Previous empirical research has shown that speech state anxiety is com
municated from a speaker to audience members, at a nominal level, in p
ublic speaking settings. This article reports on research into the com
munication of speech state anxiety between adjacent speakers in the sp
eaking order. Based on classical response contagion theory, the resear
chers predicted a positive relationship. The findings support that exp
ectation, suggesting that public speaking state anxiety is contagious.
The article discusses possible consequences of these findings and adv
ances suggestions for future research.