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NCT Number: NCT07392554

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

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Voice Anxiety Disorders Behavior Communication Communication Disorders Glossophobia Healthy Adult Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurodevelopmental Disorders Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Speech Verbal Behavior Virtual Reality Simulation

Age range

20 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

The present study is a randomized wait-list control trial, i.e. participants are randomly assigned to either the group that receives the intervention directly or the group that receives the intervention after a waiting period. First, both groups will receive a 1-hour session of information on general advice about PS (indirect method). Then the participants in the experimental group will receive three 1-hour sessions of voice and fluency training with VR practice moments for a period of 3 weeks (direct method). The control wait-list group will first wait for 3 weeks and then get the direct method training. The investigators will collect data from all participants in the first week (before the start of intervention for the experimental group), fourth week (right after the intervention for the experimental group and right before the first intervention session for the control group) and seventh week (three weeks after the intervention for the experimental group and right after the intervention for the control group).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Higher education student
  • Speaking french fluently

Exclusion criteria

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

Treatment and study plan

Indirect Method

Behavioral
  • General information and advice on PS

Direct Method

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

Primary outcomes

  1. Filled pauses

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

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

  2. Speech rate

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

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

  3. Voice intonation

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

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

  4. PS self-efficacy

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

    Questionnaire on self-efficacy in PS

Secondary outcomes

  1. Self-reported PS anxiety

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

    Self-assessment of perceived anxiety using the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS)

  2. Physiological PS anxiety

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

    Measurements of participants' heart rate (in bpm) when PS in VR

  3. Self-reported confidence as a speaker

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

    Self-assessment of confidence as a speaker using the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS) short-form questionnaire

  4. Self-perceived vocal effort

    Time frame: Week 1(baseline), 4 and 7

    Self-assessment of perceived vocal effort using the Adapted BORG Category Ratio (CR-10) physical exertion scale

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Liege

Other

Collaborators

  • Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique

Registry information

Official study title

Virtual Reality as a Tool for Training Public Speaking Skills in Higher Education Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 6, 2026
Registry last updated
Feb 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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