Oral Communication Apprehension in Oral Presentation among Polytechnic Students
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Abstract
In the present study, factors were investigated that caused oral communication apprehension among polytechnic students when performing oral presentations. The specific objectives of the study were: (a) to compare the communication apprehension level associated with five factors and (b) to find out if there were relationships among the five factors, namely, personality traits, preparation level, audience factor, language proficiency, and confidence level. For this descriptive study, communication apprehension data was obtained from 373 students in a polytechnic college using a 23-item Likert-scale questionnaire. The results showed that the audience factor caused the greatest oral communication apprehension, as respondents reported being affected by negative expressions seen on the audience members’ faces. The factors causing a moderate level of oral presentation apprehension were preparation, language ability, personality traits, and confidence. The findings suggest communication apprehension related to oral presentation can be reduced by giving skills to presenters in objectively analyzing the audience’s reactions, practicing rehearsals, and using audience engagement strategies.
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