Emotions: effects on voice and speech when speaking in public

Abstract

Objective: to study emotion effects on voice, speech and fluency in a public speech situation in a group of people which referred as having difficulty to speak in public. Method: Data from 4 persons were collected in three moments: 1- lecture/seminar situation; 2- interview moments before the presentation; 3- interview right after the presentation. Three judges analyzed voice, speech, and fluency parameters in the lecture tape. The interviews were analyzed using the discourse analysis proposed by Rosalind Gill (2002). Results: The discourse was organized in five categories: emotional/affective status, context, physical dimension, judgment, and cope strategies. Prior to the presentation, the participants disclosed fear and insecurity, and after the presentation, tranquility and relief. All participants presented fear related to the fact of being observed by others. Conclusion: Regarding voice and speech parameters the disturbed emotional state interfered in pneumophonoarticulatory coordination, language vices, and speech intelligibility. Regarding fluency parameters, hesitations, repetitions, prolongations and fulfilling sounds were observed. Regarding the presentation, both the content and the way of speaking worried the participants as well as the fact of being observed by others.