels of fear when engaging in any oral communication situation, both those which could be considered threatening and those which rationally could not.McCroskey (1977) reports on previous studies conducted among a college student population which suggest that about twenty percent of the students experience a high trait communication apprehension.…”