In the past semester two students reportedly exhibited fainting-like symptoms while giving presentations in their speech class, the general education COM 180 course. DPS responded and escorted the students away from the classroom.
While Professor of Communication Gregory Daum cited lack of sleep and unhealthy eating habits, among other reasons, the incidents nevertheless brought up questions of how public speaking is viewed and often feared by the greater student body.
According to Daum, fear of public speaking is often cited as one of the top three fears among American adults, and Pepperdine students are no exception.
“We have to assume that everyone who comes in contact with us experiences some level of speech anxiety,” Daum said.
How to succeed in public speaking
Daum said the biggest deciding factor between a poor speech and a great speech is sometimes unrelated to the material itself.
“Get a good night’s rest, get a full plate of food and be as prepared as possible,” Daum said. “If they’re tired and they’re just relying on coffee to get them through, eventually they’re going to crash.”
According to Communication Professor Abi Williams, the topic of the speech is a huge indicator of the potential success of the presentation.
“One very good way to channel your public speaking anxiety into an effective speech is to pick a topic about which you are passionate,” Williams said. “When you are deeply invested in a topic, things like vocal variety and facial expressiveness happen with more ease than they do with a contrived topic. I’m fortunate in that I get to talk about a topic I care about for a living.”
How to curb the anxiety
With over a decade of experience under his belt, Daum said speech anxiety seldom leaves entirely.
“From my perspective, I’ve been teaching for 13 to 14 years, and I’ve been a public speaker for probably 20, and I still get nervous. One of the lessons I try to teach my students is that the goal is not to eliminate speech anxiety; it’s to minimize it and learn how to cope with it.
“The thing that is also important to try to point out to the students is that I am critiquing their speech; I am not trying to critique them as a person,” Daum said. “We’ve tried to structure the class in regards to where the emotions are and where the skill levels of the students are, to combat some of those anxieties.”
Junior Breck Gallini said that his speech anxiety has decreased since the beginning of the year, when he was first enrolled in COM 180.
“My speech anxiety has decreased a little,” Gallini said. “At its worst, I was sweating and shaking hardcore, though perhaps that could be attributed to my trek up the stairs to the CCB.”
How COM 180 is viewed
“I tend to agree that most students enter the class hesitantly, and a bit indignant about the fact that they are being taught how to speak,” Williams said. “Those students who don’t suffer from a great deal of nerves likely don’t see the value of the course, and those who are plagued by nerves are petrified by the very idea of the having to enter the classroom.
“Our job is to teach the former some new skills, teach the latter to deal with their nerves and hope that every student comes away with a new understanding of and appreciation for the art of public speaking. I think there is a large percentage of students who come into COM 180 who are frustrated that it is a GE. As a freshman, there isn’t a lot of excitement about taking COM 180, but by the time they’re done with their college education, I think a lot of them look back on their COM 180 experience and are very grateful for it.”
Daum went on to say that a great number of alumni recall that COM 180 was one of the most important and useful classes for their careers.
Gallini said he agrees that COM 180 is often feared, but that it is an important class nevertheless.
“I think people brush it off as something not to be taken seriously,” Gallini said. “Some people aren’t motivated to better their speaking skills, which is a bit of a tragedy. The ability to articulate ideas in a clear and concise way is the biggest factor in success.”
Daum said he agrees communication skills are important for a future career.
“It wouldn’t be worth a $200,000 education if you went into your first interview and couldn’t say 15 words without saying ‘and/um’ or looking at the ground,” Daum said. “I’m pretty confident, though, that when it’s over, the majority of the students are glad they were forced to take the class.”
