Speech anxiety affects how people prepare speeches: A protocol analysis of the preparation processes of speakers

Abstract

Why does public speaking anxiety lead people to present speeches of judged lower quality? Prior research suggests a number of variables that might detrimentally affect the performance of highly anxious speakers when they present speeches. But does speech anxiety affect only presentation behavior, or does it also affect the ways in which people prepare their speeches? Measures of public speaking anxiety, and most texts focusing on presentational speaking, assume that the anxiety's effect is limited to performance. In the current study we examine this notion. Using a number of variables drawn from a conceptual model of the speech preparation process, we first find that the way people go about preparing their speeches is meaningfully associated with the quality of their presentation. Second, we discover that public speaking anxiety is significantly related to how people prepare speeches. People with high levels of speech anxiety engage in a variety of preparation actions that may limit the effectiveness of their presentations. When the impact of speech anxiety is statistically removed from the preparation process, the relationship between preparation and speech quality is much smaller. In understanding how speech anxiety affects public presentations, it is critical to examine not only what happens during the speech but also how the speech is prepared.