Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA)

Abstract

The Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) is a widely utilized, self-report instrument designed to measure the level of anxiety and apprehension an individual experiences in situations related to giving a public speech. Developed by James C. McCroskey in 1970, the PRPSA is a foundational measure within the study of Communication Apprehension. It assesses both the physiological and psychological dimensions of fear associated with speech preparation, anticipation, and delivery. Scores derived from the 34-item scale provide a reliable index for identifying individuals who experience low, moderate, or high levels of speech anxiety.

Keywords

Public speaking anxiety, Glossophobia, Communication Apprehension, McCroskey, PRPSA, self-report measure, communication research, Psychometrics, speech anxiety.

Authors

James C. McCroskey

Purpose

The primary purpose of the PRPSA is to quantify the degree of anxiety experienced by individuals specifically regarding public speaking situations. This measurement is crucial for researchers and educators seeking to identify students or participants who may benefit from intervention programs aimed at reducing communication-related fears. It serves as a diagnostic tool for understanding the intensity of the anxiety across various phases of the public speaking process, including preparation, anticipation, and performance.

Unlike broader measures of communication apprehension, the PRPSA focuses narrowly on the context of public address, making it a highly specific and sensitive instrument for this particular communication context. Its results are often used to predict avoidance behaviors or performance deficits in academic or professional settings requiring oral presentations.

Construct

The PRPSA measures the psychological construct of state/trait anxiety tied specifically to public speaking, often referred to as Glossophobia. It operationalizes Communication Apprehension (CA) within the public speaking context. This construct encompasses a combination of affective, cognitive, and physiological responses associated with the anticipation or delivery of a speech.

The scale items are designed to capture various facets of this anxiety, including cognitive symptoms (e.g., confused thoughts, fear of forgetting), physiological symptoms (e.g., fast heartbeat, trembling, perspiration), and behavioral responses (e.g., feeling tense during preparation or assignment announcements). It is considered a measure of generalized context anxiety rather than measuring anxiety in specific situations.

Validity

The PRPSA has demonstrated robust evidence of construct validity and criterion validity throughout decades of use in communication research. McCroskey’s original work established the scale’s ability to differentiate between individuals who exhibit high and low levels of speech anxiety based on observable behaviors. Subsequent research has confirmed its strong correlation with other established measures of anxiety, particularly the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA).

The instrument exhibits high face validity, as its items clearly relate to common experiences of nervousness associated with public speaking. Studies supporting its validity often show that higher PRPSA scores correlate negatively with self-perceived communication competence and positively with perceived communication avoidance.

Reliability

The PRPSA is known for its high internal consistency, indicating strong Reliability. Original and subsequent psychometric analyses consistently report high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, typically ranging from 0.90 to 0.95. This high coefficient suggests that the 34 items reliably measure the same underlying construct—public speaking anxiety.

The instrument also demonstrates acceptable levels of test-retest reliability, meaning that scores remain stable over reasonable periods when the underlying trait of anxiety is presumed not to have changed significantly. This stability reinforces its utility as a measure of trait-like anxiety specific to the public speaking context.

Factor Analysis

Although the construct of public speaking anxiety is complex, factor analyses of the PRPSA generally support a **unidimensional structure**. McCroskey intended the PRPSA to measure a single, overarching factor of apprehension related to public speaking situations. While some researchers have explored sub-factors related to different symptom clusters (e.g., cognitive vs. physiological), the scale is traditionally scored and interpreted as a holistic measure of generalized public speaking anxiety.

The strong internal consistency (high Cronbach’s alpha) further supports the interpretation that the 34 items contribute significantly to a single, dominant factor representing the degree of apprehension experienced by the respondent.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychometrics Scale

Format: 34 items utilizing a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree = 1 to Strongly Agree = 5).

Language Available: Primarily English; translations may exist but are not universally standardized.

Population Group: General population, widely used in academic settings (college/university students).

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 16+).

Population Details: Originally normed on samples of college students enrolled in communication courses.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their level of agreement with statements describing feelings, thoughts, and physiological reactions before, during, and after giving a public speech. The total score is calculated via a specific formula incorporating reversed items.

