2.1 Understanding Public Speaking Anxiety

Public speaking anxiety (PSA), or communication apprehension, is a situation-specific form of social anxiety that arises from the real or anticipated act of speaking before others (Bodie, 2010). Common scenarios such as classroom presentations, job interviews, or high-stakes social interactions can trigger this fear. Approximately 25% of individuals report experiencing PSA (Drevitch, 2017)

Each of the these scenarios might provoke one of the most common fears in our society: public speaking anxiety (PSA) or glossophobia. PSA is “a situation specific social anxiety” arising “from the real or anticipated enactment of an oral presentation” (Bodie 2010).

If you experience PSA, you are not alone: approximately a quarter of all people report having this fear. (Drevitch, 2017). However, overcoming PSA is important if you are to grow personally and professionally. PSA can “prevent you from taking risks to share your ideas, to speak about your work, and to present your solutions to problems that affect many people” (Drevitch, 2017). Even mild PSA can affect your self-esteem (Adler, 1980), how you are perceived by others (Dwyer & Cruz, 1998), as well as success in school and in landing job interviews (Daly & Leth, 1976).

Importantly, effective public speaking is less about perfect wording and more about confidence and making a connection with the audience. As Drevitch (2017) notes, fear stems not from speech quality but from how speakers think, feel, and act in public settings. The best way to manage PSA is to recognize your unique pattern of anxiety and take deliberate steps to control it.

Licenses and Attribution

CC Licensed Content, Original

Speech Communication was created by Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres. Independently created original and AI-assisted content developed specifically for this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

This educational material includes content generated or revised with the assistance of large language models. Lana Iapicco and Marie Torres reviewed, edited, and take responsibility for the final published content.

CC Licensed Content, Previously Shared

“Understanding Public Speaking Anxiety” is adapted from “2.1 What Is Communication Apprehension?” by Douglas Marshall, James Yeargain, June Pulliam, Sara Kim, and Victoria VanNest, published in It’s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network.

The source material is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The material was revised, reorganized, updated, and supplemented with original and AI-assisted content for this edition.

Adapted portions derived from this source, including revisions to those portions, are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Independently created portions developed specifically for Speech Communication are licensed under the book’s Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Other Content Included

Person experiencing anxiety while speaking at a microphone

Illustration titled Fear, Public Speaking, Stage Fright by Mohamed_hassan, available through Pixabay.
Terms of use: Pixabay Content License.
Changes: The illustration was resized, and its alternative text and caption were revised for this edition.

Definition and treatment of public speaking anxiety

Bodie, G. D. (2010). A racing heart, rattling knees, and ruminative thoughts: Defining, explaining, and treating public speaking anxiety. Communication Education, 59(1), 70–105.
This article supports the definition of public speaking anxiety as a situation-specific social anxiety associated with actual or anticipated oral presentations. The article remains subject to the rights and terms of its author and publisher and is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this book. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Prevalence and effects of fear of public speaking

Tsaousides, T. (2017, November 27). Why are we scared of public speaking? Psychology Today.
This article supports the statement that public speaking anxiety affects approximately one-quarter of people and may prevent individuals from sharing ideas, discussing their work, and presenting solutions. The article remains subject to the rights and terms of its author and publisher and is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this book. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Reticence and self-esteem

Adler, R. B. (1980). Integrating reticence management into the basic communication curriculum. Communication Education, 29, 215–221.
This work supports the discussion of the relationship between communication apprehension, reticence, and students’ personal development. The publication remains subject to the rights and terms of its author and publisher and is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this book.

Communication apprehension, personality, and academic performance

Dwyer, K. K., & Cruz, A. M. (1998). Communication apprehension, personality, and grades in the basic course: Are there correlations? Communication Research Reports, 15(4), 436–444.
This article examines relationships among communication apprehension, personality, and performance in a basic public speaking course. The publication remains subject to the rights and terms of its authors and publisher and is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this book. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Communication apprehension and personnel selection

Daly, J. A., & Leth, S. A. (1976). Communication apprehension and the personnel selection decision. Paper presented at the International Communication Association Convention, Portland, Oregon.
This work supports the discussion of how communication apprehension may affect employment and personnel-selection outcomes. The publication remains subject to the rights of its authors and is not included under the Creative Commons licenses applied to this book. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Third-Party References and Links

Scholarly publications, articles, quotations, trademarks, and other third-party materials referenced in this section remain the property of their respective authors, publishers, organizations, and copyright holders. Their inclusion as citations, links, or examples does not place them under the Creative Commons licenses applied to Speech Communication.

Unless a separate license is specifically identified, third-party content may not be copied, redistributed, or adapted independently of the permissions provided by its copyright holder or applicable law.