Improving Communication Skills: A Case Study

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According to Fanney (2012), approximately 70% of individuals, a majority consisting of young adults, experience communication apprehension during speeches or social gatherings. As one of the seventy percent of this group I can openly admit to being a part of this cluster. It started at a very young age for me. I was usually always the quiet one, but we were only kids and no one seemed to pay much attention to this issue. As I got older I had a few friends, but I was never considered popular nor did I stick out in a crowd. I did not enjoy participating in class or working in small groups so when it came to picking partners or groups I was never anyone’s priority. This idea in my head that I would never be good enough lead to an extreme decrease in self-esteem. When it came to high school I became friends with people who did not look out for me nor were good influences. …show more content…

The first step is recognizing that you have a disorder and prepare yourself to work hard in order to see and feel results. Here is a list of tips that suggest ways to alleviate communication apprehension both in the classroom and in your personal life.
1. Visualize public speaking as more of a conversation with your peers. ϖ Attempting to think of public speaking as a conversation with a friend can often ease anxiety or if you’re more comfortable talking in small groups visualize yourself talking to an enlarged smaller group of people.
2. Practice and prepare in advance to reduce fear of failure or unpreparedness. ϖ Apprehension is greatest during the beginning stages of a speech therefore adequate preparation will diminish forgetting your presentation completely (Fanney, …show more content…

Seek social support from others. ϖ Two types of social support include received social support which is support that someone says they actually receive and perceived social support is how much support the person believes is available to them (Fanney,