Explore and Apply the Ideas in This Chapter

Communication anxiety bothers many public speakers.

It can be especially debilitating to students who think

that everyone in the class is more confident than they

are. We use the term communication anxiety rather than

stage fright because public speaking should be an interactive

communication act, not a performance.

Understanding Communication Anxiety. The symptoms

of communication anxiety are more obvious to the

person suffering from them than to observers. There is a

positive side to communication anxiety: it can energize

your presentation. Public speaking can be frightening

because it is not an everyday activity and because you

usually speak in public only on important occasions. If

you suffer from anxiety sensitivity, your fear of fear itself

may make the situation worse. If you are a perfectionist,

you may put too much pressure on yourself. You may see

the audience as predators waiting to make fun of you,

but most college student audiences want speakers to be

successful. Although you may think everyone can tell

In Summary

how nervous you are, they usually cannot. You may

fear that something dreadful will happen to you, but it

rarely happens.

Some of the major fears that make up communication

anxiety include worrying about trembling or shaking,

having your mind go blank, embarrassing yourself,

being unable to continue, not making sense, and sounding

foolish. Many of these fears are irrational.

Ways to Control Communication Anxiety. There are

several ways you can reduce the discomfort of communication

anxiety. You can practice selective relaxation to

reduce bodily tension. You should adopt a communication

orientation, keeping your focus on your message.

Practice cognitive restructuring to replace negative messages

to yourself with positive ones. Develop a visualization

script that pictures you succeeding as a speaker.

Learn and practice speaking skills so that you develop

greater confidence. These techniques usually help, and

they work best in combination.

your speech by telling the audience how frightened you are. When you come to the

end of your message, maintain eye contact for a short time, and then walk confidently

back to your seat. Even though you may feel relieved that your speech is over,

don t say Whew! or I made it! And never show disappointment with your presentation.

You probably did better than you thought.

Do these techniques really work, and is such advice helpful? Research related to

communication anxiety has established the following conclusions: (1) Such techniques

do work, and (2) they work best in combination.18 Controlling anxiety takes

time. As you become more experienced at giving speeches and at using the suggestions

in Speaker s Notes 2.3, you will find your fears lessening, and you will be able

to convert more of your communication anxiety into positive, constructive energy.19

Public Speaking, Eighth Edition, by Michael Osborn, Suzanne Osborn and Randall Osborn. Published by Allyn & Bacon.

Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

3. List the three major reasons that you are afraid of

making a speech. Try to be precise as you complete

the expressions Im afraid that . . . or Im afraid

because . . . Go over your list and classify each of

these fears as rational or irrational. Now develop a

plan to counter them. Try to use selective relaxation,

cognitive restructuring, visualization, and

speech practice techniques. Which of these

techniques proves most and least useful in

controlling your fears?

4. Write out your own script for success for the presentation

of your first speech in this class. Provide

your instructor with a copy, and then use it as you

prepare for your presentation.

abrina Karic worried about her first

speech. Her instructor had assigned a

speech of self-introduction, but

Sabrina wondered how she might reach out to her

University of Nevada Las Vegas student audience.

Her world and theirs seemed so far apart. She

decided finally that she would share her experiences

as a six-year-old child who had somehow survived

ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

She described having to endure endless nights

S

Public Speaking, Eighth Edition, by Michael Osborn, Suzanne Osborn and Randall Osborn. Published by Allyn & Bacon.

Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

46 Part One The Foundations of Public Speaking

sleeping under the trees while rain poured down

on us and mice crawled over our bodies. . . .

Nothing, she concluded, etches itself more in

young memory than the pain of hunger. Sabrina

ended her speech with a plea for all the six year

olds who experience prejudice and hatred and violence

they can t understand. Her warmly received

speech appears at the end of this chapter.

Many of you may share Sabrina s concerns when faced with your first speech. You

may not think you have anything interesting to say, and you may not feel prepared

to speak effectively. Consequently, you may be pleasantly surprised when you not

only survive your first speech but actually do some things quite well.

The first speeches in a class can help build a communication climate that nurtures

effective speaking and listening. No matter what the exact nature of your

assignment, your first speech can serve three useful purposes.

I It gets you speaking early in the course so that you don t build up an unhealthy

level of communication apprehension.

I It introduces you to the basic skills needed to develop a speech and present it

effectively.

I It can establish you as a credible speaker. In this chapter, we show you how to get

off on the right foot by managing the important first impressions you make as a

speaker.

Before the opening round of speeches, you and your classmates are usually strangers.

These first speeches are often called icebreakers because they offer a chance to get

acquainted. You may discover that your classmates are interesting human beings.

What you learn about them will help you prepare later speeches and give you

insights into their knowledge, interests, attitudes, and motivations. Because it is easier

to communicate with people you know, you should feel more comfortable about

speaking before them.

Much of the information in this chapter is explored in greater detail later in the

text. But the basics we cover here are necessary before you present your first speech.

You need to know how to

I Find a subject that is right for you.

I Focus your topic so that your speech will serve listeners well.

I Use supporting materials to add interest and substance to your speech.

I Design and outline your speech.

I Develop and practice presentation skills.

This chapter provides an overview of these skills so that you can achieve initial success

and then build upon it as you learn more and present other speeches.

Public Speaking, Eighth Edition, by Michael Osborn, Suzanne Osborn and Randall Osborn. Published by Allyn & Bacon.

Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter 3 Your First Speech: An Overview of Speech Preparation 47

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