Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Mar 2023

Communication Apprehension in the Workplace: Focusing on Inclusion

Peter Cardon ; Ephraim A. Okoro ; Raigan Priest ; Greg Patton

Abstract

Communication apprehension can lead to professional challenges for individuals, teams, and organizations. This is the first study of communication apprehension that involved a randomized national survey of working adults in the United States and captured broad representation in terms of age, gender, race/ethnicity, managerial status, and other factors. The study showed that communication apprehension is common, including in group discussions, meetings, interpersonal situations, and public speaking. It is significantly more common among early-career professionals, women, introverted professionals, and professionals with anxiety. Interpersonal situations appear to be the situations in which contemporary professionals are most likely to experience high communication apprehension. This study suggests more attention is needed to address communication apprehension in interpersonal and group situations. It also frames communication apprehension as a matter of inclusion and team performance.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2023-03-01
DOI
10.1177/23294906221129599
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Topics
race and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Cardon (2025)
    Communication Apprehension Among Autistic Professionals
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Shrivastava (2025)
    Beyond Pressure: Interpersonal Apprehension’s Impact on Behavior and Performanc…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Bharadwaj (2025)
    Intercultural Communication Challenges in IT Companies in India: A Case Study
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  4. Kaneko (2024)
    Communication Apprehension in the Workplace: The Role of Position and Facilitat…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

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    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  5. Boyer et al. (2017)
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    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
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