Voice and Communication Training Program Improves Performance of University Students in Oral Presentations.
Deborah Cristine Bonetti Rosa, Leonardo Wanderley Lopes, Simone Aparecida Lopes-Herrera
PMID 38055409WHAT IT FOUND
After an eight-week training covering voice, body language, social skills, neuro-linguistic programming, and language, 38 students improved by examiner and self ratings.
Single group, so components cannot be separated.
Key findings
01Examiners rated all oral presentation components as significantly improved after training, with eye contact from 2.26 to 3.55, smiling when suitable from 2.26 to 3.79, and adequate posture from 2.21 to 3.79.
02Participants' self-assessments also improved: positive self-affirmations increased from 15.9 to 20.9, negative self-affirmations decreased from 10.6 to 6.3, and positive self-affirmations rose from 44% to 68%.
03Only 38 of 42 registered students were analyzed because four were excluded for absences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was 38 students from one public university, all in their first year of only three courses, so it may not apply to other students or clients. Only students who attended every session were analyzed; four registered students were excluded because of absences. All participants received the same multi-component training, so the study cannot separate the effects of voice techniques, neuro-linguistic programming, social-skills content, body-language work, or language content. The design used a convenience sample and a before-and-after assessment, so it cannot compare the training with another group. The examiner form and the second self-assessment part were created by the researchers and were not validated. The paper describes three independent examiners but also lists a panel of two articulation therapists, a language specialist, a voice specialist, and a psychologist, leaving the exact assessment panel unclear.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), with the identifier 001. No other conflicts of interest are reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that any single part of the program caused the improvement. The training also included neuro-linguistic programming, social skills, body language, language content, and vocal projection, and all students were compared only with themselves before and after.