PRPSA Assignment - Instrument, Scoring instructions, and Personal Plan for Improvement

Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA)

Assignment Goals:

• To collect relevant data regarding your perceptions of your communication anxiety in public address

• To analyze the data objectively

• To create a specific set of behavior changes designed to increase your effectiveness as a public speaker

You will complete the PRPSA scale and analyze the data.

You will write the following report for yourself to analyze:

1) Briefly describe experience as a public speaker.  Where and when have you delivered public speeches? What were the purposes of the speeches (informative, persuasive, ceremonial).  How you performed (100-125 words)

2) Summarize the results of the PRPSA scale; identify and explain at least one and no more than three areas you feel need improvement.

3) Write a tentative plan for improving each of the items you identified.  Explain why you think they are important; describe your present behavior that you think is not "effective"; explain how you will modify that behavior; explain how you will know when you have succeeded in becoming more competent in that area. Use at least three concepts from Stand Up! Speak Out!, or Survey of Communication Study

Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA)

This is an excellent measure for research which centers on public speaking anxiety.

 
 

Directions: Below are 34 statements that people sometimes make about themselves. Please indicate whether or not you believe each statement applies to you by marking whether you:

Strongly Disagree = 1;  Disagree = 2;  Neutral = 3;  Agree = 4; Strongly Agree = 5.

_____1. While preparing for giving a speech, I feel tense and nervous.

_____2.  I feel tense when I see the words “speech” and “public speech” on a course outline when studying.

_____3. My thoughts become confused and jumbled when I am giving a speech.

_____4. Right after giving a speech I feel that I have had a pleasant experience.

_____5. I get anxious when I think about a speech coming up.

_____6. I have no fear of giving a speech.

_____7. Although I am nervous just before starting a speech, I soon settle down after starting and feel calm and comfortable.

_____8. I look forward to giving a speech.

_____9. When the instructor announces a speaking assignment in class, I can feel myself getting tense.

_____10. My hands tremble when I am giving a speech.

_____11. I feel relaxed while giving a speech.

_____12. I enjoy preparing for a speech.

_____13. I am in constant fear of forgetting what I prepared to say.

_____14. I get anxious if someone asks me something about my topic that I don’t know.

_____15. I face the prospect of giving a speech with confidence.

_____16. I feel that I am in complete possession of myself while giving a speech.

_____17. My mind is clear when giving a speech.

_____18. I do not dread giving a speech.

_____19. I perspire just before starting a speech.

_____20. My heart beats very fast just as I start a speech.

_____21. I experience considerable anxiety while sitting in the room just before my speech starts.

_____22. Certain parts of my body feel very tense and rigid while giving a speech.

_____23. Realizing that only a little time remains in a speech makes me very tense and anxious.

_____24. While giving a speech, I know I can control my feelings of tension and stress.

_____25. I breathe faster just before starting a speech.

_____26. I feel comfortable and relaxed in the hour or so just before giving a speech.

_____27. I do poorer on speeches because I am anxious.

_____28. I feel anxious when the teacher announces the date of a speaking assignment.

_____29. When I make a mistake while giving a speech, I find it hard to concentrate on the parts that follow.

_____30. During an important speech I experience a feeling of helplessness building up inside me.

_____31. I have trouble falling asleep the night before a speech.

_____32.My heart beats very fast while I present a speech.

_____33. I feel anxious while waiting to give my speech.

_____34. While giving a speech, I get so nervous I forget facts I really know.
 

Scoring: To determine your score on the PRPSA, complete the following steps:
 

Step 1.

Add scores for items 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34

Step 2. Add the scores for items 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 24, and 26

Step 3. Complete the following formula:

PRPSA =   72  minus (Total from Step 2) plus (Total from Step 1)
 

Your score should be between 34 and 170. If your score is below 34 or above 170, you have made a mistake in computing the score.
 

McCroskey, J. C. (1970) . Measures of communication-bound anxiety. Speech     Monographs, 37, 269-277.  

Interpreting Your PRPSA Score

Scores above 131 indicate High Anxiety
Scores between 98 and 131 indicate Moderate Anxiety
Scores below 98 indicate Low Anxiety

The National Average (Mean) for the PRPSA is 114.6 with a standard deviation of 17.2.

What does this mean?  More recent studies have defined PRPSA scores of 111-119 as “moderately high anxiety” and scores of 120-170 as “very high anxiety.”  Note, however, that the USA National Average on the measure is in the moderately high anxiety group!  Most people have anxiety about speaking in public.  Anxiety is typically understood as a physiological response. We can’t make it go away, but we can help it work for you instead of against you.