Skagit Valley College

Catalog Course Search Details

 Course Title:   Speech & Performance Anxiety Management

 Title Abbreviation:   SPEECH ANXIETY MGT.

 Department:    CMST

 Course #:    100

 Credits:    2

 Variable:     Yes

 IUs:    2

 CIP:    231001

 EPC:    n/a

 REV:    2018


 Course Description  

Supports students/professionals who experience moderate to severe anxiety in public and/or group presentation, performance, and/or academic situations by introducing and practicing anxiety management techniques. May be taken prior to or concurrently with communication studies, speech intensive, or other academic courses or professional speech activities.

 Prerequisite  

None

Additional Course Details

Contact Hours (based on 11 week quarter)

Lecture: 22

Lab: 0

Other: 0

Systems: 0

Clinical: 0


Intent: Distribution Requirement(s) Status:  

Academic Elective  

Equivalencies At Other Institutions

Other Institution Equivalencies Table
Institution Course # Remarks
N/A

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Understand the influence of culture on communication, specifically
    • Characterizing cultural/gender influences on speech/performance anxiety
    • Applying culture/gender based strategies to overcoming speech/performance anxiety
  2. Develop critical thinking skills and communication strategies within speech/performance contexts, specifically
    • Analyzing personal and general speech/performance anxiety obstacles
    • Adapting anxiety management techniques to individual needs and presentation formats
    • Demonstrating appropriate listening and supportive techniques as an audience member
  3. Demonstrate basic speech/performance anxiety management techniques, including
    • Identifying and explaining the causes; physiological, psychological, and behavioral components; conditions; and common terminology of speech/performance anxiety
    • Practicing anxiety reduction techniques to build confidence in communicating verbally and nonverbally in group and public presentations, performances, and/or other situations
    • Applying textbook/supplemental reading assignments and/or library/technological research to course work

General Education Learning Values & Outcomes

Revised August 2008 and affects outlines for 2008 year 1 and later.

1. Information Literacy

Definition: Recognizing when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
1.5 Effectively integrate and use information ethically and legally to accomplish a specific purpose.

2. Critical Thinking

Definition: The ability to think critically about the nature of knowledge within a discipline and about the ways in which that knowledge is constructed and validated and to be sensitive to the ways these processes often vary among disciplines.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
2.1 Identify and express concepts, terms, and facts related to a specific discipline.
2.3 Identify, interpret, and evaluate pertinent data and previous experience to reach conclusions.
2.4 Evaluate decisions by analyzing outcomes and the impact of actions.
2.8 Describe how one’s own preconceptions, biases and values affect one’s response to new and ambiguous situations.
2.9 Apply and/or create problem-solving strategies to successfully adapt to unpredictable and/or changing environments.

3. Communication

Definition: Understanding and producing effective written, spoken, visual, and non-verbal communication.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
3.1 Recognize, read, and comprehend academic and/or professional writing.
3.2 Recognize, produce and demonstrate appropriate interpersonal, group, and public speaking skills.
3.3 Demonstrate effective listening skills.
3.4 Produce academic and/or professional writing and integrate it into written and spoken projects.
3.5 Recognize, comprehend, and use non-verbal behaviors appropriate to a given context.
3.7 Adapt communication to diverse audiences and media.

4. Community & Cultural Diversity

Definition: Recognizing the value of human communities and cultures from multiple perspectives through a critical understanding of their similarities and differences.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
4.2 Understand, value and respect human differences and commonalities as they relate to issues of race, social class, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities and culture.
4.4 Demonstrate effective communication across differences in human communities and cultures.
4.5 Adapt to and function effectively in communities and cultures different from one's own.

6. Individual Awareness & Responsibility

Definition: Understanding, managing, and taking responsibility for one’s learning and behavior in varied and changing environments.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
6.1 Identify ethical and healthy choices and apply these personally, socially, academically, and professionally.
6.3 Apply successful organizational strategies of planning, goal setting, prioritizing, resolving conflict, and managing time to specific goals and/or projects.
6.4 Use self-reflection to recognize and define a sense of self-identity in personal, social/gender, and/or cultural/global terms and in relationship to others.
6.5 Develop self-monitoring and self-advocacy skills to effect positive life changes.

10. Technology

Definition: Understanding the role of technology in society and using technology appropriately and effectively.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
10.3 Use technology appropriate to the context and task to effectively retrieve and manage information, solve problems, and facilitate communication.

Course Contents

  1. Speech/performance anxiety symptoms/causes
  2. Speech/performance anxiety reducing techniques
  3. Communication conditions and contexts
  4. Culture/gender-based differences in speech/performance anxiety
  5. Supportive listening techniques