NCT07392554

Brief 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.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
80

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
7mo left

Started Mar 2026

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress25%
Mar 2026Dec 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

January 30, 2026

Completed
7 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 6, 2026

Completed
23 days until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2026

Completed
9 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 1, 2026

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

February 6, 2026

Status Verified

January 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

9 months

First QC Date

January 30, 2026

Last Update Submit

January 30, 2026

Conditions

VoiceSpeechVirtual Reality SimulationHealthy Adult

Keywords

Public SpeakingOral CommunicationVoiceSpeech FluencySpeech TherapyVirtual RealityStudentsTrainingGlossophobiaAnxietyVerbal Behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

  • Filled pauses

    Measurements of participants' filled pauses (percentage of the total number of syllables produced) when PS in VR

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

  • Speech rate

    Measurements of participants' speech rate (in syllables per second) when PS in VR

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

  • Voice intonation

    Acoustic measurements of participants' voice variation (in semitones) when PS in VR

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

  • PS self-efficacy

    Questionnaire on self-efficacy in PS

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

Secondary Outcomes (4)

  • Self-reported PS anxiety

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

  • Physiological PS anxiety

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

  • Self-reported confidence as a speaker

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

  • Self-perceived vocal effort

    Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

* Indirect method: one information session on general advice about PS * Direct method: three sessions of PS training including VR simulations over a course of 3 weeks.

Behavioral: Indirect MethodBehavioral: Direct Method

Wait-list control arm

OTHER

* Indirect method: one information session on general advice about PS * Delayed direct method: after a waiting period of three weeks, three sessions of PS training including simulations over a course of 3 weeks.

Behavioral: Indirect MethodBehavioral: Direct Method

Interventions

Indirect MethodBEHAVIORAL

• General information and advice on PS

Intervention ArmWait-list control arm
Direct MethodBEHAVIORAL

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

Intervention ArmWait-list control arm

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 30 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Higher education student
  • Speaking french fluently

You may not qualify if:

  • Hearing impairment
  • Voice or fluency disorder at the time of the study

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Liege

Liège, Liège, 4000, Belgium

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

SpeechCommunication DisordersGlossophobiaAnxiety DisordersVerbal Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

CommunicationBehaviorNeurobehavioral ManifestationsNeurologic ManifestationsNervous System DiseasesSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsNeurodevelopmental DisordersMental Disorders

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
CROSSOVER
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
PhD Student

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 30, 2026

First Posted

February 6, 2026

Study Start

March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

February 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations

BE(1)