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Communication Apprehension deals with anxiety or fear related to anticipated oral communication. The medical term for fear of public speaking is known as "glossophobia". Communication apprehension is the communication concept behind these anxieties.Types of non-verbal communication apprehension exist, however, today the most common form of fear is from oral communication. There are many physical and physiological symptoms that exist when experiencing this fear.

The first type of research conducted on communication apprehension focused on the fear behind writing, which is not an oral communication method. The second area of research focused on singing as a means of communication apprehension (the fear behind singing in front of crowds). Today, the main focus of communication apprehension is on oral methods, however every means of communication can hold a form of apprehension. There are several types of communication apprehension anxieties that exist within the realm of communication. The three primary measures of these types of communication apprehension are the PRCA (Oral), WAT (writing), and the TOSA (singing).

Though communication apprehension is very common, there are many ways scholars and researchers have found to help cope with these fears and ease the feelings of anxiousness before participating in oral communication.

Types

Trait Anxiety

A trait in communication apprehension is seen as an innate unchangeable characteristic of a human being. Personality is subject to change, especially in adulthood. However, traits are characteristics that do not change in people, such as their DNA. Trait anxiety was the original type of communication apprehension, but scholars today believe traits and personality type only play a minor role in a situational context of anxiety or fear of communication.

Generalized Context Anxiety

Other contexts with high generalized context anxiety of communication apprehension include public speaking, speaking in meetings, small group discussions and dyadic interactions between individuals.

One way researchers and individuals measure this type of CA is by using the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS) questionnaire/ self report. This was created by scholar and researcher Gilkinson. Other scholars have since created more updated versions of the PRCS such as the Personal Report of Public Speaking Apprehension (PRPSA) created by James McCroskey.

Person Group Anxiety

This type of anxiety and fear stems from the reactions of the audience in which you are communicating with. This type of communication apprehension can also be called audience anxiety. People of authority may also spike fear or anxiety in a speaker, such as a teacher or client grading or judging an oral presentation. This type of CA is not heavily trait based, but rather stimulates from a given context or situation in which you are orally communicating.

Situational Anxiety

Situational Anxiety exists as a form of communication apprehension during a certain time or situation. It differs from generalized context anxiety in that there may be certain verbal or non-verbal cues that make you nervous to talk to a certain person at one time versus another. Another example McCroskey uses is communicating with a professor. A student may have no anxiety or fear when asking a professor a question during class or in front of the class. However, if the teacher asks the student to meet a different time or to stay after class and talk, this situation might raise anxiety in the student. This type of CA differs for everyone, and may not exist in some people. The more knowledge one may have of certain situations, the less likely they are to experience situational anxiety CA. In our previous example, if the student knew why the teacher wanted to meet after class or what the teacher planned to discuss, the level of anxiety may be lowered in the student.

Anticipatory Anxiety

Anticipatory Anxiety exists when people are anticipating a slip-up or mistake in their communication method. Many times, this form of anxiety may become more controlled during communication. As a speaker becomes more adjusted and comfortable, this anxiety can disappear. Many professionals still experience this type of anxiety in communication comprehension, as it is a normal reaction to fixate on a problem.

Pathological Communication Apprehension

Pathological anxiety deals with the degree of which communication apprehension affects a certain individual. Not everyone will be affected the same by the different types of CA, nor will all people be affected. It is rare that an individual will never experience communication apprehension, as fear and anxiety in communication is innate, yet heightened in these types of anxieties previously mentioned. When individuals are unable to communicate at all due to their communication apprehension, researchers have found this trait to be abnormal or pathological. A normal individual notes his or her fear/anxiety, and bests adapts themselves to the given context.

Another aspect of pathological communication apprehension is having no fear/anxiety in high-risks or high anxiety situations. These responses are also abnormal and could be an issue in the means of communication. Again, pathological communication apprehension is highly situational and context driven. The degree of the risk and the degree of fear/anxiety play a role in how abnormal or pathological a person may be.

Common Symptoms of Communication Apprehension

While experiencing communication apprehension, some common physical symptoms may include:

• Stomach "butterflies"
• Increased heart rate
• Dry mouth
• Sweaty or clammy palms
• Shaking legs
• Quivering voice
• Feelings of Nausea

Physiological Changes during Communication Apprehension

When experiencing communication apprehension, your body can go through many physiological changes. These changes are the bodies reaction to the the nerves and anxiety during communication. The use of these changes creates substantial energy to your muscles. Two common effects are rapid breathing and high amount of circulation to create more oxygen flow to the muscles. A result of these physiological changes causes the body to sweat. Sweat, as mentioned above, is a common symptom while experiencing this anxiety. Adrenaline is also a side effect. Because of this adrenaline rush, our body tends to create nervous "ticks" such as shaking legs and increased movement. These anxieties create changes in our central nervous systems, causing the symptoms listed above. Strong public speakers are able to control these physiological changes by channeling their energy in other forms. They channel their energy through tone of voice, interacting with their audience, and creating a strong presence on stage.

Coping with Communication Apprehension

A Forbes article gives several tips on how to effectively handle communication apprehension. Each individual differs in ways to calm their anxiety, however Forbes gives these five tips to conquer public speaking:

1. Practice multiple times to create repetition and habit.
2. Know your material beforehand.
3. Interact with members of your audience beforehand.
4. Try different personal techniques to calm your nerves.

PRCA-24 Measure

The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, otherwise known as the PRCA-24, is a test created by communication researcher James McCroskey. This test is for individuals to personally test their levels of communication apprehension compared to others. The test asks 24 questions and uses a Likert scale to measure the communication situational questions. At the end of the test, there are different contexts in which you can calculate your scores. The scores will provide a perspective of how you communicate in group discussions, meetings, interpersonal conversations, and public speaking using a low, moderate and high scale. Along with these sub contexts, the measure also asses an overall CA score. To take the PRCA, you can access it here: https://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/prca24.htm.