Evaluation of integrated versus unitary treatments for reducing public speaking anxiety

Abstract

Four groups of university students were administered the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA‐24B) and the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) at the beginning of the semester and reevaluated at the conclusion. One group received three treatment procedures (skills training, visualization, and COM therapy); another received skills and visualization treatment; a third received only skills training; the fourth group served as a control group, receiving no treatment. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance revealed that the two groups receiving the combined treatments had significantly greater reductions in public speaking anxiety than the group receiving skills training alone or the control group. The results support the contention that the combined or integrative approach to reducing public speaking anxiety is more effective than the use of a single treatment.

Keywords:

• public speaking anxiety
• communication apprehension