The impact of time, complexity, and organization on self‐reports of speech anxiety

Abstract

Working from a social comparison perspective, this study examined whether preparation time, material complexity, and organizational demand influenced self‐reports of stage fright Preparation time was operationalized by allowing students 5 or 10 minutes to prepare a speech. Material complexity referred to whether students were given material for a one point or a three point speech. Organizational demand referred to whether the speech material was given to the student in a preorganized form or whether the student had to organize the material The expectation that those with less time to organize more complex material would experience higher levels of state anxiety than those who had more time to prepare to deliver already organized, less complex material was confirmed.