Discovering The Relationship between Communication Strategies and Fear of Oral Presentation among University Students

Abstract

Effective public speaking is a necessary and desired ability that university graduates need to possess. This is to build into them a sense of confidence and success in communicating in today's challenging, evolving and borderless working world. However, fear or anxiety among university students still prevails and affects the way they communicate, and thus they utilise communication strategies (CS) to help them communicate orally effectively. There are multiple triggers of learners' fear of public speaking which could be externally and internally driven. Therefore, this study aims to continuously explore the influence of CS on fear of oral presentation, the influence of fear on oral presentation and the strength of the relationship between CS and fear of oral presentation. Quantitative data on the influence was analysed utilising the SPSS for mean values and Pearson correlational analysis through a 4-section survey derived from 134 respondents from a public university. Results indicated that CS preferred by most of the respondents were mostly externally influenced in shaping their oral communication and assessment marks and feeling nervous were their largest causes of fear of public speaking. Furthermore, correlational findings revealed that communication strategies may reduce fear of oral presentation to some degree. These results could suggest the need for more formal strategy training to assist and build motivational needs for learners to manage their fear of public speaking to benefit more from communication strategies for effective public speaking.

Assessment Practices for Oral Presentations: Insights from ESL Instructors

“…However, L4 could see some changes in certain groups of learners and she also shared how other learners did not improve their presentation skills nor did they deteriorate. Mahdi (2022) and Ahmad et al (2022) asserted that learners would have improved their presentation skills with the help of tools which could assist learners to boost their level of confidence and motivation leading to the improvement of their competency to do better presentations in the future. Chris (2016) found that learners were able to improve their self-confidence when they do more oral presentation practices within a non-threatening environment.…”