Joe Ayres

Strategies to maintain relationships: Their identification and perceived usage

One purpose of this study was to identify strategies people feel they use to keep their interpersonal relationships stable. A second purpose was to determine if such strategies would be differentially employed under different relationship circumstances. In order to approach these questions, the study proceeded in two phases. The first phase employed a factor analysis procedure to identify three factors people feel they would use to keep their stable relationships stable. The factors were concerned with avoidance, balancing, and directness respectively. The second phase of this investigation revealed that subjects felt they would use these factors differently depending on perceived differences in the relational intent of their dyadic partner (i.e., whether the other wanted the relationship to remain stable, to have it develop, or to have it deteriorate). No such differences emerged as a function of the sex of the relational partner or the type of relationship (acquaintance, friend, teacher, or co‐worker). ...

Visualization: A means of reducing speech anxiety

This study compared self reported speech anxiety of students who were asked to visualize themselves making an effective speech with those who were not asked to visualize themselves making an effective presentation. Students who were asked to visualize reported lower anxiety levels than those who were not asked to do so. It is argued that visualization is an effective, nondisruptive method that can be used in the typical public speaking class to help reduce speech anxiety.

Coping with speech anxiety: The power of positive thinking

This paper reports two studies designed to probe the link between speech anxiety and positive thinking. The first study reconfirms earlier research that speech anxiety is positively correlated with negative thoughts and negatively related to positive thoughts. The second study found that students trained to use visualization reported a higher proportion of positive to negative thoughts and lower speech anxiety during an informative speech than those who were not trained. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of these data.

Communication apprehension and employment interviews

In order to determine if patterns identified in the general communication apprehension (CA) literature would emerge with regard to employment interviews, three investigations were undertaken. The first study investigated thoughts high and low CAs entertain regarding employment interviews. The second study probed differences in self‐reported preparation activities that high and low CAs employ with regard to employment interviews. The third study examined differences in verbal and nonverbal behaviors displayed by high and low CAs in employment interview situations. In general, these studies indicate that high CAs avoid thinking about interviews, avoid preparing for them, and use a pattern of communicative minimization (few gestures, few words, etc.) in employment interviews. These data are congruent with data on CA in other circumstances, provide a basis for developing grounded interventions in this domain, and have implications for the way interviews of this nature ought to be handled in classroom situations.

Visualization: Reducing speech anxiety and enhancing performance

This study was designed to determine if visualization could be used to enhance public speaking performance as well as reduce speech anxiety, and how visualization techniques compared with other interventions. The study compared a no treatment group with a standard visualization group and with a performance visualization group. Both forms of visualization reduced negative thinking, state CA, and trait CA. However, those receiving performance visualization displayed fewer disfluencies, less rigidity, and less inhibition than did the control or standard visualization groups. Meta‐analysis was used to compare these data with previous research. Results revealed that standard and performance visualization were generally more effective than other interventions for reducing self reported negative thinking and state CA. Performance visualization also was found to be more effective for reducing observed rigidity than other procedures. These results are the bases for the discussion.

Visualization: Is it more than extra‐attention?

This study examined how Visualization (VIS) compared with placebo procedures in reducing communication apprehension (CA) in a public speaking class. Students given brief introductions to VIS and placebos reported lower CA scores than students in control classes. Further, those introduced to VIS reported lower CA scores than students given placebo treatments. It appears that VIS is an active treatment procedure that functions to reduce CA above and beyond the reduction in CA that can be attributed to the “extra‐attention”; involved in treatment processes.

Visualization, Systematic Desensitization, and Rational Emotive Therapy: A Comparative Evaluation.

This study compared the effectiveness of systematic desensitization (SD), rational emotive therapy (RET), and visualization (VIS) in reducing communication apprehension (CA). All of these treatment modes were found to significantly reduce CA but no statistically significant differences were found in the effectiveness of these three treatment modes. These data take significance from the fact that VIS is a relatively simple technique which can be used in the normal classroom whereas SD and RET require the expenditure of substantial “extra curricular”; resources.

Perceptions of Speaking Ability: An Explanation for Stage Fright.

This article presents and tests an explanation for stage fright. It is argued that stage fright emerges from a perception that ones public speaking ability falls short of audience expectations in ways that are important to the speaker. Three studies are reported that offer support for central elements in the explanatory framework. The first two studies provide evidence in support of the expected relationships between perceptions in inadequacy, importance, and stage fright. The third study demonstrates that shifts in speakers’ perceptions of audience expectations are accompanied by attenuate shifts in self‐reports of stage fright. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the general theoretical framework for future investigations and interventions.

Situational factors and audience anxiety

This study examined whether variations in five audience characteristics [size, status, familiarity, similarity, and behavior] were related to audience anxiety as per Buss’ (1980) formulation or Beattys (1988) formulation. Buss argues that variations in situational factors are sufficient to produce audience anxiety in speakers, while Beatty contends that the effect of situational factors are greatly tempered by an individuals predisposition to respond anxiously. These data support Beattys contention. The paper concludes with a discussion of the instructional implications of these findings.

The impact of communication apprehension and interaction structure on initial interactions

This study examined the impact of communication apprehension (CA) and interaction structure on participants’ perceptions and behavior during initial interactions. Overall, high CA males perceived their female interaction partners to be less physically attractive, less trustworthy, and less satisfying to interact with than did low CA males. There were no statistically significant differences for females’ perceptions of the high and low CA males. High CA males talked less, displayed fewer disfluencies, and used less head nodding than did low CA males. Interaction structure accounted for differences in a variety of the variables explored here. However, with the exception of self‐disclosure, structure effects were not related to communication apprehension.