Communication Apprehension: A Barrier to Students' Leadership, Adaptability, and Multicultural Appreciation

In today's global context, a lack of comfort in communicating with others can be an unfortunate inhibitor to success in school and work. In this study we measured the level of communication apprehension in 263 students and the relationship of their communication apprehension to measures of leadership initiative, multicultural appreciation, adaptability, and academic performance. Results revealed that communication apprehension was negatively associated with students' willingness to take on leadership opportunities, appreciation for a multicultural world, and adaptability to new situations. No significant relationships were found between communication apprehension and overall GPA. Strategies for mitigating communication apprehension and implications for future research are discussed.