Keywords

Speech anxiety, McCroskey, public speaking, communication research, psychometric instrument, psychological assessment, self-report, communication competence, Validity, Reliability.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided (Information for James C. McCroskey not readily available or standardized in 1970).

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided.

Correspondence Address: Not provided (Refer to original publications for institutional affiliation in 1970).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The PRPSA was developed in 1970. James C. McCroskey generally allowed free usage of his communication apprehension instruments for academic research and educational purposes, provided proper citation is given. Users should consult the author’s official website (http://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/prpsa.htm) for current permissions regarding commercial or non-academic use. No standard fee is typically associated with using this instrument in educational research.

Reference’s

McCroskey, J. C. (1970). Measures of communication-bound anxiety. Speech Monographs, 37, 269-277.

The instrument and scoring instructions are often cited from the author’s official website: http://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/prpsa.htm.

Items of the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. While preparing for giving a speech‚ I feel tense and nervous.

2. I feel tense when I see the words “speech” and “public speech” on a course outline when studying.

3. My thoughts become confused and jumbled when I am giving a speech.

4. Right after giving a speech I feel that I have had a pleasant experience.

5. I get anxious when I think about a speech coming up.

6. I have no fear of giving a speech.

7. Although I am nervous just before starting a speech‚ I soon settle down after starting and feel calm and comfortable.

8. I look forward to giving a speech.

9. When the instructor announces a speaking assignment in class‚ I can feel myself getting tense.

10. My hands tremble when I am giving a speech.

11. I feel relaxed while giving a speech.

12. I enjoy preparing for a speech.

13. I am in constant fear of forgetting what I prepared to say.

14. I get anxious if someone asks me something about my topic that I don’t know.

15. I face the prospect of giving a speech with confidence.

16. I feel that I am in complete possession of myself while giving a speech.

17. My mind is clear when giving a speech.

18. I do not dread giving a speech.

19. I perspire just before starting a speech.

20. My heart beats very fast just as I start a speech.

21. I experience considerable anxiety while sitting in the room just before my speech starts.

22. Certain parts of my body feel very tense and rigid while giving a speech.

23. Realizing that only a little time remains in a speech makes me very tense and anxious.

24. While giving a speech‚ I know I can control my feelings of tension and stress.

25. I breathe faster just before starting a speech.

26. I feel comfortable and relaxed in the hour or so just before giving a speech.

27. I do poorer on speeches because I am anxious.

28. I feel anxious when the teacher announces the date of a speaking assignment.

29. When I make a mistake while giving a speech‚ I find it hard to concentrate on the parts that follow.

30. During an important speech I experience a feeling of helplessness building up inside me.

31. I have trouble falling asleep the night before a speech.

32. My heart beats very fast while I present a speech.

33. I feel anxious while waiting to give my speech.

34. While giving a speech‚ I get so nervous I forget facts I really know.

Scoring and Interpretation

The PRPSA uses a 5-point scale where Strongly Disagree = 1; Disagree = 2; Neutral = 3; Agree = 4; Strongly Agree = 5.

To determine the total score on the PRPSA, the following steps must be completed:

1. Add scores for items 1‚ 2‚ 3‚ 5‚ 9‚ 10‚ 13‚ 14‚ 19‚ 20‚ 21‚ 22‚ 23‚ 25‚ 27‚ 28‚ 29‚ 30‚ 31‚ 32‚ 33‚ and 34 (Anxiety-positive items).
2. Add the scores for items 4‚ 6‚ 7‚ 8‚ 11‚ 12‚ 15‚ 16‚ 17‚ 18‚ 24‚ and 26 (Anxiety-negative/Reversed items).
3. Complete the following formula: PRPSA = 72 – Total from Step 2 + Total from Step 1.

The total score should fall between 34 and 170. Interpretation of the score is typically guided by the established norms:

• High Anxiety: > 131
• Moderate Anxiety: 98-131
• Low Anxiety: < 98

The established normative statistics are Mean = 114.6; SD = 17.2.