Oral skills and anxiety: training and efficacy in undergraduate students

Abstract

Introduction: The relevance of communicative competences and the management of oral expression in university education is reflected in different curricula and subjects within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). These skills are a priority for professional development in different fields and involve the learning of a series of skills ranging from the management of appropriate vocabulary, the organization of speech and information, to the regulation of the anxiety that is usually caused by public speaking. The objectives of the present study are: 1. to promote the learning of oral skills and to reduce public speaking anxiety in university students; 2. to test and compare the effects of the educational and psychoeducational strategies applied. Methodology: For this purpose, an experiment (pre-post) was applied in which three different strategies were implemented in a sample of 51 participants divided into three groups (workshop intervention group; discussion intervention group; control group). Results: Positive and effective results were observed in the improvement of oral skills and confidence in public speaking, as well as a reduction of anxiety after the different interventions. Discussion: these findings are relevant for their implementation in specific programs to improve communication skills in students. Conclusions: educational and psychoeducational interventions improve oral competence and anxiety, and the application of a communication workshop is more effective than other strategies, generating a climate of active participation in the classroom.