PRCA-24 Communication Apprehension

 

                

 Communication Apprehension

  level of anxiety a person feels in response to real or anticipated communication with a group or person

My level of CA: 54

Your Results on 09/02/2021...

• Scores between 83 and 120 indicate a high level of communication apprehension.

• Scores between 55 and 83 indicate a moderate level of communication apprehension.

• Scores between 24 and 55 indicate a low level of communication apprehension.

SUB SCORES:

• Group discussion: 11
  Meetings: 12
  Interpersonal conversations: 11
  Public speaking: 20
  
  Scores on these four contexts can range from a low of 6 to a high of 30.

• Any score above 18 indicates some degree of apprehension.

Here is an interesting thought:

  Overall, my level of speech anxiety is low, meaning that I do not get as anxious compared to people whose scores are in 60s and above. However, in the sub-scores I have received a score of 20, which indicates some degree of communication apprehension specifically in public speaking, not in minor group discussions, meetings, and interpersonal conversations, meaning I am more comfortable speaking one on one and F2F than with large groups. This demonstrates that my level of anxiety increases as the number of people watching me present increases. I have received an overall low score for speech anxiety, but I was one point away from being the moderate level of communication apprehension lol. 

 Moreover, the score truly reflects my CA, because I do get more self-conscious about my thoughts and speech if around a huge crowds of people. Interestingly, the fact that I am giving a speech that is graded and evaluated by professors & peers gives me more anxiety than if I were to perform in front of my friends that are not evaluating me, but simply just listen.  Also, I am more comfortable speaking up if I am  around people I know rather than people whom I have never met.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Emotionally, I feel free and ready to express my emotions in front of other people, because it comes naturally to me since this has been my stress coping technique ever since I was a child.  However, physically, I stop breathing and end up gasping for air when presenting something. On the outside I can be calm, but on the inside I can literally feel my pounding heart. Whenever I gasp for air- I become self-conscious, because I know other people are watching me. 

What Can I Do To Improve?

1. Practice Timing Myself

I cannot stop myself from being graded and evaluated, so what I am going to do is use a timer whenever I will practice my speech, so my brain can get used to restrictions and pressures put on by the fact that I am being graded for this assignment. Timing will not only improve my sense of time, but it will also keep me on track with my main points so that I don't digress. 

2. Breathing Exercises 

One of the exercises that I would like to try is breathing through the Diaphragm while I practice for my next speech: belly-breathing-exercises.png (830×1585) (fix.com)

Here is another video that I found that explains a deep breathing exercise.

The breathing exercises should help me relax while presenting the speech. If I do actually practice breathing regularly then my body will automatically perform those tasks without me knowing- that is one of the miracles of human brain and memory.

3. Practice In Similar Situations 

To deal with my self-consciousness, I plan on practicing in stressful situations before I have my actual presentation. Practicing in front of my parents is the most challenging concept for me so far, so once I master that I will not be as nervous to perform in front of people who I do not know. Also, practicing in front off a mirror will help me establish self-awareness when performing, so I won't be as focused on worrying what my audience thinks. By being self-aware, I can handle my breathing well without being self-conscious about it. 

There are many other strategies to include, but I get overwhelmed when there are too many things to focus on, so I will just focus on these 3 things until I master these strategies. IF these strategies do not work I will figure out something new! No biggie!