It all starts at a young age when you get associated with the quiet kids. Often you are the shy one in the class, but no one really thinks much of it. Then you move on to middle school and have a handful of friends, still though, you are not the popular one. After middle school you preparing for high school and classes take on a whole new dimension. You are asked to participate in class discussions and even work with others in a small group environment. In the past, everyone knew you as being quiet and shy, so when it comes to people choosing their group, you are not exactly on their priority list. This eventually leads to lower self-esteem and negative reinforcement. High school progresses and so does your fear of social situations such as public speaking and working in groups.
[...] This essay builds on that point because to have a severe lack of communication skills is a neurotic disorder. Communication apprehension refers to an anxiety syndrome associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons (McCroskey 1977). It is also associated with the avoidance or nonparticipation in, and subsequent withdrawal from communication due to inadequate communication skills, a general unwillingness to communicate based on fear and anxiety; or avoidance due to inadequate communication skills. This syndrome is extremely common in our society. [...]
[...] There are two main steps involved in systematic desensitization: teaching people the steps for deep muscular relaxation and having the people visualize participating in communication while in a state of deep relaxation.” Generally, treatment includes small groups of five to seven people with a trained counselor that meet in one-hour sessions over a period of several days or weeks. (www.marietta.edu/~hale) Inappropriate cognitive processing is a large source of anxiety. This is when people have irrational thoughts about communicating. People become anxious because they don't think they can communicate successfully. [...]
[...] (Kurtus, www.school-for-champions.com) These simple practices may help some one who has moderate anxiety or communication apprehension when speaking in front of a group. However, those who suffer from more severe communication apprehension may benefit from professional treatment. Although there are many self-help books available about communication apprehension, evidence! e shows that these alone do not work. To receive the most effective help, one must enroll in a formal, clinical treatment program with the help of a trained professional. There are several treatments used to reduce communication apprehension, but the three most common are systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring, and skills training. [...]
[...] Although innate fear is something much of society experiences when speaking in a social situation, there is also conditioned fear. Conditioned avoidance without fear is often a fear that many people suffer from. Often people are very extroverted and able to speak in large groups, but a bad situation can change all of that. That bad situation happens when a person views a bad situation in which another speaker had a bad experience when speaking. This causes a fear that it could happen to them too. [...]
[...] Stage stars, office workers, professionals, athletes, and students share the debilitating effects of communication apprehension equally. Consequently, treatments and management strategies used to treat CA are very similar for all who suffer. (Horwitz, p137-138) As mentioned before, the reason most people get anxious when speaking in front of a group is that they are afraid of looking foolish in front of peers or important people. They are afraid that their lack of speaking skills will lower the opinion others have of them. [...]
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