Discussion
The findings that we have for what juniors are struggling during the process of
adapting the study of public speaking is nervousness. This would have come to a
poorer performance, with greater fear of the subject. Specifically, the findings
have indicated that many students’ main fears are associated with the
concentration of the audience uncertainty about the topic and physical
symptoms. This survey also clearly indicated that most of the students in this
study, although fearful of public speaking, were aware of the importance of
practice and preparation. The findings clearly identified the lack of and need for
further comprehensive support for students with a fear of public speaking.
Nervous or lack of confidence is the most common difficulties of public speaking,
because many students have a meek nature and they tend to feel uncomfortable
while speaking in front of others. The reason for that is explained in research
article about phobias from Burgess (2013, October 30) reports that fear of public
speaking was found to be a more pressing concern than death.
A qualitative study on self-described fears related to Difficulties SGU's Juniors. An
important finding from this research was that internal fears accounted for 50%
internal and external fears 50% of student public speaking anxiety. Overall, the
most commonly reported fear by students was the external fear ‘audience
responses’, related to perceived attitudes from the audience towards the speaker.
These perceived attitudes that students found challenging included judgement
from the audience, being the focus of attention and no interaction from the
audience.
In this qualitative survey, two of the key findings or identified themes, ‘fear of
being judged’ (external fear related to the audience) and ‘uncertainty about the
topic’ (internal fear) are the results. In respect of physical symptoms, public
speaking fear may affect the speaker physically with a dry mouth, increased blood
pressure, blushing, sweating, irregular breathing, and emotionally in the form of
feelings of humiliation and concerns about looking foolish. Apart from the
physical symptoms, the positioning of arms and hands may also be associated
with anxiety in oral presentations, presenters were most concerned with their
arms and hands (hand trembling) as signs of physical behaviour showing
nervousness. Many people put so much pressure on being perfect when speaking,
getting it just right, that they become highly stressed and begin to worry and
eventually panic. So this is how to conquer this: Take some deep long breaths,
which will slow down heart rate which is pumping fast to supply extra oxygen and
energy to muscles so that your ideas can working out.
In respect of the theme related to ‘more practical support needed’, university
students in this study reported that they required more support for public
speaking from the university. Suggestions were made in respect of more
documents, workshops, opportunities to practice public speaking, and teaching
presentations as part of a course. Fear of public speaking is a common form of
anxiety. It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic. Many
people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer
through them with shaking hands and a quavering voice. But with preparation
and persistence, students can overcome their fear. Get organized. Ahead of time,
carefully plan out the information students want to present, including any props,
audio or visual aids. The more organized, the less nervous. Use an outline on a
small card to stay on track. If possible, visit the place where the presentation will
have and review available equipment before the presentation. The better
students understand what they are talking about — and the more audience care
about the topic — the less likely get off track. And if students do get lost, they will
be able to recover quickly. Take some time to consider what questions the
audience may ask and have responses ready. Focus on the material, not on the
audience. People mainly pay attention to new information — not how it's
presented. They may not notice nervousness. If audience members do notice that
you're nervous, they may root and want the presentation to be a success.
The data for this study was collected through junior of SGU. Therefore, further
research is required on student experiences both offline and online public
speaking and oral assessment.
Overall, this qualitative survey has increased the evidence base with respect to
furthering the understanding of student fears of public speaking and adds to the
growing evidence that a proportion of university students have a fear of public
speaking, specifically oral presentations. Further research might include
addressing student wellbeing with respect to including public speaking learning
and teaching embedded in the curriculum. Further to the recruitment limitations
of this survey in only including students with a fear of public speaking, future
research might include a wider sample of students with and without public
speaking fear.