Communication Apprehension in the Workplace: The Role of Position and Facilitation Skills

Abstract

Communication apprehension (CA) is widely recognized as a significant inhibitor of communication and performance, making its management crucial. This study explored the connections between gender, managerial status, communication frequency, and discussion skills in explaining CA in the Japanese working population ( N = 300). Our findings suggest that facilitation skills explain CA better than personal attributes or communication frequency and that the gender difference in CA was only observed in nonmanagers. We discuss the implications of our findings for research and education.