No Big Deal: Quick Impromptu Speeches to Decrease Anxiety
Purpose: To help diminish speech anxiety through a process of systematic desensitization.
Instructions: Have students give one-minute impromptu speeches on a familiar topic and then
encourage the students to share how that experience felt to them. Students can pick their own
What Does Successful Public Speaking Look Like?
Purpose: To help students visualize successful outcomes of their speeches; to encourage effective
preparation techniques; to help students manage public-speaking anxiety.
Instructions: Have students read the visualization script found on page 18 of the Pocket Guide.
Chapter 3, p. 220
1. How prepared will you feel when you wake up the morning of your speech?
2. How will you dress for the occasion? What will your clothes communicate to your
audience?
Discussion: After students have completed their scripts, ask for a few volunteers to describe what
success looks like for them. Encourage students to use their scripts periodically as they prepare for
speech day. It is important to communicate that thinking positively about the speech will help
How Scared Are You? I Am This Scared!
Public Speaking Self-Evaluations
Purpose: Students can use the following instruments to measure their level of communication
Chapter 3, p. 221
PERSONAL REPORT OF PUBLIC-SPEAKING ANXIETY (PRPSA)
Instructions: This instrument is composed of thirty-four statements concerning feelings about
communicating with other people. Work quickly; just record your first impression. Indicate the
degree to which the statements apply to you by marking whether you:
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Strongly agree Agree Are undecided Disagree Strongly disagree
____________ 1. While preparing to give a speech, I feel tense and nervous.
____________ 2. I feel tense when I see the words speech and public speaking on a course
outline.
Chapter 3, p. 222
____________ 10. My hands tremble when I am giving a speech.
____________ 11. I feel relaxed while giving a speech.
____________ 12. I enjoy preparing for a speech.
____________ 13. I am in constant fear of forgetting what I prepared to say.
____________ 14. I get anxious if someone asks me something about my topic that I do not
know.
Chapter 3, p. 223
____________ 24. While giving a speech, I can control my feelings of tension and stress.
____________ 25. I breathe faster just before starting a speech.
____________ 26. I feel comfortable and relaxed in the hour or so just before giving a speech.
____________ 30. During an important speech, I experience a feeling of helplessness building
up inside me.
____________ 31. I have trouble falling asleep the night before a speech.
____________ 32. My heart beats very fast while I’m presenting a speech.
____________ 33. I feel anxious while waiting to give my speech.
____________ 34. While giving a speech, I get so nervous that I forget facts I know.
To determine your score on the PRPSA, complete the following steps:
3. Complete the following formula:
Chapter 3, p. 224
Your score should range between 34 and 170. If your score is below 34 or above 170, you have
made a mistake in computing it.
Anxiety about Public Speaking Score
85–92 Moderately low (5%)
111–119 Moderately high (30%)
120–170 Very high (40%)
Most people score in the moderate to high categories!
Note: Complete one of these forms at the beginning of the semester and one after your final
speech. Compare your total scores as well as your responses to individual items.
Communication Anxiety Inventory*: Form Trait
Instructions:
This inventory is composed of twenty-one statements that describe various communication events.
Respond in terms of how you generally feel about these events. Mark your response to the left of
each item number.
Chapter 3, p. 225
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Sometimes Often Almost always Almost never
____________ 1. I think I communicate effectively in one-on-one situations.
____________ 2. My heart beats faster than usual when I speak out in small group meetings.
____________ 3. I enjoy speaking in public.
____________ 14. I enjoy talking at small group meetings.
____________ 15. I make a good impression when I speak in public.
Chapter 3, p. 226
Reverse coding of items 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 14–16, and 21 before summing.
____________ 16. I would like to have a job that requires me to talk often on a one-to-one basis.
____________ 17. I feel disappointed in my efforts to communicate at small group meetings.
small group and dyadic situations.
Note:
Small group:
Add items 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 20.
Communication Anxiety Inventory*: Form State
Instructions: This inventory is composed of twenty questions that describe how people
communicate in various situations. Choose the number from the following scale that best describes
how you felt during the communication experience you just completed.
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Not at all Somewhat Moderately so Very much so
____________ 1. I felt very tense and nervous.
____________ 2. I felt self-confident while talking.
____________ 3. While talking, I was afraid of making an embarrassing or silly slip of the
tongue.
Chapter 3, p. 228
____________ 9. I felt poised and in control while I was talking.
____________ 10. My body felt tense and stiff while I was talking.
____________ 11. My words became confused and jumbled while I was speaking.
____________ 12. I felt relaxed while I was talking.
____________ 17. While speaking, it was easy to find the right words to express myself.
____________ 18. I felt awkward while I was talking.
Note: Reverse coding on items 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, 17, and 20 before summing. Your total score should
range between 20 and 80. The higher your score, the more overall communication anxiety you
experience in various situations.
RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES
Ayres, J., & Hopf, T. (1989). Visualization: Is it more than extra attention? Communication
Education, 38, 1–5.
Ayres, J., & Hopf, T. (1993). Coping with speech anxiety. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Axtell, R. E. (1992). Do’s and taboos of public speaking: How to get those butterflies flying in
formation. New York, NY: Wiley.
DiBartolo, P., & Molina, K. (2010). A brief, self-directed written cognitive exercise to reduce
public speaking anxiety in college courses. Communication Teacher, 24(3), 160–164.
Esposito, J. (2005). In the spotlight, overcome your fear of public speaking and performing.
Bridgewater, CT: In the SpotLight.
Horowitz, B. (2001). Communication apprehension: Origins and management. New York, NY:
Singular.
Hsu, C. (2009). The relationships of trait anxiety, audience nonverbal feedback, and attributions to
Chapter 3, p. 230
McCroskey, J. C. (1977). Oral communication apprehension: A summary of recent theory and
research. Human Communication Research, 4, 79–96.
McKenzie, L., & Saunders, J. (2007). Facing the fear: Methods for addressing speech anxiety in
Rose, H. N., Rancer, A. S., & Crannell, K. C. (1993). The impact of the basic course in oral
interpretation and public speaking on communication apprehension. Communication Reports,
6, 54–60.
Smith, T., & Frymier, A. (2006). Get “real”: Does practicing speeches before an audience improve
performance? Communication Quarterly, 54, 111–125.