COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

Definition

• Communication Apprehension:An individual’s level of fear or anxiety with either real or anticipated communication with another person or group of people.

Types of CA

• Traitlike – those who get nervous in almost all communication interactions

• Generalized Context – people who get nervous in one particular type of interaction

….Types of CA

Types of Interactions

• Public Speaking (talking to a large audience)

• Meetings (small groups, 10-15 people)

• Group discussions (class)

• Interpersonal (1-2 people)

…Types of CA

Person-Group – Talking to a specific group of peopleEx:

Situational – Feeling nervous in specific situationsEx:

Causes of CA

• Heredity – inherited the personality trait

• Modeling – witnesses a speaker that was nervous

• Childhood reinforcement – made fun of or had a bad experience as a child (with speaking)

• Skills deficit – speech impediment, no training

Treatments for CA

• Small steps toward the goal – doing small speeches and gradually working up to the major ones

• Positive visualization – like sports, you mentally picture yourself doing a good job

• Skills training – taking speech class and learning the skills needed to succeed at public speaking

Research shows…

• A persons level of fear or anxiety has NOTHING TO DO WITH:• Intelligence• Gender• Age• Race• Culture

IT’S COMMON!!

• Public speaking is the #1 Fear of Americans:• 41% = giving a speech• Only 19% = death

• 70-75% of people have some level of public speaking anxiety

• 15-20% have a high level of anxiety