Shyness and Organizational
Communication

Week 3, Friday

Psychology 360 
Outline
I. Consequences of shyness
II. Measuring reticence
III. Overcoming reticence
IV. Your term papers
Consequences of Shyness
General:
less happy, lonely, delay marriage
In organizational setting:
less career stability, lower achievement
Reticence: Reluctance to communicate
desire to communicate
 verbalizing inhibited
anxiety about participation in oral communication 
anxiety outweighs the projection of gain
Measuring Reticence
an instance of a personality scale
scales are questions that measure traits
the value of a scale is determined by:
the scale’s validity
the scale’s reliability
A Scale to Measure Reticence
Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA)
Answer items using the following scale:
PRCA Items
1. I have no fear of facing an audience.
2. I look forward to expressing my opinions at meetings.
3. I look forward to speaking in public.
4. I find the prospect of speaking mildly pleasant.
5. I feel that I am more fluent when talking than others.
PRCA Items (cont)
6. Although I'm nervous before speaking, I soon forget my fears and enjoy the experience.
7. I feel relaxed and comfortable while speaking.
8. I do not feel self-conscious when speaking in class.
9. I would enjoy presenting a speech on a local TV show.
10. I face the prospect of making a speech with complete confidence.
Scoring your PRCA result
10 to 30 = low communication apprehension
30 to 40 = medium communication apprehension
40 to 50 = high communication apprehensive
Organizational implications
level of communication affects attributions
communication reveals skills and knowledge that improve task matching
good task fit enhances effectiveness and efficiency
Overcoming reticence
Interventions:
modify climate
systematic desensitization
Technology:
electronic mail, reduces social cues
Some findings about e-mail use
more equal than face-to-face
takes longer to reach decisions than face-to-face
decisions are riskier than face-to-face
attenuates effects of status
more flaming than in face-to-face
Avoiding term paper problems
don’t identify people by name, use pseudonyms
get permission before observing organizations or talking to members of organizations
don’t describe episodes or incidents that will compromise the anonymity of your subjects
don’t reveal secret or proprietary information
Copyright © 1996, The Regents of the University of Michigan, All rights reserved.
Revised - November 4, 1996