Public Speaking Anxiety: Can It Be Reduced in an Online Environment?

Abstract

This study aims to determine whether public speaking anxiety can be reduced when the oral presentation is performed in an online environment. For the purpose of the research, two groups of approximately equal numbers of university students delivered oral presentations: the control group in the classroom and the experimental group online using the MS Teams platform. Their levels of self perceived communication anxiety and fear of negative evaluation were subsequently assessed using the Oral Presentation Anxiety Scale, which was designed specifically for this study. The results show that the online group was more relaxed when delivering oral presentations. However, other parameters did not show any significant differences in anxiety levels. The limitations of the study include a small sample size, suggesting that further research with larger samples is necessary to reach more reliable inferences.