Whose Anxiety Is It Anyway? Helping Students Overcome the Crisis of Communication Apprehension in the Classroom

This exercise follows the structure of the popular television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? to help students overcome communication apprehension. Students are given the opportunity to compete in a game show called Off the Cuff involving two exercises that specifically target improvisational and extemporaneous skills, as well as appropriate emotional expression and increased memory retention. There is a critical need to help students, who view communicating in a new and intimidating environment as a crisis, overcome this fear. The goal is to put students on the spot in a lighthearted way that is both enjoyable and comfortable. Effective public speaking, that moves the audience, requires both verbal and nonverbal skills, both of which are addressed in this activity. These activities help students associate public speaking with a positive experience that will help lower apprehension and speech anxiety