Measuring Public Speaking Anxiety: Self-report, behavioral, and physiological.

Ana Gallego,Raimo Lappalainen,Markku Penttonen,Louise McHugh

doi:10.1177/0145445521994308

Ana Gallego, Raimo Lappalainen + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445521994308

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Abstract

Self-reports are typically used to assess public speaking anxiety. In this study, we examined whether self-report, observer report, and behavioral and physiological reactivity were associated with each other during a speech challenge task. A total of 95 university students completed a self-report measure of public speaking anxiety before and after the speech challenge. Speech duration (i.e., behavioral measure), physiological reactivity, as well as speech performance evaluated by the participants and observers were also recorded. The results suggest that self-reported public speaking anxiety predicts speech duration, as well as speech quality, as rated by the participants themselves and observers. However, the physiological measures were not associated with self-reported anxiety during the speech task. Additionally, we observed that socially anxious participants underrate their speech performance in comparison to their observers’ evaluations.

Highlights

Speaking in public is the most commonly reported fear in the general population (Dwyer & Davidson, 2012; Sawyer, 2016)
The results of our study show that higher levels of self-reported public speaking anxiety (PRCA-PS) correlate with shorter speech duration
Higher levels of self-reported public speaking anxiety moderately correlate with poorer speech performance as perceived by external observers (SPS-OR; r = −.40, p < .05, n = 95)

Summary

Introduction

Speaking in public is the most commonly reported fear in the general population (Dwyer & Davidson, 2012; Sawyer, 2016). In Finland, one in three students report that speaking in public is a severe problem for them (Kunttu et al, 2017). In the U.S, more than 61% of university students note a fear of speaking in public (Dwyer & Davidson, 2012). Public speaking is an important skill for undergraduate students to learn and practice as they progress through their education and careers. Public speaking anxiety symptoms can manifest in many different ways, such as bodily sensations, irrational thinking (e.g., “I’m concerned I’ll appear incompetent”), altered emotions, and avoidant behavior (Daly et al, 1997)

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