The document describes a study that examined the impact of an improv theatre intervention on public speaking anxiety and competence. The study involved trainee teachers who were randomly assigned to either an improv group or a control group. Both groups completed public speaking assignments and anxiety questionnaires at various time points. Results showed no significant impact of the improv intervention on anxiety or competence. However, relationships between anxiety and competence changed over time, particularly for the improv group. The study suggests improv may disrupt established links but longer interventions are needed to fully understand its effects. Further research is recommended.

1. Jordi Casteleyn
Antwerp School of Education
jordi.casteleyn@uantwerpen.be
jordi_casteleyn
www.slideshare.net/jordi013
Playing with improv theatre
to battle public speaking anxiety

2. People fear public speaking more than death!
What are Americans Afraid Of? (1973)
“

3. People fear public speaking more than death!
What are Americans Afraid Of? (1973)
“
?

4. People fear public speaking more than death!
What are Americans Afraid Of? (1973)
Public speaking was
selected more often as
a common fear than
any other fear,
including death.
However, when
students were asked to
select a top fear,
students selected
death most often.
Dwyer & Davidson (2012)
“
?
“

5. Rotgé (2002)
The Bock and Levelt Model of Speech Production

6. Rotgé (2002)
The Bock and Levelt Model of Speech Production
but public speaking anxiety not included

7. how to battle public speaking anxiety?
systematic
desensitization
which changes the
unconscious association
between public
speaking and anxiety
cognitive
modification
which replaces
problematic public
speaking cognitions
with more positive
views on public
speaking
skills
training
Bodie (2010)

8. how to battle public speaking anxiety?
systematic
desensitization
which changes the
unconscious association
between public
speaking and anxiety
cognitive
modification
which replaces
problematic public
speaking cognitions
with more positive
views on public
speaking
skills
training
Bodie (2010)
= improv (theatre)

10. Yes, and …
Make statements
There are no mistakes
“ Fey (2011)

11. • Do trainee teachers and well-experienced university
college lecturers assess the speaking competence
differently?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on public
speaking anxiety (PSA)?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on the
speaking competence?
• What is the relationship between public speaking anxiety
and speaking competence?
Research questions

12. improv
intervention
business
as usual routine
• PSA questionnaire (Hook, Smith, & Valentiner, 2008)
• speaking assignment
(video taped)
week 1 week 5 week 8 week 11
comparative judgement of
speaking assignment

13. improv
intervention
business
as usual routine
• PSA questionnaire
• speaking assignment
(video taped)
week 1 week 5 week 8 week 11
comparative judgement of
speaking assignment

14. Improv intervention
• 4 weeks
• one session every week
• one session = 50 minutes
• one typical session:
• warming up
• boosting creativity via free associations
• learning how to take risks
• pushing the boundaries
• speaking without prep in front of an audience

15. improv
intervention
business
as usual routine
• PSA questionnaire
• speaking assignment
(video taped)
week 1 week 5 week 8 week 11
comparative judgement of
speaking assignment

16. …
You should never drink and drive
We should do more to
battle climate change
Belgium should boost its
efforts to help refugees
Music festivals are too
expensive
Smart phones make you
asocial
Belgium should
reintroduce army service
We should eat less meat
Everyone has the right to
strike

17. improv
intervention
business
as usual routine
• PSA questionnaire
• speaking assignment
(video taped)
week 1 week 5 week 8 week 11
comparative judgement of
speaking assignment

18. Comparative judgement: D-Pac
http://www.d-pac.be/

19. Comparative judgement: D-Pac
http://www.d-pac.be/

20. Comparative judgement: D-Pac
http://www.d-pac.be/

21. • 64 representations (i.e. speaking assignments)
• 13 assessors:
5 trainee teachers,
8 well-experienced university college lecturers
• 566 comparisons
• most comparisons also got qualitative feedback
• (on average) 40 comparisons per assessor
• (on average) 2 hrs per assessor
reliability of final ranking: .80
Comparative judgement: D-Pac

22. the results

23. • Do trainee teachers and well-experienced university
college lecturers assess the speaking competence
differently?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on public
speaking anxiety (PSA)?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on the
speaking competence?
• What is the relationship between public speaking anxiety
and speaking competence?

24. no misfit judges

25. • Do trainee teachers and well-experienced university
college lecturers assess the speaking competence
differently?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on public
speaking anxiety (PSA)?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on the
speaking competence?
• What is the relationship between public speaking anxiety
and speaking competence?

26. condition n M SD
speaking t1 BAU 15 .05 1.79
speaking t1 improv 14 .30 1.64
speaking t2 BAU 15 -.33 1.48
speaking t2 improv 14 -.19 1.29
PSA t1 BAU 15 2.61 .86
PSA t1 improv 14 3.43 .88
PSA t2 BAU 15 2.64 .79
PSA t2 improv 14 3.66 1.02
• at t1, BAU group has
a lower PSA score
than improv group
t(31)= 3.09, p<.05
• at t2, BAU group has
a lower PSA score
than improv group
t(30)= 3.02, p<.05
• at both test test
moments, there is no
difference in speaking
t(31)= .35, p=.73 &
t(29)= .44, p=.66
• no impact of the
intervention could be
detected on speaking
or PSA
F(2, 26) = .22, p=.80, d=.02
BAU = business as usual routine

27. • Do trainee teachers and well-experienced university
college lecturers assess the speaking competence
differently?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on public
speaking anxiety (PSA)?
• Does the improv intervention have an impact on the
speaking competence?
• What is the relationship between public speaking anxiety
and speaking competence?

