A psychological pattern of anxiety in public speaking

In previous research, a physiological pattern of speech anxiety has been established for the periods before, during, and after delivering a public speech. However, no corresponding psychological pattern has been reported. Although strong correlations between psychological and physiological measures have not been found, it seemed reasonable to expect public speakers to exhibit a psychological pattern of speech anxiety similar to the physiological pattern. The results of this study support that hypothesis. The observed pattern is a monotonic function decreasing from the beginning of the speech through the post speech period.     

The effects of audience pleasantness,audience familiarity,and speaking contexts on public speaking anxiety and willingness to speak

Two potential sources of anxiety about public speaking cited in previous research are audience pleasantness and audience familiarity. More familiar audiences, as well as more pleasant ones, usually evoke less anxiety, but research has shown some exceptions to this general rule. In addition, it is expected that as audiences become more pleasant and familiar, individuals would be more willing to speak. Ninety‐five university students each evaluated six situations, in which three levels of audience familiarity (strangers, acquaintances, and friends) were crossed with two levels of audience pleasantness (pleasant and unpleasant). Each student made their ratings with reference to one of three speaking contexts (academic, social, or professional). Using split‐plot ANOVA, a significant three way interaction was obtained for both willingness to speak and public speaking anxiety. In general, pleasantness exerted a stronger effect than familiarity. An audience composed of pleasant friends was the most preferred audience type in both the academic and social contexts. It is argued that previous research demonstrating conflicting effects of audience familiarity may have been generating different expectations for the anticipated pleasantness of the audience.     

英语专业本科口译教学中学生公共演说能力的培养

口译课作为实践性极强的一门课程,历来颇受学生的欢迎和重视。而公共演说课也成为很多学校学生的必修课。作者认为,在口译课的教学过程中,教师除了帮助学生养成良好的翻译习惯,也应该注重提高学生的各种口译技巧。而公共演说技巧是其中一项重要的内容。本文从口译课的特点及其与公共演说技巧的关系出发,探讨了如何在口译教学的过程中提高学生的公共演说能力,从而促进学生综合技能的发展。     

Communication apprehension and general anxiety in the prediction of public speaking anxiety

The communication apprehension (CA) construct is based on the assumption that information about a person's tendency to experience anxiety in communication situations provides unique information, beyond that provided by assessing that person's predisposition to experience anxiety in general, in predicting anxiety when forced to communicate. However, the validity of this assumption is uncertain. In the present study, the predictive power of the PRCA‐24 and a general anxiety measure was examined at three separate intervals during a semester long public speaking course. Results indicated that, at the outset, the PRCA‐24 and the general anxiety measure predicted anxiety experienced during public speaking with equal power. By the end of the semester, the PRCA‐24 was clearly superior to the general measure in predicting self‐reported performance anxiety.     

从修辞角度浅析国内英文演讲赛的不足

本文从西方修辞的视角对国内两大演讲赛事进行了剖析,首先分析了比赛中的受众与演讲者的定位及关系,接着指出了在这两个方面选手所受到的制约,文章同时提出了相应的改进意见。     

Anxiety sensitivity and speech trait anxiety as predictors of state anxiety during public speaking

The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which anxiety sensitivity and speech trait anxiety serve as predictors of state anxiety during public speaking. A model is proposed and tested, in which anxiety sensitivity and speech trait anxiety are found to be significant predictors of state anxiety during public speaking. The model accounted for 43.1% of the variance in the dependent variable. Anxiety sensitivity, or fear of physical sensations or consequences, contributes unique variance to anxiety during public speaking beyond that of trait anxiety alone. Implications for theory development, instruction, and therapy are examined.