International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

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Reducing Fear of Oral Presentation Through Communication Strategies

Open access

Siti Khadijah Mohd Mohari, Nurul Jannah Ahmad Ghulamuddin, Muhammad Harriz Zaini, Ahmad Suhairi Mohamed Suhaimi, Mohd Naqiuddin Zulkarnain

Pages 1232-1248 Received: 13 Feb, 2023 Revised: 15 Mar, 2023 Published Online: 17 Apr, 2023

http://dx.doi.org/10.46886/IJARBSS/v13-i4/9341
Non-native English learners often face challenges to articulate their ideas while speaking in the target language. Because of this, it was far more difficult for them to get their thoughts over to the audience. To overcome this issue, the learners employ various communication strategies to promote their audience’s understanding. Hence, this research aims to determine the factors that contribute to fear of oral presentations and the communication strategies (CS) used by undergraduate students. The study employs a quantitative survey in which 201 participants in a public university in Pahang were conveniently selected to answer a three-sectioned survey; Section A elicits demographic background of the participants, Section B investigates their communication strategies used and Section C probes on the causes of fear of oral presentation. The findings show that students dread oral presentations both due to internal and external forces. They commonly employ Social-affective strategies and Message reduction, orientation and non-verbal strategies to cope with their fears. Additionally, the usage of CS has a slight impact in reducing their fear of oral presentation. Future research on alternative strategies to reduce students’ fear of oral presentation are therefore recommended in order to tackle the issue.
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