Survey Results and Questions

Survey Results

Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA)

        Group Discussion: 13

        Meetings: 19

        Interpersonal Conversations: 11

        Public Speaking: 10

        Total: 53

Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA)

        Results: 72

Questions

1.      Which piece of advice from the readings did you find most useful for relieving anxiety about public speaking?

From personal experience, I’ve learned that I cannot procrastinate when it comes to public speaking. In the reading, it mentions that procrastination can make a person more nervous. The reading reaffirmed my notion that I shouldn’t wait until the night before a speech to write it. I’ve gotten over a great deal of my nerves when it comes to public speaking, but I still feel nervous when speaking in certain situations. Because of this, I know that I will only let my anxiety grow if I procrastinate, which makes it harder for me to relax before giving my speech.

2.      Which style of communication apprehension best describes you? Why?

I think that either the average or the insensitive style describe me the best. The average style because I typically don’t have a negative approach to public speaking and I usually feel as though I did well after speaking. The insensitive style because I’ve had several experiences where I have spoken to large crowds of people and this has helped me overcome some of my past fears of public speaking. Generally, I still feel some form of nervousness before I speak in public, but I am typically fairly relaxed once I start speaking to a crowd.

3.      What was your reaction to the story about Michael Bay? Have you ever experienced a situation like that before?

I was sympathetic to Michael Bay’s story. Last year, I was in an education class where I had to give a group presentation and it was the first time that I ever had to walk out of the room while I was giving a speech. I spoke to crowds of over 800 people during high school so I’m no stranger to public speaking, but for some reason, I became overwhelmingly nervous during my education presentation. I felt as though I was going to pass out my nerves were so bad and I had to go out in the hallway and calm myself down so I could continue with our presentation, despite the fact that it hadn’t even been my turn to talk yet.