MedTrace Logo

Virtual Reality as a Tool for Training Public Speaking Skills in Higher Education Students

NCT07392554 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 80

Last updated 2026-02-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

According to the scientific literature, public speaking (PS) is an important skill for students to master. However, a large proportion of students do not feel comfortable speaking in public. PS anxiety impacts oral communication (i.e., voice and fluency). These changes can affect speaker's academic and professional success, as well as his credibility. Performing a high-quality PPP with confidence is therefore rarely an innate skill, but fortunately it can be trained and improved. Therefore, training PS skills in representative settings is crucial but often challenging for PS professionals (e.g., speech therapists, vocologists, coaches).

This project examines how oral communication skills training including simulations in virtual reality (VR) supports the acquisition of effective oral PS skills. Using acoustic analyses, outcomes from participants in the intervention group (N = 40) will be compared with those of a wait-list control group (N = 40) to determine whether significant differences emerge in filled pauses, speech rate, and vocal intonation during PS. Changes in PS self-efficacy will also be assessed. Regarding secondary outcomes, the study will evaluate changes in self-reported and physiological PS anxiety, as well as self-reported confidence as a speaker. Finally, self-perceived vocal effort during PS will be examined.

Conditions

  • Voice
  • Speech
  • Virtual Reality Simulation
  • Healthy Adult

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Indirect Method

• General information and advice on PS

BEHAVIORAL

Direct Method

• Learning effective PS oral skills using speech therapy exercises (e.g., modeling, audiovisual feedback) and VR simulations

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Fonds pour la Recherche Scientifique (FRS-FNRS)

    collaborator UNKNOWN

  • University of Liege

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
20 Years
Max Age
30 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-03-31
Primary Completion
2026-12-31
Completion
2026-12-31

Countries

  • Belgium

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07392554 on ClinicalTrials.gov