28. condition speaking t1 speaking t2 PSA t1
speaking t2 BAU .86** (.00)
improv .29 (.30)
PSA t1 BAU -.56* (.02) -.50 (.06)
improv -.60* (.01) -.21 (.46)
PSA t2 BAU -.55* (.34) -.38 (.16) .78** (.00)
improv -.20 (.47) -.02 (.95) .63* (.01)
At test moment 1, PSA predicts speaking competence,
F(1,31)= 8.94, p<.01, R Square= .22
At test moment 2, speaking competence at test moment
1 predicts speaking competence at test moment 2 for
the BAU group,
F(1,13)= 37.51, p<.01, R Square= .72

29. condition speaking t1 speaking t2 PSA t1
speaking t2 BAU .86** (.00)
improv .29 (.30)
PSA t1 BAU -.56* (.02) -.50 (.06)
improv -.60* (.01) -.21 (.46)
PSA t2 BAU -.55* (.34) -.38 (.16) .78** (.00)
improv -.20 (.47) -.02 (.95) .63* (.01)
At test moment 1, PSA predicts speaking competence,
F(1,31)= 8.94, p<.01, R Square= .22
At test moment 2, speaking competence at test moment
1 predicts speaking competence at test moment 2 for
the BAU group,
F(1,13)= 37.51, p<.01, R Square= .72
improv group

30. In both groups, the relationship between PSA and
speaking competence is disrupted.
• BAU group: now familiar with the assignment?
• improv group: impact of the improv intervention?
• no link between speaking competence at test
moment 1 and at test moment 2: the disruptive
nature of education/learning?
• changes in speaking competence?

31. !

32. !

33. …
You should never drink and drive
We should do more to
battle climate change
Belgium should boost its
efforts to help refugees
Music festivals are too
expensive
Smart phones make you
asocial
Belgium should
reintroduce army service
We should eat less meat
Everyone has the right to
strike

34. condition topics n M SD
test
moment 1
BAU ‘student’ 9 -.40 1.90
‘non-student’ 7 .64 1.40
improv ‘student’ 9 .95 1.33
‘non-student’ 8 -.52 1.41
test
moment 2
BAU ‘student’ 5 .02 1.98
‘non-student’ 10 -.50 1.26
improv ‘student’ 8 _.53 1.41
‘non-student’ 8 .30 .96
At t1, the improv group students with ‘student topics’
scores significantly higher on the speaking competence
than the improv group students with non-‘student topics’
t(15) = 2.22, p<.05
• This disappears at t2
• PSA & ‘topic’ do not explain variation in
speaking competence at t1

35. condition topics n M SD
test
moment 1
BAU ‘student’ 9 -.40 1.90
‘non-student’ 7 .64 1.40
improv ‘student’ 9 .95 1.33
‘non-student’ 8 -.52 1.41
test
moment 2
BAU ‘student’ 5 .02 1.98
‘non-student’ 10 -.50 1.26
improv ‘student’ 8 _.53 1.41
‘non-student’ 8 .30 .96
At t1, the improv group students with ‘student topics’
scores significantly higher on the speaking competence
than the improv group students with non-‘student topics’
t(15) = 2.22, p<.05
• This disappears at t2
• PSA & ‘topic’ do not explain variation in
speaking competence at t1

36. ‘Does improv work?’

37. • no clear impact on speaking competence or PSA
but at test moment 2 (in the improv group) …
• no relationship between the two tests of the
speaking competence (vs. BAU group):
the disruptive nature of learning?
• there is no longer a difference in speaking
competence related to the topic (vs. test moment 1)
(but how does ‘topic’ contribute to the final quality?)
‘Does improv work?’

38. • Further investigate the impact of PSA, the type of
assignment and topic on the speaking competence
• Conduct longer intervention, e.g. most improv
programs for beginners are a 10-week program
• Deploy additional research techniques such as
participant observation and semi-structured
interviews with participants
Possible routes
for further research
clear relationship between PSA & the speaking competence

39. Jordi Casteleyn
Antwerp School of Education
jordi.casteleyn@uantwerpen.be
jordi_casteleyn
www.slideshare.net/jordi013
Playing with improv theatre
to battle public speaking anxiety

41. Bodie, G. (2010). A Racing Heart, Rattling Knees, and Ruminative Thoughts: Defining,
Explaining, and Treating Public Speaking Anxiety. Communication Education, 59(1),
70-105.
Dwyer, K. & Davidson, M. (2012) Is Public Speaking Really More Feared Than Death?,
Communication Research Reports, 29(2), 99-107.
Fey, Tina (2011). Bossypants. New York: Little, Brown and Co.
Hook, J., Smith, C., Valentiner, D. (2008). A short-form of the personal report of confidence as a
speaker. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 1306-1313.
Rotgé, W. (2002). Model/Models in linguistics. Retrieved 13 June 2017 from http://
asp.revues.org/1574 DOI: 10.4000/asp.1574.
What are Americans Afraid Of? (1973, July). The Bruskin Report, 53.
References