Deck 2: Speech Anxiety

Question 1

Which of the following are causes of dysfunctional speech anxiety?

A) Fear of catastrophic failure
B) Desire for complete approval from an audience
C) Novelty of the speaking situation
D) All of the above

Answer 1

All of the above

Question 2

Which of the following are effective and productive strategies for managing speech anxiety?

A) Don't care about the speech
B) Adopt a noncompetitive communication orientation
C) Strive for perfection as the goal of your speech
D) Concentrate on mistakes made during the introduction so you don't repeat the mistakes.

Answer 2

Adopt a noncompetitive communication orientation

Question 3

You experience high anxiety before giving a speech. Which of the following indicate that your anxiety has reached an irrational level?

A) The consequences of failure are severe, but the probability of failure occurring is very low
B) The consequences of failure are minor, but the probability of failure is fairly high
C) The consequences of failure are minor, and the probability of failure is low
D) All of the above

Answer 3

All of the above

Question 4

As a means of managing speech anxiety, the communication orientation

A) emphasizes the performance aspects of a speech
B) emphasizes making the message clear and interesting to listeners
C) focuses on avoiding errors
D) focuses on the evaluation of the speech by listeners

Question 5

You experience "butterflies" in your stomach when you are anxious about giving a speech because

A) your digestive system is working harder
B) your digestive system decreases activity
C) blood flow to the stomach increases
D) adrenaline decreases

Question 6

A speaker often experiences dry mouth when anxious about giving a speech because

A) digestive activity increases drawing saliva into the stomach
B) secretion of saliva is a digestive function and not relevant as a response to a perceived threatening situation
C) adrenaline decreases
D) blood vessels contract in the skin

Question 7

Self-defeating thoughts that can provoke speech anxiety include

A) fear of catastrophic failure
B) perfectionist thinking
C) illusion of transparency
D) all of the above

Question 8

Anxiety that occurs when you face the audience and begin to speak is which phase of speech anxiety?

A) the anticipation phase
B) the adaptation phase
C) the probability phase
D) the confrontation phase

Question 9

Gaining proper perspective about your speech anxiety includes which of the following?

A) Concentrating on possible severe consequences of failure
B) Concentrating on your anxiety level when it increases quickly and substantially as you begin to speak
C) Recognizing when your anxiety has reached irrational levels
D) None of the above

Question 10

A narrative speech is typically composed of

A) challenge
B) struggle
C) resolution
D) all of the above

Question 11

The most effective way to address symptoms of the fight-or-flight response is to

A) ignore the symptoms
B) moderate the response, not try to pick and choose which symptoms to deactivate
C) find ways to completely deactivate the response in its entirety
D) employ a competitive performance orientation

Question 12

Preparation before giving a speech is important. This preparation should include

A) eating plentiful energy foods such as donuts
B) ingesting caffeinated drinks to boost your brain power
C) drinking some alcohol to quiet your nerves
D) none of the above

Question 13

It is important to address speech anxiety early on because high anxiety can

A) hinder your preparation of your speech
B) continue to increase to dysfunctional levels if left unaddressed
C) result in a desire to drop your public speaking class
D) all of the above

Question 14

Speech anxiety is

A) pervasive, affecting every person who gives a speech
B) only a problem for novice speakers
C) a challenge for almost two-thirds of the population
D) none of the above

Question 15

The relaxation response is

A) an antidote to the fight-or-flight response
B) produced by slow, controlled deep breathing
C) engaging in tensing and relaxing exercises
D) all of the above

Question 16

Professional speakers rarely experience speech anxiety.

Question 17

Dysfunctional speech anxiety occurs when the intensity of the fight-or-flight response prevents an individual from performing appropriately.

Question 18

The formula for distinguishing rational from irrational speech anxiety is the severity of the feared occurrence times the intensity of the feared occurrence.

Question 19

Approaching a speech as a competitive performance can substantially reduce anxiety.

Question 20

Overestimating the extent to which audience members detect a speaker's nervousness is called catastrophic thinking.

Question 21

Telling a speaker "don't be nervous" is an effective way to overcome the illusion of transparency that increases nervousness.

Question 22

Uncertainty reduction theory posits that as you gain speaking experience, the novelty wears off and anxiety consequently diminishes.

Question 23

All types of speeches and speaking situations produce the same amount of speech anxiety for someone who experiences this problem.

Question 24

Being indifferent about giving a speech is an effective solution to speech anxiety.

Question 25

Ingesting caffeine, such as drinking an energy drink right before speaking, is an effective strategy for addressing not only speech anxiety but fear of going blank that can arouse anxiety.

Question 26

It is sufficient to simply provide a list of strategies for effectively addressing speech anxiety.

Question 27

Symptoms of the fight-or-flight response are never appropriate for giving a speech because they interfere with one's effectiveness.

Question 28

Predictions of public speaking catastrophes are unrealistic because they are highly unlikely to occur no matter how inexperienced you might be.

Question 29

It is reasonable to expect that, with sufficient experience, one can give flawless speeches.

Question 30

When compared to other methods of anxiety reduction and control, the communication orientation is the most successful.

Question 31

A narrative speech, typical of an introductory first speech in class, typically has three components: a challenge, a struggle, and a resolution.

Question 32

The spotlight effect refers to a desire to be conspicuous and receive attention from an audience to divert your attention away from any anxiety that you may experience giving a speech.

Question 33

Presenting a speech before a highly supportive audience of fellow students in your class will likely reduce you anxiety.

Question 34

Physical exercise on a sustained basis can help reduce speech anxiety.

Question 35

During the adaptation phase of speech anxiety, symptoms of the fight-or-flight response steadily increase in response to the stress of giving a speech.